Azu Ike

There was a lot of buzz at ISTE 2012 with regards to  the "flipped classroom" and how it can be implemented in the classroom. Many educators who were talking about the change in how instruction is being delivered were excited by what they see happening in their classrooms. For those of you who may not be familiar with the term "flipped classroom" -it is when the instruction takes place outside the classroom thereby giving teachers ample time to differentiate instruction and have students apply their skills during classroom time. Many teachers who have moved to the "flipped classroom" model are creating short instructional videos in a number of creative ways using a host of different hardware and software solutions. While at ISTE 2012, I had the opportunity to meet with Shane Lovellette, Product Manager for Camtasia Studio 8 who walked me through some of the new features that is found in their recent release of Camtasia Studio 8. Camtasia Studio is one of ...

It's hard to believe just how quickly the school year has flown by and I am once again getting ready to travel to the ISTE 2012 Conference in San Diego, CA. This promises to be a great conference with the buzz about mobile learning and the flipped classroom. I for one am looking forward to meeting up with friends and colleagues and sharing ideas about how technology can enhance the lives of the students we work with. Of course there is always the Exhibit Hall which is packed with new and exciting gadgets and gizmo's which is always a blast to go through. I'm sure we will be seeing lots of iPad apps and accessories being hawked in the Exhibitor Hall along with interactive technologies that can help engage the students in our classroom. While I'm at ISTE please follow my blog for my thoughts about the conference and some new an exciting products that will be launched. You can also follow me on Twitter at #assistivetek If you are attending ISTE 2012 Conference look me up...

I am excited to announce a new feature on my blog today called " The AssistiveTek Minute ." Each week, I will highlight a piece of assistive or educational technology that I have found to be innovative and useful in the classroom. This week in the  " The AssistiveTek Minute, " I highlight the Franklin AnyBook Reader an easy to use reading tool to engage students in the reading process.  If your company is interested in sponsoring the  "The AssistiveTek Minute then please get in touch with me- it is a great way to get the word out about your company and products. The video was produced using an Apple iPhone 4S and the Swivl

I would like to thank the folks at Satarri, Inc for sending me the Swivl to review, which arrived this past week. The Swivl is an innovative product for the iPhone 4, 4S and iPod Touch 4th generation that lets you capture video without the need for a camera-person. The Swivl is comprised of two different units-the Swivl base and the Marker. The Swivl base is a motorized turret that houses your iPhone and allows the base to communicate with the Marker which can follow your movements as you record. Set up was a breeze at the company provided a Quick Start Guide that got you up and running quickly. To get started I downloaded the free Swivl app to my iPhone 4S, placed the provided batteries (nice touch) into the Swivl base and Marker and then seated the iPhone on the Swivl base and plugged in the connector. I powered up the Swivl base and the Marker, opened the Swivl app and hit the record button to start the video recording. As I moved around the Swivl followed me which made rec...

Always on the look out for new and innovative products, I came across the  Naked Flex Mount from a company in Florida called Seasucker . By Naked, the company means that you don't need a special bracket to mount the iPad with. The Naked Flex Mount utilizes two special 4 1/2 inch vacuum mounts that adhere to any flat surface. The    Naked Flex Mount Kit includes 2 - 4 1/2 inch mounts and a flexible arm that allows you to position your iPad in just about any position. The   Naked Flex Mount System is easy to use and because of the way it works, there is no reason to worry if Apple changes the design to the iPad that it will make it unusable.  So how does it work- very simply set one of the  4 1/2 inch vacuum mounts on a clean surface like a desk and press the finger pump a couple of times to create an incredibly strong vacuum seal. Next screw in the flexible shaft provided and attach the other 4 1/2 inch vacuum mount and attach it to the b...

Traveling light is always one of my goals when I travel and with the summer months ahead I will be on the go so I decided to take a look at some handy accessories for my iPad. As much as I enjoy using my iPad, I do find typing with the virtual keyboard to be an annoyance when I have to do a lot of typing. I have looked at several of the portfolio solutions but find the small keyboards get in the way of my typing. Having purchased an Apple Wireless Keyboard some time ago, I decided to see what accessories I could find that would make traveling with the keyboard easier. While at the Apple Store in New York, I came across the Incase Origami case which not only provides the keyboard with some protection but with its unique design it serves to prop your iPad at the right angle making it a great solution for on the go. Using the Incase Origami case is a breeze-just snap your Apple Wireless keyboard into the base and fold back the wings which makes for a great stand. The Incase Origami als...