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...

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...

It certainly is exciting times to be involved in the field of educational technology and if your are a science teacher there is even more opportunities with your existing classroom technology to take advantage of using science probeware in your classroom. If you have been following my blog , you know how passionate I am about teachers using probeware in the classroom to give students the capability of collecting data in real time. This is an especially important tool if you are supporting students with special needs-in that these tools provide students with a way to see data represented in many different types of ways. Students can view the incoming data in a graph format, table and as a meter.  In July, Vernier Software released the Vernier Go Wireless Link which opens up all kinds of opportunities for students collecting real time data with mobile devices. The  Vernier Go Wireless Link  is a very small data collection ...

Ok, so you already know if you have been reading my blog just how much I love gadgets. Especially, gadgets that are easy to use and can extend the learning that is taking place in my classroom. When I read about the Equil Smartmarker from Luidia a couple of months ago, I was enthralled with the possibilities. As an Assistive Technology Consultant I am often supporting students with disabilities who may require that classroom notes be provided to them.  So when I came across the Equil Smartmarker, I had to get my hands on one to review. Luidia was kind enough to send me an Equil Smartmarker to test in the classroom. The Equil Smartmarker is available from Luidia at a suggested list price of $700 USD. When you first take it out of the case you know from the start that this is a high quality product. The packaging of the Equil Smartmarker is exquisite and Equil Smartmarker from Luidia functional and provides a great case for carrying the device. Plugging the micro USB cable into the...

The computer trends are pointing to lighter, more portable and highly mobile technology for today's work force. This is no less true for all of us in education as many schools are moving to tablets and devices that connect to the cloud. With this shift, it is exciting to think about how teachers are using their classrooms to cull out unique learning spaces. If you are thinking of how you can redesign your classroom space I would highly suggest that you consider reading The Third Teacher , and excellent book about re-thinking the learning space in our classrooms. This got me thinking about how we move away from the teacher in the front of the classroom and setting up learning spaces with technology that would enable students to share ideas quickly. Companies like Steelcase have envisioned the future of the classroom with their media:scape solution. Media:scape allows students to quickly share and collaborate on their content on a monitor by simply...

It was great having a chance to visit with so many vendors while I attended ISTE 2014 Conference a couple of weeks ago. Walking through the Exhibitors Hall, I was struck by just how much "stuff" is out there that educators need to vet. As I walked the Exhibit Hall I came across some unique products that I know will finds its place into the classroom. One of favorite new products is from Belkin and it is the Portable Tablet Stage , a light weight and portable stand for your tablet that can turn it into a great presentation stage. When you pair up the Belkin Portable Tablet Stage with the free Belkin Stage app (Available in Apple App Store & Google Play) you have a wonderful tool for making the classroom come alive. I had reviewed the Belkin Stage app earlier this year and it affords teachers a rich set of tools for turning an IOS or Android device into a great teaching tool. With your tablet set on the Belkin Portable Tablet Stage you can utilize your tablet's camera a...

About two weeks ago, I was reading some blog posts on my Flipboard app when I came across a piece about a new app called CamNote for IOS and Android platforms which was just recently released. The blog was accompanied with a great video tour of the app which caught my attention. CamNote lets you have the best of both worlds-continue to hand write your notes on the CamNote A5 Journal or A7 Jotter as you have always done and then scan them in with your smartphone using the free CamNote app. The developer has done a fantastic job of developing an app that quickly and automatically recognizes the borders of the writing pads so that you can upload your notes to DropBox, Evernote, or Google Drive in one quick step. If you have ever tried to scan a document with your camera you will realize the benefits of using the CamNote system to archive and share your notes with others. The CamNote A5 Journal or A7 Jotter are well designed and the quality of the paper is fantastic and developed so that ...