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PENpal Basics: How to Use the Audio Recorder Pen

PENpal Audio Recorder Pen is Ready to Use in 3 Easy Steps
  1. Press the POWER button
  2. Download free audio files from your PC with FreeLINK
  3. Touch the START arrow in PENpal-enabled books and posters
Easily switch between languages by touching the language circles in bilingual books!


PENpal Quick Start Guide
Getting Started
Listening to Dual Language Books
Listening to the Key Phrases Chart
Listening to Dual Language Dictionaries
Using Recordable Labels

PENpal Complete Guide


What Is PENpal?
PENpal Received - What Next? (FreeLINK)
 How to Download Audio Files from FreeLINK






PENpal - How to Change Language
PENpal - How Does it Work?
PENpal - What are Audio Files?





PENpal Quick Start Guide

Getting Started
1. Charge and recharge your PENpal for 1.5 hours only. Use the USB cable located in the bottom of your PENpal box.
2. Turn On the PENpal: Hold the power button down for 1-2 seconds to begin. The blue light above the power button will shine when the PENpal is on. You will then hear a greeting.
3. Download free audio files in your choice of language from your PC with FreeLINK.

Listening to Dual Language Books*
1. Touch the tip of your PENpal to the start arrow located inside the front cover of your book. (In some books, it's located across from the inside title page.) Wait for the audio prompt.
2. Next to the start arrow, select the desired language you wish to hear. For example, if you have a Spanish/English book, touch the tip of the PENpal to the circle above "English" to hear it in English, or touch the circle above "Language" to hear it in Spanish.
3. With the tip of your PENpal, touch the top left or right hand corners of the pages to hear them read aloud. The book is read one page at a time.
*Note: Not all Language Lizard books are sound-enabled. Sound-enabled books have blue, green and black pen icons located on the back cover. To see a list of books that are sound enabled and have sound files available for the North American market, visit www.LanguageLizard.com/PENpal-Books.
Only sound files loaded on your PENpal will work.

Listening to the Key Phrases Chart
Only sounds files loaded on your PENpal will work.
1. Touch the start arrow at the top of the chart with the tip of the PENpal. Wait for the audio prompt.
2. Select the specific language you want to hear by touching the tip of the PENpal to the right of the language text listed on the side of the chart. You will hear the language pronounced. For example, "Spanish" or "Arabic."
3. To the right of each phrase is a WHITE BOX. Touch the WHITE BOX with the tip of the PENpal to hear the phrase. Change the language at any time by selecting another language.

Listening to Dual Language Dictionaries
Only sound files loaded on your PENpal will work.
1. With the tip of your PENpal, touch the start arrow located inside the dictionary across from the Contents page. Wait for the audio instructions.
2. Select desired language on the top of any page. This needs to be done only one time during each use. For example, if you have a Spanish Dictionary, with the tip of your PENpal, select "English (E)" or "Spanish (L)".
3. With the tip of your PENpal, touch a specific word or picture next to the word to hear it in the selected language. You can switch between E, S or L at any time.

Using Recordable Labels

Student Set (with red circle, blue square and green triangle):
1. Hold down the "Power" button on your PENpal for a few seconds, until the PENpal turns on (blue light).
2. Hold down the "Mode" button until the light turns red. The PENpal is now in recording mode, but is not yet recording.
3. Touch the circle on the label. The light will turn purple and you can start recording.
4. Once you have finished recording, touch the square on the same label. The light will turn back to red.
5. To play back your recording, touch the triangle on the same label, with the pen still in record-mode (red light), and your recording will play back.
6. Students can re-record on the same label as many times as they like.

Student Set (with orange/yellow OR white circle & square labels):
1. Hold down the "Power" button on your PENpal for a few seconds, until the PENpal turns on (blue light).
2. Hold down the "Mode" button until the light turns red. The PENpal is now in recording mode, but is not yet recording.
3. To start your recording, hold down the "Record" button and touch the PENpal label. The light will turn purple. You can now release the button and start your recording. Once you have finished, press the "Record" button once more to end the recording. (The light will turn back to red.)
4. To playback, touch the PENpal label with the PENpal still in "Record" mode (red light).
5. Students can re-record on the same label as many times as they like.

Teacher Set:
When making your recordings with a Teacher Set of labels, follow the directions above and use the teacher's Control set of labels, which will prevent recordings from being erased by students.
1. Hold down the "Power" button on your PENpal for a few seconds, until the PENpal turns on (blue light).
2. Hold down the "Mode" button until the light turns red. The PENpal is now in recording mode, but is not yet recording.
3. To start your recording, touch a circle on the laminated RECORD PAGE. The light will turn purple and you can now record. Once you have finished recording, touch the "stop" square on the laminated RECORD PAGE. The light will turn back to red.
4. To play back your recording, go to the corresponding teacher sticker (if you made the recording on circle 183, go to sticker T183). Touch the sticker with the pen still in record-mode (red light) and the recording will play back.
5. You can re-record the sticker using the control sheet (repeat instructions above) but students will not be able to record over your content using the sticker alone.
[note: the "record" button on the pen is for student controlled labels only. Please see separate instructions for those.]




PENpal Complete Guide

>What is the PENpal?
The PENpal is a wireless multifunctional tool that plays multilingual audio files and also allows users make their own audio recordings using recordable labels.

>How does the PENpal work?




>Is there a guide that accompanies the PENpal and materials?
Yes. There is a short guide that is included with each PENpal. We recommend this website page for more detailed information.

>What is the PENpal warranty?
There is a one year warranty against normal wear and tear. The specific warranty details are included with each PENpal.

>What type of headphone works with the PENpal?
Headphones with a 3.5 mm stereo mini jack. It is similar to those used with an IPOD or MP3 player.

Getting Started: The Rechargeable PENpal

>How long should you charge the PENpal before the first use? How do I charge (and recharge) my PENpal?
Option 1. You can charge your pen using the USB cable to connect the pen to a PC or Mac. The computer will charge the pen in a maximum of 1.5 hours.

Option 2. You can also connect the cable to an AC Adapter and plug it into an outlet. The charging time is 1 hour if you connect to an outlet.

>How long will PENpal stay charged?
Testing shows that a full charge allows you to touch a sound spot over and over again 50 times a minute for at least 3 hours before the batteries discharge! Therefore regular classroom use will last for hours upon hours! If you use headphones the batteries stay charged for a longer period because it is less of a drain on the batteries.

If you do not use the PENpal for up to 10 days it will stay charged. However we recommend giving it a booster charge for 45 minutes before use if it has been left unused for over 10 days.

Option 1. You can charge your pen using the USB cable to connect the pen to a PC or Mac. The computer will charge the pen in a maximum of 1.5 hours.

Option 2. You can also connect the cable to the AC Adapter and plug it into an outlet. The charging time is 1 hour if you connect to an outlet.


>What's the life of the battery?
The AAA rechargeable batteries that come with the PENpal will recharge without deterioration approximately 500 times. Testing shows that a full charge allows you to touch a sound spot over and over again 50 times a minute for at least 3 hours before the batteries discharge! Therefore regular classroom use will last for hours upon hours! If you use headphones the batteries stay charged for a longer period because it is less of a drain on the batteries.

>What type of batteries does the Pen use?
The PENpal comes with 2 rechargeable AAA batteries. The batteries should be drained flat before recharging in order to extend battery life.

>Can I use normal AAA batteries?
Your pen comes with 2 rechargeable AAA batteries. You can use normal AAA batteries but they will need to be replaced each time the batteries are discharged.

>How do I know when the batteries are running low?
The pen will begin to respond slower as your batteries begin to run low. You will also hear an audio message stating "Batteries Low" when it's time to recharge the pen.

Changing the Volume on the PENpal

>How do I increase/decrease the volume on the pen?
The power button doubles up as a volume control button. After turning the pen on by holding the power button down for 2 seconds you can adjust the volume by quickly clicking the power button. Every time it is clicked, the volume will be adjusted until it reaches a maximum level. Once it reaches its maximum level, the next click will adjust the volume to the minimum level and the cycle will repeat again.

Listening to Multilingual Products










>What does it mean when my PENpal says, "Touch the start arrow to begin?"
Every sound enabled publication has a printed arrow labeled "Start." For books, it is usually found on the inside front cover or the inside page directly across from the Title page. The Start Arrow is used to tell the PENpal which book or chart it is reading. The Start Arrow activates the appropriate sound file that is already loaded onto the PENpal. If you do not have the sound file for a publication loaded on your PENpal, it will remain silent when you touch the Start Arrow.

>What is the "M" button used for on the PENpal?
The "M" refers to the mode the pen is in. This button allows you to switch between PRINT mode which plays the preloaded sound files and the RECORDING mode which allows you to Record and Play back the sound files you create on that pen using the Recordable Labels.

>Do I need to slide PENpal across the text?
No. The PENpal just has to touch the top corners of the page of a book to activate the audio. You do not need to press hard. For the Key Phrases chart, simply touch the white box next to the phrase to hear it spoken in the selected language.

>My PENpal does not turn on. Why?
Option 1. Ensure that your PENpal is charged.

Option 2. Make sure that you hold the Power button down for about 2 seconds until the blue light comes on.

Option 3. If the pen is fully charged, verify that the batteries are inserted the correct way. To remove your batteries, slide the silicone sleeve off the pen to remove the green back cover. You will need a microscrewdriver to remove the small screw from the back cover. At the top of the cover there is a round notch that you can slide your finger in to lift the cover. Follow the + and - marking in the battery case when you re-insert the batteries. Put the silicone sleeve back on the pen. Make sure the sleeve is correctly aligned with the buttons on the pen. When the ports at the top of the pen are fully exposed, you should be able to see the blue light when you start the pen. If the sleeve placement is slightly off, you can shift the sleeve around until it is correctly aligned.

>How do I turn off the PENpal?
Hold the Power button down for 2 seconds until the blue or red light turns off.

>My PENpal won't turn off. What should I do?
Option 1. Ensure the silicone sleeve is correctly aligned with the yellow buttons located directly on the PENpal. If the sleeve placement is slightly off, you can adjust/shift the sleeve around until it is correctly aligned. When the ports at the top of the pen are fully exposed, you should be able to see the blue/red light.

Option 2. In some instances your pen may "freeze," which is the equivalent to your computer crashing. In this case you will simply need to take out one of the batteries, wait for five seconds, and insert it again to reboot your pen.

To remove your batteries, slide the silicone sleeve off the pen to remove the back cover. You will need a microscrewdriver to remove the small screw from the green battery cover. At the top of the green plate that covers the batteries there is a round notch that you can slide your finger in to lift the cover. Follow the + and - marking in the battery case when you re-insert the batteries. Put the silicone sleeve back on the pen. Make sure the sleeve is correctly aligned with the buttons on the pen. When the ports at the top of the pen are fully exposed, you should be able to see the blue light when you start the pen. If the sleeve placement is slightly off, you can shift the sleeve around until it is correctly aligned.


Recording on Labels

>How many hours of recordings does the PENpal hold?
280 hours

>How long can I record on a label?
1 hour per label. You can re-record on each label too. Just follow the recording steps again. There is no erasing required.

>My PENpal is not playing my recording. What should I do?

Option 1. Ensure that you are using the same pen that you used to make the recording. You are actually making an audio file on the PENpal, which is why you need to use the same pen.

Option 2. Ensure that you have changed the PENpal to the "RECORDING MODE/ RED LIGHT MODE" button down for 2 seconds. The mode button allows you to switch between PRINT mode which plays the preloaded sound files and the RECORDING mode which allows you to Record and Play back the sound files you create using the recordable labels.

Option 3. Turn the PENpal off by holding the Power button down for 2 seconds until the light turns off. Then turn the PENpal back on and put it in the "RECORDING MODE/ RED LIGHT MODE." If this does not work, take out one of the batteries, wait for five seconds, and insert them again. Turn the pen back on and put it in the "RECORDING MODE/ RED LIGHT MODE."

To remove your batteries, slide the silicone sleeve off the pen to remove the back cover. You will need a microscrewdriver to remove the small screw from the green battery cover. At the top of the green plate that covers the batteries there is a round notch that you can slide your finger in to lift the cover. Follow the + and - marking in the battery case when you re-insert the batteries. Put the silicone sleeve back on the pen. Make sure the sleeve is correctly aligned with the buttons on the pen. When the ports at the top of the pen are fully exposed, you should be able to see the blue light when you start the pen. If the sleeve placement is slightly off, you can shift the sleeve around until it is correctly aligned.