What the Fly Pen Does

What the Fly Pen Does

The Fly Pen is an innovative piece of technology designed to help students age 8-13 excel in school. At the most basic level, the pen converts handwritten text into digital text. This means that what the student writes in his or her notebook can be easily uploaded onto a computer as a text file.

Handwriting recognition is only the tip of the iceberg. Students use the Fly Pen to write on special Fly Paper. Touching the pens to one of the icons at the bottom of the Fly Paper opens menus and programs that the student can use to complete an assignment, study for a test or even play MP3s. Students also have the option of drawing their own icons and clicking them to open other programs. Pretty cool.

Leap Frog, the designer and manufacturer of the pen, has put a great deal of effort into making this product a powerful educational tool. Custom homework and games are available online and the pen can even spellcheck the student’s handwritten work.

One of the most beneficial features of the pen is its calculator. A student simply draws a calculator on the Fly Paper and clicks the numbers and operations to perform calculations. Far from a cheat, the calculation feature also guides students step-by-step through quadratic equations and other tricky math operations.

Another useful feature is that students can upload the notes they handwrite in class onto a computer. This allows students to search and edit their notes with ease. With this ability, students don’t have to worry as much about how they organize their notes in class, because they can always come back later and make a more organized outline.

A really cool program for the pen provides students with instant translation into Spanish or French. Just write a word in English, tell the pen to translate and the pen responds by saying the word aloud in the desired language. I wish I had one of these when I was in middle school.

Fly Pen Helps Students Learn

Fly Pen Helps Students Learn

Leap Frog, the creator of the Fly Pen, knows what it takes to help kids learn. The company believes that if a product cannot engage a student within seven seconds, that product never will engage the student. That’s a pretty tall order, but the Fly Fusion meets the demand. There are several reasons why this product is great for helping students learn. Let’s take a look.


First of all, the Fly Fusion is fun, even cool. It understands what students write on paper and provides definitions, comments and step-by-step instructions. Now that’s one heck of a pen! There are a number of games made specifically for the pen that middle school students love, but it also features Spanish translation, math homework help and quizzes based on school subjects. The whole theory behind this product is that if kids enjoy using the pen to do homework, they’ll spend more time studying.


One of the most useful features of the Fly Pen is its calculator and the math homework help that it provides. A student simply draws a calculator on the Fly Paper and the pen calculates the figures. Pretty neat, but the pen does much more than that. If a student writes out a math problem (everything from a simple multiplication problem to a complex quadratic equation), the pen actually guides the student step-by-step through the process. This helps students learn how to do math on their own instead of just giving them the answer.


As you can see, the Fly Fusion is far more than just a cool gadget with some educational qualities. It is actually a robust learning system that helps students excel and feel cool at the same time. And the educational benefits don’t stop at math. This pen also helps students with writing assignments, foreign languages, test review and organization. Since it’s so fun to use all of the pen’s features, you’ll find that students spend more time working on schoolwork.

Fly Pen Handwriting Recognition

Fly Pen Handwriting Recognition

One of the best features of the Fly Pen is its handwriting recognition ability. The pen uses several interesting pieces of technology to provide students with nearly flawless handwriting recognition. This allows the student to digitize handwritten notes and upload them onto a PC as a text document.


In order for the pen to recognize handwriting, the student must write on special Fly Paper. This paper is covered with millions of little dots that form a grid. As the student writes, the computer interprets the letters, numbers and other characters by reading the lines made on the grid.


The pen has a built-in scanner or camera near the tip of the pen. The scanner basically reads the grid (rather than the actual ink) and tells the computer what is being written by storing a series of grid coordinates. The computer then uses special software to interpret those coordinates as letters, words, numbers or even drawings.


The Fly Pen uses MyScript handwriting recognition to read those grid coordinates. MyScript is a powerful handwriting recognition tool that uses vocabulary lists to recognize actual words rather than just letters, numbers and other characters. The program uses the context words are written in to determine precisely which word should be used.


All of this technology sounds great, but of course it leads one to wonder how well a middle school student could use it. The technology itself operates on its own behind the scenes, but what about a middle school student with sloppy handwriting?


Leap Frog, the maker of the Fly Fusion, actually had a test group of 8-13 year-olds who provided handwriting samples to develop the handwriting recognition program. As a result, the pen offers copletely operational handwriting recognition for both words and individual letters and numbers, even if the student’s handwriting isn’t the clearest.

Fly Pen for Studying and Organization

Fly Pen for Studying and Organization

The Fly Pen is a fantastic studying tool. Three features make it one of the best ways to study around. Those features are the pen’s translator, quizzes and note organization system. The Fly Fusion keeps students engaged in their schoolwork and encourages them to excel. Here’s a brief overview of it’s study features.


The pen’s translator tool provides translation into Spanish and French. The student simply writes the English word on Fly Paper, asks the pen to translate and the pen speaks the word in Spanish or French, giving correct pronunciation and spelling. Far from a cheat sheet, this feature enables students to whiz through foreign language assignments and helps them master a second language in far less time.


The Fly Pen also quizzes students on their school subjects. Using a database compiled from hundreds of the most commonly used middle school textbooks, the pen asks questions and gives answers. Believe it or not, this is pretty fun to use and actually makes students want to study. It takes on the qualities of a game and makes subject quizzes addictive.


Of course, the key benefit of the Fly Fusion is that it transforms handwritten material into digital text. In other words, the pen can read a student’s handwriting and then convert that into a text document that can be uploaded onto a PC. This allows students to take notes with pen and paper like their classmates, but then turn around and quickly upload the notes onto a computer. Students can then search and edit their notes with ease and the textbook database mentioned above actually provides chapter outlines for subjects, making note organization a breeze.


And the pen doesn’t just recognize handwriting; it can actually spell check handwritten work. One of the best ways to become a good speller is to consult a dictionary if you’re not sure how to spell a word. Students rarely do this, but with the Fly Fusion, the dictionary and spell checker are built write in, making it easier than ever to become a good speller.

Fly Pen Better Option for Students Than Laptop

Fly Pen Better Option for Students Than Laptop

The Fly Pen is a better study tool for middle school students than a laptop. While a laptop offers more powerful processing capabilities, it is a general use piece of technology that’s not always the best fit for studying. The Fly Fusion, on the other hand, is specifically designed with middle school students in mind and offers the best programs and features to help them excel in their studies.

One reason that the Fly Pen is a better fit for younger students than a laptop is cost. The Fly Fusion costs only a fraction of what a laptop costs. While parents may be able to afford a laptop for their middle school student, they can’t necessarily afford the constant repairs and replacements that will be necessary if the student doesn’t take good care of it. If you drop the pen, it’s cheaper to replace. Plus, it’s not as delicate as a laptop in the first place, so the chances of damaging it are less.

Another reason that the Pentop computer is a better choice is that it doesn’t interfere with class. There’s no need to lug a laptop around, look for power outlets if the battery dies or create a physical barrier (the screen) between student and teacher. Students can simply take notes with pen and paper like the rest of their classmates and then upload their notes onto a PC at home.

Finally, the Fly Fusion is tailor-made for 8-13 year-old students. It provides students with precisely the tools they need to perform well in school and offers an added “cool factor” that makes them want to use the technology. The designer, Leap Frog, has been making educational products for years and they know that their products have to engage students if they’re going to provide any value. The simple fact that students want to use the pen, makes it a great incentive to study and learn.

Fly Pen Accessories

Fly Pen Accessories

Fly Pen accessories enhance the educational experience of the Fly Fusion. These accessories can also make using your pen a lot more fun. While all of the accessories are optional, a couple are worth taking a closer look.

The Fly Fusion Notebook is the ultimate notetaking and study aid. Millions of tiny dots cover each page so that your pen can capture what you’re writing or drawing. Your pen can then respond to what you’ve written and save it for uploading onto a PC. Not only does the Fly Fusion Notebook digitize everything you write, it also features a calculator, MP3 player, music studio and more.

The Fly Fusion memory expansion cartridge is a must-have for the student who wants to carry a lot of homework tools, songs or games on their Fly Pen. The memory expansion cartridge adds 64 MB of memory, doubling the pen’s storage capacity. Simply snap the cartridge on at the top of the pen and you’re ready to go.

Fly Fusion ink refills bring your writing to life with color. Blue ink refills are available to keep your pen writing. Green and red ink refills are also available so that you can color code your notes or express yourself with a little color. The green and red ink is the same price as the blue, so you might as well stock up.

Probably the most import accessory you can purchase for your pen is the carrying case. Accidents can happen, but you can protect your pen with the sylish hardcover carrying case. Priced at around $9.99, it’s definitely worth the investment to keep your pen safe in the event that it falls out of your backpack.

While there are other accessories and software that can enhance the performance of your pen, these are the most essential to get the most from it. If nothing else, you should seriously consider the carrying case.

Fly Pen Games

Fly Pen Games

The Fly Pen offers students a variety of games. This helps them keep their minds sharp or have fun with down time. Here are some of the more popular games available for the pen.

Fly Friends Personality Quizzes and Friendship Kit helps girls plan parties together and give each other personality quizzes. The program offers scrapbook activities, collaborative games, interactive stickers, origami mood makers and even lets your write notes to your future self.

Fly Game Pad: X Games puts you head-to-head with X Games athletes. Students use their wits to solve word challenges, interactive brain teasers, multiple choice quizzes, hidden pictures and more.

Fly Interactive Stickers are always popular. You can put these stickers anywhere and when you touch them with a Fly Pen, they make sound effects. Each pack comes with three sticker sheets.

Fly Sudoku offers over 200 sudoku puzzles to solve. It also features nine sudoku strategy pages and a 30-page interactive comic book.

Totally Stumped! offers nine diferent trivia games that you can play alone or with friends. The game comes with 68 different trivia card categories and a carrying case.

Fly Greetings lets students make unique interactive notes and cards for their friends and family. A cool word scrambling feature helps to keep notes topic secret. You can even add sound effects to the cards.

The Harry Potter game comes with an interactive Marauder’s Map and challenges students to use their knowledge of the Harry Potter series to navigate their way through Hogwart’s. This program offers 15 different games.

The Pirates of the Caribbean game is based on the popular movie. It includes a number of different games, including multiple choice quizzes, word searches, hangman games, brain teasers, personality quizzes and hidden pictures.

The Fly Games Pad is a package of different games that can be played on-the-go. Students can challenge themselves with hangman, hidden pictures, brain teasers, multiple choice quizzes and more.

Fly Pen Software

Fly Pen Software

The Fly Pen has a variety of software designed to enhance the educational experience. The following is a brief overview of some of the more useful programs.

Fly Fusion Algebra is a program that provides students with step-by-step instructions for their first year of algebra. After a student writes out an equation, the pen will walk through the process, providing detailed instructions on quadratic equations, linear equations, graphing, simplifying expressions, inequalities and more.

Fly Fusion Writing basically makes the pen a hand-held word processor. The program allows students to search for definitions and synonyms, spellcheck, and even provides students with brainstorming and outlining ideas.

Fly Fusion Spanish Translator Pro and Fly Fusion French Translator Pro translates English words the student writes into Spanish or French. The pen gives the correct spelling and pronunciation of the Spanish or French word, enabling students to master the language more quickly.

Fly Fusion Multiplication and Division is designed to help students learn to complete multiplication and division problems on their own. The program walks students through the process step-by-step rather than just giving the answer.

Fly Fusion FastComp Math Pro gives students the answers to complex computations. After writing the problem on Fly Paper, the student can use 20 different tools to find the answer.

Fly Fusion Music Studio Pro is one of the most talked about programs for the Fly Pen. It allows students to compose, mix, sample and record their own songs with 24 different instruments.

Fly Fusion Journal is a neat piece of software for journal writing or creative writing. In the event of writer’s block, the Fly Fusion Journal has 350 questions and idea starters to get the ball rolling.

Fly Fusion Brain Teasers, while not designed to help with a specific school subject, keeps students’ mental faculties sharp with puzzles and word challenges. The cool thing about this program is that you don’t need Fly Paper to play.

Fly Pen Reviews

Fly Pen Reviews

The Fly Pen has received a number of positive reviews from leading newspapers, magazines and websites. It’s always a good idea to check out some reviews before deciding to purchase a product, so the following articles on this powerful but easy-to-use pen will be helpful.

NBC’s well-respected TODAY Holiday Guide lavished praise on the Fly Pen. This annual guide for holiday shoppers called the pen “ a truly innovative product...so cool, it might make you want to do seventh grade again.” NBC hit the nail on the head, identifying one of this product’s key benefits: it makes students want to study because it’s fun. Do you know of any other product that does that?

PC Magazine also reviewed the pen, giving it four out of five stars.The magazine described the pen as “a robust study tool for kids that’s also loaded with educational and entertaining software.”Like the NBC review, the folks at PC Magazine focused on the Fly Fusion’s powerful educational features and how fun they are to use.

GearLog called the Fly Fusion “brilliant.” The reviewers at GearLog particularly liked the fact that you can draw a piano and drums with the pen and play music right on the Fly Paper. That’s a pretty neat feature, but as a matter of fact you can draw menu buttons, calculators and more on the Fly Paper and interact with the Pentop computer.

The Globe and Mail, Canada’s top paper, weighed in on the Fly Fusion as well. The paper called it “a one-of-a-kind kid’s gadget with the potential to entertain and educate.” Once again, a reviewer has commented on the dual purpose of the pen. More than anything, it is intended as a powerful study and education aid, but at the same time it provides students with unlimited entertainment and fun. This is a great combination because it encourages students to spend more time studying and makes their study time more effective.

Fly Pen Tests and Homework Help

Fly Pen Tests and Homework Help

The Fly Pen offers some of the best quizzing and homework help tools on the market. It’s not just homework help, though. This pen provides study materials in a fun and interactive way that engages students. That’s more than you can say for a lot of programs out there.

With a database of over 200,000 questions based on the most widely used textbooks in schools throughout America, the quizzing feature is very thorough. It’s also a little addicting, meaning that students will spend far more time quizzing themselves on their school subjects than they would with another program.

The Fly Pen also allows students to download and print homework, quizzes and test questions, making it easier than ever to keep schoolwork organized. Another cool feature is that students can get chapter outlines for their textbooks online. This helps out a lot when it comes time to study for a test and your notes aren’t as organized as you’d like. It also helps for studying in general because you can skim over a quick overview and spot places you need to look at a little more thoroughly.

The Fly Fusion offers homework and study aids for math, science and social studies subjects. The student simply enters the subject, grade level and publisher and the pen provides homework help based on their exact textbook. This is very important because many study aids provide only generic material that isn’t tailor-made to fit with students’ textbooks and classes. In fact, using generic material often confuses students more than it helps.

If you’re looking for a product that will provide students with custom homework help designed specifically for the textbooks they use in class, look no further than the Fly Fusion. It’s robust learning system, containing quizzes and step-by-step help for homework problems, is the best product on the market.