Azu Ike

As much as I love my digital tools, there are times when I need to set them aside and use pencil, pen and paper. It was about a year and half ago that I started to use pencil and paper, which resulted in me going down a real creative path and producing a wild number of info-graphics using the Wacom Bamboo Slate. Using the Wacom Bamboo Slate and Bamboo Paper on my iPad I was able to create a work flow that let my creative forces thrive. There are those times when I need to step away from my digital tools and remember what it is like to hold a pencil or pen to paper without the distraction of the computer.  So now when I need to reflect on my projects or ideas, I just sit down with pen and paper and begin to draw or write down my ideas. Using pen and paper has freed me to release my creative energies! But what could be better than to marry the analog with the digital when I need to file these ideas? This is where the Roaring Spring Whitelines notebooks come in. The  Roari...

During my career as a professor and assistive technology consultant which has spanned over 30 years, I have seen the many benefits of providing students with visual and graphical supports to help them understand material. As much as students have benefited from the use of mind maps and graphic organizers, I would have to say that if anyone has derived benefits from  using these tools, it has been me. Early on in my teaching career, as a Professor of Education, I needed to come up with a strategy to deliver content to my students in the classroom that could provide a quick way to attach documents, notes, and links to web sites. As I was reflecting on this need, I quickly realized that I could use MindMeister to help me organize my in-class lectures and resources. MindMeister could provide me with a very fluid and powerful way to organize my lectures and provide my students with the resources that they would need for class. MindMeister provided me with a set of tools that would make ...

For the past 6 months I have been using the WACOM Bamboo Slate and iPad to create info-graphics for many of the assistive technologies that I have been using with students. What started out as a just a way for me to explore some new gadgets quickly became an enjoyable activity for me at the end of a busy day. In the evenings, to relax, I will take out my Bamboo Slate and using a mechanical pencil begin to draw a screen shot or gadget and then ink it with the Bamboo pen. Once the drawing is inked, I send it to my iPad and begin to color it using the Bamboo Paper app. I have to tell you that I find it very relaxing creating these info-graphics and there is something engaging about drawing the images. I have received a great deal of positive feedback and some educators have approached me about wanting to purchase them for classroom use. I am in the process of putting together a list of the info-graphics that I have created and will be offering them lamin...

When I came across the C-Pen Reader at the FETC conference  this past year, I knew that I had to request a review unit to test it out. After contacting the company, they approved my request and C-Pen Reader provided me a C-Pen Reader  for the review. The opinions reflected in this blog are my own. I have been in the field of assistive technology for over 25 years and over these years have looked at a number of portable hand held reading solutions that promised to make the reading process easy and quick from scanning to reading text.  The first time you pick up the  C-Pen Reader you will be amazed by it size and weight (1.7 oz.) and a  bright OLED  256 x 64  display. The  C-Pen Reader packs a lot of technology into a rather small package making it easy to pack in your backpack or brief case. The  C-Pen Reader comes with a Quick Start Guide which gets you up and running quickly. In the box you will find the C-Pen, a USB to Micro USB cable...

Sometimes you just scratch your head and say, "how come I didn't think of that?" That's what I said to myself when I received the Betabook to review. The Betabook is a portable whiteboard bound between two covers to resemble a book. I received the small A4 Betabook with a black marker and fleece eraser to try out. For the past year I have really delved into sketchnoting and thought that I would give the Betabook a try. The Betabook is extremely portable and you would hardly know it was in your bag to carry it. Owing to the fact that it is an analog device-it is extremely easy to use, just open the Betabook take the cap off of the supplied dry erase marker and you are ready to go. The whiteboard surface is smooth, bright and easy to write on, with the fine point dry erase marker. I did go out to Staples and purchase a set of multi-colored dry erase markers to supplement the black marker that was included. The colors looked great on the Betabook and when it was time to ...

If you have been following me on Twitter (@assistivetek) or Instagram (@assistivetek) you will have noticed that I have been creating infographics on a number of different educational hardware and software. Some of you have emailed me and asked me how I am creating these infographics, which I would like to share with you. About 6 months ago, I was sent by WACOM a Bamboo Slate (A4) to review, which opened the door to my flight of infographic ideas. The WACOM Bamboo Slate is a hardware device that captures everything you write on a paper pad with a a ballpoint pen that comes with the device. Once you get your ideas down you sync the device over Bluetooth to your IOS or Android device to Inkspace, the WACOM tablet app. Once your ideas and drawings are in Inkspace  Inkspace you can then export your drawings to a variety of different formats for further editing.The   WACOM Bamboo Slate marries the best, of being able to use pen and paper for creation and then store and m...

With the expansion of co-teaching as a means to improve student outcomes, technology can be an invaluable resource.  Co-teachers need to plan collaboratively, jointly implement lesson plans, and cooperatively assess student progress.  This reference guide provides practical  strategies on how technology can facilitate co-planning, expedite sharing of student data, and streamline many other tasks that ultimately assist in accomplishing co-teaching's goal: improved student outcomes. Whatever your preferred computer platform, co-teachers can apply these strategies and applications to accommodate all learners' needs. Written by the nation's foremost authority on co-teaching, Marilyn Friend, and Brian S. Friedlander, an expert in the use of instructional and assistive technologies, this handy tool  features an overview of co-teaching fundamentals, along with recommendations of over t...

Not a day goes by without educators hearing the need for new innovative practices that can stimulate and engage students in the learning process. For the past 5 years we have seen schools begin to focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) and STEAM ( Science, Technology, Engineering, Art  & Math) through Makerspaces and providing students the opportunity to do cross-curricular projects that entail a variety of academic subjects and design thinking. With the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards many schools have begun to shift their science programs that now include systems thinking and giving students the opportunities to do hands-on experiments and conduct investigations. With the movement away from rote learning, teachers will need to develop new skills and strategies to have students do science both inside and out of the classroom. A recent study by the Amgen Foundation, Change t...

I am happy to share that Co-Teaching & Technology-Enhancing Communication & Collaboration (a laminated guide) by Marilyn Friend and I will be released shortly and is packed with practical suggestions on how you can get the most out co-teaching and technology. With the expansion of co-teaching as a means to improve student outcomes, technology can be an invaluable resource.  Co-teachers need to plan collaboratively, jointly implement lesson plans, and cooperatively assess student progress.  This reference guide provides practical  strategies on how technology can facilitate co-planning, expedite sharing of student data, and streamline many other tasks that ultimately assist in accomplishing co-teaching’s goal: improved student outcomes. Whatever your preferred computer platform, co-teachers can apply these strategies and applications to accommodate all learners’ needs. Written by the nation's foremost authority on co-teaching, Marilyn Friend, and Brian Friedlander,...

Whitelines Link Page If you haven't noticed there has been an increased interest in teaching students the art of note taking using standard paper and pens. In fact, just last week, I attended an educational computer conference and sat in on a workshop presented by Chrissy Romano   on a Sketch-noting- that showed how her students are using this technique for recording classroom notes. There is a great deal of research that points to the fact that when we write down things using pen and paper that we are more likely to remember the information as compared to when we use a keyboard. In a previous post I highlighted some of the ways we can use paper notebooks that are designed with specific apps to share and save our notes in the cloud. While searching the web one day, I came across a relatively new solution that bridges the analog to digital world for note taking called Whitelines Link . I would like to thank Olof for provid...

I have been using MindView for years and is one of my favorite mind mapping applications. I use it to brainstorm ideas, plan workshops and for writing structured  proposals and documents. For some time now Matchware has been working on an assistive technology edition that has lots of great features. These include: text-to speech, high contrast, integration with TextHelp Read & Write 9 Gold and Dragon Naturally Speaking. If you are interesting in learning more about Mindview AT they are holding a FREE webinar on May 12, 2016 at 11:30 am - 12:00 pm EDT which you can register for by clicking on this LINK . MIndView is an exceptionally designed mind mapping application that has lots of great features to meet the needs of students who need the built-in supports. 

One of the most natural ways to interact with our devices is with our voice. With the advent of smartphones many of us are beginning to rely on voice as our means for interacting with our devices. Whether you are using Cortana , SIRI , or Google Now , you know how rewarding it is to be able to text a message or set up a reminder with your voice. Using your voice to interact with your handheld device feels so natural and empowering. Within this context I ordered an Amazon Echo Dot which I received a couple of weeks ago and am really excited with its potential in being able to understand your voice and in its ability to connect other devices for environmental control.  Setting up the Amazon Echo Dot was straight forward -I plugged it in connected it my WiFi network and within seconds I was asking Alexa questions. If you have used speech to interact with your devices you will be struck by just how fast Alexa responds once you ask it a question....

As much as I enjoy using my digital devices, there are times when I am going into meetings that I want to be able travel light and have that experience of putting pen to paper. However at the same time I know I am going to want to share that note or idea and bring it back into my digital work flow. I have been using various digital pen technologies for the past decade and when I saw that Wacom had released the Bamboo Spark I had to give it a test drive. Wacom was good enough to provide me with the Bamboo Spark Smart folio with gadget pocket to review. The  Bamboo Spark Smart folio  has a nice grey finish that should hold up well to wear and tear. The premise of the  Bamboo Spark Smart folio  is quite simple-write with the provided pen on the paper-then press the button to send all of your ideas and notes-which are automatically synced with the Bamboo Spark app on your IOS or Android device. The  Bamboo Spark Smart folio  ...

For sometime now I've been looking for a lightweight but stylish bag to carry my Surface 3 and iPad Air when I'm traveling. When I came across the Waterfield Field Muzetto bag I had to take a look at it and see how it could meet my needs. For those of you that may be unfamiliar with the Waterfield bag company they're located in San Francisco and all their bags are made here in United States. Before I ordered my bag I went to the Waterfield website , took a look at their products and found the website easy to navigate and filled with some great looking products. When I finally ordered the Field  Muzetto  bag the process was easy and Waterfield Field  Muzetto streamlined. The  Waterfield   company gives you that special attention and within seconds of ordering the bag I received several emails updating me on the status of the bag. Because each of these bags is handmade I was given a date as to when it would be completed and shipped out....

As more schools jump on the Chromebook wagon it is is exciting to see companies like Dell step up to the plate and deliver high quality devices for schools. For many of us who have been using Chromebooks for some time now- I always found the first generation devices were rather under-powered and lagged in performance. But this is changing rapidly with new Chromebooks that are sporting Intel processors. With Dell's release of the Dell Chromebook 13 the tides are changing and now educators and students can have access to devices that house much faster silicone. The Dell Chromebook that was provided for me for this review, the Dell Chromebook 13 sported an Intel i3 processor with 4 GB or RAM and 16 GB Solid State Drive with a 13.3 inch FHD Display and is priced at $529 on the Dell website. The Dell Chromebook 13 is made of carbon fiber finish with magnesium alloy that is easy to grip and gives the computer good protection from dings and bangs.  The Dell Chromebook 13 comes standard...

One of the really important skills that students need to develop is their ability to take notes in class. While many students have access to digital devices many still rely on traditional pen and paper for note taking.   While the research would support ( The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking , Psychological Science ,    Pam A. Mueller &    Daniel M. Oppenheimer   first published on April 23, 2014)  the use of pen and paper- wouldn’t it be great to be able to marry both the ink with digital technology to take advantage of the best of both worlds. In this post I'll share with you a couple of different strategies that students might find helpful to marry ink with their digital world. One of my favorite note taking tools is Evernote which I have been using for some time now. Evernote is a great way to capture ideas, notes, images, audio and store it on the web for easy access. Not to...

Ever since I've been involved in the field of assistive technology there's always been the hope that speech recognition could assist students with the writing process. While speech recognition has been effective for some of the students we work with, it hasn't always worked out for the majority of the students that we work with. In the last six months there's been some new developments that make speech recognition a reality for many students. For many of us that are using smart phones we find ourselves using speech recognition more and more on daily basis for text messaging and for writing emails. Now students can take advantage of speech recognition on mobile devices such as iPhone's, iPad, Android phones, Windows tablets as well with as within Google Docs. With the advent of machine learning the speech recognition engines keep getting better and better and do not require initial training. This has made it a very easy entry for students to trial speech recognition....