It’s our 20th Birthday this year and we’re celebrating everything assistive tech can do. Here are 20 of the things we’re proudest of when we see our tech helping readers – and here’s to 20 more years of doing even more.

What’s the C-Pen Reader 2?

C-Pen Reader 2 is an award-winning assistive reading aid that uses AI-supported Text-to-Speech tech to support developing readers. It’s as simple as scanning a sentence on the page, and hearing it spoken though the earbuds – you can look up dictionary definitions, store words to file, and customize both speaking speed and language to your needs. 

We couldn’t be prouder of all the ways you’ve been using it to support learners and foster better reading in education and beyond. 

 So, here’s 20 things we love to see the C-Pen Reader 2 (and friends) doing:

·      Unlocking the curriculum. Reading is the means by which we access almost the entirety of the curriculum. Where literacy skills fail, we may often find ourselves struggling in History, Science, Math, and Geography too. If we can unlock the literacy door, we can unlock all these other subject doors too, and open up the whole curriculum.

·      Breaking down the literacy barrier. At this point, we’re all aware of the relationship between reading and academic success. Both C-Pen Reader 2 and C-Pen Exam Reader 2 open the doors to a new world of confident reading that gives learners a hugely improved chance of getting the grades they deserve and going on to bigger and better opportunities.

·      Making home reading happen. In-person reading support does the job in the classroom, but what about when learners want to read Harry Potter before they go to bed? C-Pen Reader 2 is discreet, portable, rechargeable and doesn’t need Wi-Fi to work, so reading can happen anywhere and anytime.

·      Preserving educator bandwidth. All over the world, teachers, teaching assistants and special ed professionals wake up every morning ready to support those with reading differences, alongside the myriad other jobs they have to do during the school day. C-Pen Reader 2 allows many more learners to self-support and read with independence – educators can then focus on whole-class support (and the two hundred other things they’ve probably got on their plate).

·      Boosting reading confidence. Learners who have struggled with reading in the past might feel very daunted by the idea of going back to books, especially if they’re suffering from reading anxiety. That’s where C-Pen Reader 2 comes in: it’s a hand to hold, as well as a reading tool.  

·      Supporting English Language Learners. Coming to English as a language can be so hard, and there’s a lot of new information involved. C-Pen Reader 2 can help English language learners by making sure that they’ve always got reading support, a dictionary, and an English language model on hand when they need it – both in the classroom and at home.

·      Helping foster better personal relationships with education. When students struggle with their reading school can feel like a chore. This leads to disillusionment with the idea of going to school itself, and learners might feel sad, anxious, and disengaged. By adding reading support to the mix, we can make lessons feel fun and engaging again – and that 7am alarm no longer feels like such a bad thing to wake up to. 

·      Gamifying learning. Kids love games, and they’re a great way to learn vocabulary. C-Pen Reader 2’s audio boost function means that loud, clear audio feedback on the words on the page is instantly available for group work, whole-class learning, and word games. 

·      Beating shyness and building peer relationships. It’s tough when you struggle with reading: some learners (especially younger ones) can withdraw, feeling shy and anxious. Supporting their reading skills and fostering confidence there might mean that they feel more comfortable being more open, and engaging with others as they learn. 

·      Fostering neurodiversity positivity! We all learn and think differently, and it’s important that learners across the board learn about neurodivergent minds, what neurodiversity positivity means, and how neurodiverse differences are not a barrier to success. 

·      Destigmatizing assistive tech... Sometimes, learners can hide reading struggles due to fears of feeling different or even suspecting they’ll be mocked by their peers. C-Pen Reader 2 is easy-to-understand and even discreet to use, meaning that students can feel more confident in accessing the support they need to succeed. Younger learners often even find their C-Pen supports cool!

·      …And normalizing assistive tech. It’s not just neurodivergent learners who can benefit from the implementation of assistive tech: it’s got a huge role to play in supporting neurotypical individuals on their literacy journey too. The more times learners encounter it, the more they’ll feel comfortable with it, and hopefully in the future we’ll be able to see every learner using assistive tech to make literacy acquisition just that little bit easier. 

·      Helping adults learn. We often refer to learners as children and young people, but that’s not always the case. All over the world there are huge numbers of adults who are engaged in learning too, whether they’re in university, in on-the-job training, or pursuing personal & professional development. C-Pen Reader 2 helps older learners who might have dyslexia or who might be coming from other language backgrounds.

·      Helping adults work. It’s not just adult learners who benefit, either: so many adults have found the doors to their dream career opened by C-Pen Reader 2 and Secure Reader 2.

·      Saving schools money. School budgets are feeling a little bit tighter at the moment. More learners than ever before are asking for reading support. Assistive tech aids like C-Pen Reader 2 mean that instead of human readers – who can be far more expensive and difficult to source, especially at short notice – learners can benefit from a cost-effective, easy-to-implement and permanent reading solution. 

·      Making exam time easier and beating exam anxiety. This one’s about C-Pen Exam Reader 2: our smart little ‘orange pen’ is designed to take reading comprehension struggles out of the equation for learners under test conditions so that they can focus on those all-important answers. 

·      Creating exam-time reading support that can carry through. Under a lot of testing boards, learners may not be allowed to use the support of professionals who have helped them with reading during the year. C-Pen Exam Reader 2 and C-Pen Reader 2 are a support duo that carry through, with learners being able to access the same kind of support as they’ve received in class all year when they need it the most. It’s about keeping it simple – and making sure there’s nothing new and scary on exam day. 

·      Supporting learners in the justice system. Some of our devices are approved for use in prisons, which means that we can support people within these institutions as they gain qualifications, foster new skills and take steps to reintegrate.

·      Helping learners with their mental health. School is stressful, especially if your literacy skills are causing you anxiety. It can even lead to depressive illness and poor self-esteem if left unchecked. That’s why implementing reading supports matters so much.

·      Showing learners that having dyslexia doesn’t mean that you’re not smart! All too often children and young people with dyslexia struggle in class, and all too often some of them develop the idea that they’re not smart and destined for great things. C-Pen Reader 2 means that learners with dyslexia can get back on track. They can learn at the same pace as their peers and tackle the same reading materials, showing the world exactly what they can do.  

 Reading isn't just a skill we use in English lessons.

It's how we access the rest of the curriculum too. Where reading barriers emerge, multi-subject learning is adversely impacted. At Scanning Pens, we believe that every learner should have the opportunity to take on the reading challenge and foster the skills they need to succeed, regardless of things like neurodivergent minds, special educational needs, anxiety or simply coming to English for the first time.

That's why we're so proud of C-Pen Reader 2, and everything it’s used for.

 Find out more today!