Azu Ike

Over the years I have reviewed several products from LapWorks , who has been manufacturing and selling fine accessories for laptops and tablets, but had not heard from them in years. But just last week, I received and email from them announcing some new products for iPads and tablets that I just had to take a look at. Lapworks has just recently released two products that really make a huge difference when you want to use an iPad or Tablet for instruction in the classroom. If you have ever tried to balance or hold an iPad or tablet in your hand as you move about the classroom-then you know just how challenging it can be. In today's classroom being able to hold and move about the classroom using your iPad or tablet is important, but the risk of dropping it can be a real concern. This is where the Lapworks Gripzilla Omni Soft Neoprene Handle for 7" to 10.5" tablets comes into play.  In class this week I used the  Lapworks Gripzilla Omni Soft Neoprene Ha...

As students start heading back to school many will return with Microsoft Surface 3 devices which is a great choice. Having a light weight tablet to take to classes with Office 365 is a perfect combination. With the release of Windows 10 the Surface 3 is transformed to a powerful mobile device allowing students the opportunity to take it wherever they are.  The Surface 3 really shines when using the digital pen and OneNote for taking notes which can easily be shared. For students on the go-who want to travel in style take a look at the Roosevelt Folio from Incipio which wraps a slim folio around the Surface 3 and Type Cover. The Roosevelt Folio has a micro suede lining along with a magnetic closure that gives you a much more stable feel in your hands when you are carrying the Surface 3. The Roosevelt Folio from Incipio also has an attached Surface Pen holder which is a convenient way to store your pen. More about the pen loop a little later. The Roosevelt Folio has a...

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 ...

While I was attending the ISTE 2015 conference I had a chance to visit the AirSquirrels  Booth and find out what was new. As a long time user of Reflector, I was excited to find out that Reflector 2, now included the ability to record audio and video. This was one feature which I have been hoping for - for some time now. In the past I would generally use a screen capturing software to record the audio and video which at times produced less then a high quality recording. When I got back from ISTE 2015 Conference I downloaded Reflector 2 to my  Surface 3 and gave it a try. I used my iPhone 6 and decided to record a short video about the recent release of Inspiration Maps for the iPhone. Through trial and error I found that using the Yeti Microphone with Reflector 2 produced great audio during the recording. The Surface 3 and Reflector 2 ran smoothly and the screen capture was smooth. The final video which is saved in ...

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...

I have always enjoyed my science classes when I was in school, especially when we did hands on labs. Unfortunately, as I reflect on my education many years later, there just were not enough labs integrated into my science classrooms. In retrospect, with the equipment we had in the day, it just took too much time to set up and labs took an inordinate amount of time which were always thought to take away from the instruction at hand. Nothing could be further from the truth-but it was the best we could do at the time when I was in high school science classes in the early 1970s. Jump to 2015, and there is a vast array of technology that science teachers can use in their classrooms to help students to better understand key scientific concepts.  Giving students the opportunity to experience firsthand how to collect data with science probes and sensors lets them quickly and efficiently collect real time data very much as a scientist would. While we often struggled to collect accurate dat...

A couple of weeks ago out of the blue I received an email invitation from Microsoft to attend a party in New York City on March 31st. For the life of me, I could not figure out what this event would highlight-you see, it seemed like the timing was all off for a big announcement. But then on March 31, Microsoft announced the Surface 3 tablets which caught us all off guard. Microsoft announced the new Surface 3 with the latest Atom “Cherry Trail” processor, which would run Windows 8.1 and be upgradeable to Windows 10 when it is released later this summer. The specifications noted that the Surface 3 weighted in at 1.37 pounds with a 10.8 diagonal screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio with a resolution of 1920 x 1280. The Surface 3 has a built-in kickstand that can be locked into 3 different positions and has a micro –SD slot. By all accounts the Surface 3 is a lightweight tablet with enough horsepower to run Office, legacy Windows software, surf the web and promise great all day battery life. ...