Nancy Donley

“The Smartpen Project” is the winning program developed by Donley for students at the Rawson-Saunders School. A critical goal of the school, an independent school for learners with dyslexia, is to prepare students for future academic success. The program, which focuses on note taking and study skills, will utilize a Smartpen to help achieve the school’s goal instead of pen and paper-based methods. The Smartpen can create a digital copy of class notes and an audio recording of the teacher’s lecture or student’s discussion of what they are learning in class. One goal of the program is to increase accurate note taking including due dates, assignment instructions, vocabulary, and important information needed to complete homework. Additional program goals are to provide students with study tools to allow them to listen to a lecture and access the information recorded in class and to provide review information for students who are absent and those who need to see information multiple times. Donley, who lives in Austin, hopes the program will help students overcome their dyslexia-related challenges and that communication will be enhanced between teachers, parents, and students.