Age group for which this tool is beneficial:
Elementary School
Middle School
High School & Beyond

To what category does this tool belong?
Medium-tech tools (requires power supply and some training)

Skills strengthened with the help of this tool:
Academic

How does the tool work?
These devices are about the size of a felt marker pen. They allow a student to scan an individual word and hear the word decoded in synthesized speech. Others, instead of speech, use a small LED screen to show the word phonetically followed by a definition.

What is the benefit to the user?
These devices allow a student to scan an unfamiliar word and, in the case of the speech synthesizers, hear the work pronounced. Students are often able to recognize more spoken words than they are able to read. Devices that use an LED screen display a pronunciation key and a definition as aids to word recognition and comprehension.

Other information to consider:
Students can learn to use this tool following a demonstration and some practice.

The above content was researched and written by Frank Sopper.