The innovation is the development of a new class of devices known as eWriters for classroom use as both a sustainable paper replacement technology and an effective tool for student/teacher interaction. These devices address the problem of achieving a sustainable world by satisfying the human need for making and recording handwritten images without the environmental harm associated with the production of paper. They are widely accepted based on a writing experience which closely mimics the feel of pen and paper. The paperless classroom workflow will require tools for automatically collecting assignments and electronically grading them. Virtual whiteboards enabled by the devices will be created to enhance student/teacher interaction. The project focuses on math and science education, areas that are difficult to service with other device types, such as ones requiring keyboard input, due to the basic nature of the work, special symbols, and formatting requirements. However, the devices themselves are applicable to a broader range of subject areas, including art, where it is noteworthy that some artists have already adopted the eWriters for their medium. As eWriters are a new technology, the project will be among the first to explore their transformative potential as applied to education.
The broader/commercial impact begins with the societal benefit of significantly reduced paper consumption in schools and later extends into the workplace as increasing numbers of students enter the workforce prepared to perform their jobs without the use of paper. Also important is the new tool that eWriters provide to teachers, particularly through virtual whiteboards that permit wireless interaction between a teacher and their students. Capable teachers will find new ways of reaching students in subject areas as varied as art and science. It is hard to overstate the importance of this at a time of flagging student test scores and academic competitiveness. Commercially, the eWriter display technology has been developed and manufactured in the United States, with investments in roll-to-roll display production facilities in Kent, Ohio. Development of the technology into an educational tool therefore assists in sustaining the domestic economy, in addition to the environment. The existing eWriter product, distribution, retail channels, and marketing give a strong platform for the educational development to be commercialized. The initial success in educational settings shows strong promise and potential for commercialization success in this field.
Humans have communicated via manual handwriting for millennia, and teachers around the world use handwriting to educate the next generation. Kent Displays, Inc. (KDI) has brought about the latest change in handwriting technology with its new class of electronic devices - the eWriter. Based on new liquid crystal technology, eWriter devices create the first viable pen and paper replacement technology by carefully creating a handwriting experience actually like pen on paper. Applied to education, eWriter devices introduce teachers and students to a sustainable paper replacement technology at a lower cost than media tablets. In this project, KDI developed eWriter technology for the classroom, prototyping a sustainable, paperless workflow in which student work recorded on eWriter devices is wirelessly uploaded to teachers for digital annotation and is electronically shared back to the students via a web-based service. Mobile apps were also developed in order for students to directly access files from the eWriters on their smartphones. The educational value of eWriters was increased by developing virtual whiteboard capabilities for the devices in order for teachers and students to wirelessly present their work in real time via Bluetooth connection to a computer with a projector. Educators, involved throughout the process, evaluated the solution in multiple science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms. The classroom trials showed eWriters reduce classroom paper consumption, and the teachers gave valuable feedback on system performance, which will guide planning for future research and subsequent commercialization. This project has impacts on sustainability, education, and U.S. domestic jobs. Training today’s students in the use of a paperless workflow will enable them to learn and ultimately perform their work without sacrificing the resources available to tomorrow’s students to do likewise. The project found that a single eWriter device saves approximately ten 70-page notebooks per school year. If a state such as Ohio adopted educational eWriters at each of its public high schools, over 100,000 trees would be saved over three years, the life of an educational eWriter product. Perhaps more importantly, the eWriter platform presents new tools and capabilities for high quality teaching. Electronic copies of student work may be archived in student portfolios for study, documentation of student progress, and as a way to engage parents. The devices also make classrooms more efficient, leaving more time for teaching by eliminating time spent on tasks such as returning assignments and students traveling between their desks and the whiteboard. The devices also help teachers with organization, and were found particularly useful in special education for documenting Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Commercially, the eWriter display technology is manufactured at roll-to-roll display production facilities in Ohio and exported around the world. Kent Displays, Inc. is encouraged by the results of this project and is committed to developing and commercializing an affordable, effective, and innovative educational eWriter solution to help STEM, special education, and other teachers reduce waste (paper and time) in the classroom, improve student performance, and deliver sustainability of forest resources.
