Photo courtesy of Sean MacEntee https://www.flickr.com/photos/smemon/6972691660 With the plethora of iPads found on student desks, in classroom carts and in backpacks, it is more important than ever to protect the devices from harm. iPads with attached keyboards have become a popular combinations for students, and I want to introduce you to a cool new case that was created especially for that combo! The Brenthaven Edge Companion for the iPad Air (10.9", 4th generation), has just been released. I own this particular iPad and was happy to receive one to review! I have been reviewing items from Brenthaven for years. Most recently, in 2019, I penned a blog post titled I Love Brenthaven. I talked about Brenthaven's well-made and thought-out cases and accessories targeted for the education market. And they have been keeping up with all the change in device use in schools! Brenthaven has iPad cases, MacBook cases, Chromebook cases, sleeves and backpacks, headphones, and keyboards. The listing of all their protective gear and bags may be found here. The Brenthaven Edge Companion for the iPad Air (10.9", 4th generation) that I tried out is so easy to put on the iPad. It provides tons of protection and has been made so it works perfectly with the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio. It also still protects the iPad Air without having the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio attached. You can see below, when the iPad is installed in the Brenthaven Edge Companion for the iPad Air, access to all the ports and buttons on the iPad are accessible and protected. You first put the iPad in the "frame" of the Brenthaven Edge Companion for the iPad Air and then, if you want, you can install the keyboard. Take a look at this short video which demonstrates the process. I took three photos to show how easy it is to add the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio to the Brenthaven Edge Companion for the iPad Air. Turn the iPad over and open the plastic door on the left. Then fold the folio cover into the back of the Simply snap down the plastic door and the keyboard is attached! The Brenthaven Edge Companion for the iPad Air (10.9", 4th gen) has a ton of features. Here are just a few.
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Tuesday, March 01, 2022
Brenthaven Edge Companion for iPad Air
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Higher Ground Gear for Schools
As many of you know, I can't ever have enough technology cases to both protect and transport my laptops and tablets! I love being able to pick out a case that works best for my current road trip, from those that have crossbody and shoulder straps, to those that are slim and protect my devices while in my backpack, to my favorite Vera Bradley and Baggallini laptop totes.
Fast forward ahead to the FETC Conference in January 2022, when I stopped by the Higher Ground booth to see what cool new Higher Ground gear was available. I was invited to learn more about their new products and options and to try out a few items of interest to me.
Student needs
Higher Ground Gear has always had a stellar collection of "always on" laptop cases that provide great protection and allows students to work on their computers while it stays in the case. And this year's group of cases is no exception! They have a line of iPad specific cases as well as their upgraded Datakeeper and Shuttle lines of cases that stay on the computer while it is in use and protects it against the elements and drops.
Their Capsule cases are made to protect the laptop/Chromebook when in a student's backpack and are slim and protective.
There are other great choices for shoulder bags and backpacks to allow students to easily carry their devices and accessories.
A cool new innovative option for various collections is Higher Ground Gear’s new CleanShell™ material. This material has been tested with various household cleaners, has a dirt and weather-resistant coating, and can easily be sanitized with wipes and sprays to combat the spread of germs. Perfect for the educators and students!
Teacher needs
I decided to concentrate on educator needs for this blog post. (Not that students can't use the cases I picked.)
Teachers need to have a protective sleeve or bag for their school laptop or Chromebook as they travel to and from school, too! My three choices to review were the Vert 3.1 convertible shoulder bag/backpack, the Elements Plus slim sleeve, and the Elevate CS Ergonomic laptop sleeve.
The Vert 3.1 is a versatile, convertible case that has two inside pockets so it can hold both my 14" MacBook and my 10.5" iPad Air! My phone and some charging cables can be stored in the front zip pocket. It comes in two sizes, an 11" and a 13" version. (I requested the 11" version.)
The second item I requested was the Elements Plus Sleeve. For those teachers and students who already have a favorite backpack or "teacher bag", the very slim Elements Plus Sleeve protects the laptop, Chromebook, or iPad when it is carried in a backpack or bag. It also comes with a shoulder strap to use when a teacher wants to travel light! (I did fit both my 14" Macbook Pro and my 10.5" iPad Air in the sleeve, but I would recommend only putting one device in it!)
The Elements Plus Sleeve comes in both small (11" and 13" devices) and large (14" and 15") sizes. I requested the small size. It has a detachable shoulder strap and a top carry handle, too.
This sleeve provides basic protection from scratches and dings to your devices.
Here is the link to the datasheet with all the specs and options for the Elements Plus Sleeve.
I am always impressed with Higher Ground Gear's attention to detail for even the little things.
For the Elements Plus sleeve, the shoulder strap has a secure and unique connection.
By snapping the metal loop over the hook, teachers and students can feel confident the shoulder strap will remain securely fastened!
Higher Ground Gear: Elevate CS Sleeve
The Elevate CS Sleeve has a "transformer-like" quality. With its rugged rubberized case, it can protect your laptop from a fall, shocks, and the elements. It has a top handle for carrying and room inside for small cables, dongles, and accessories.
The "CS" in its name indicates that this sleeve is made with Higher Ground's CleanShell™ technology which easily allows the wiping away of dirt and germs from the outside surfaces.
The transformative property of the Elevate CS Sleeve allows a teacher or students to elevate their laptop to one of three ergonomic positions for typing.
The laptop is removed from the sleeve, the kickplate you see at the bottom of the image above is opened up, the elastic strap you see below is moved to the outside of the sleeve, the laptop is slid through the strap so it rests on the outside of the sleeve, and then the adjustable support you can see on the left below is folded out.
The image below illustrates what the Elevate CS looks like when it is "transformed". The support stand can be set for three different angles, so the teacher or student can pick the angle that feels best for them.
When I use an angled keyboard, I lower my seat so my wrists remain straight and not bent while typing and my bent elbows remain at a 90° angle.
If your district is looking for quality cases or sleeves, get in touch by calling or emailing Higher Ground. They can provide you with the solution you are looking for to protect the devices in your school or district!
Saturday, August 21, 2021
Logitech's Tools for Schools
Logitech for Education is targeting some of their tools specifically for schools. Three that I got to try out are the Logitech Crayon, the Logitech H390 USB Headset, and the Logitech C270 HD Webcam.
LOGITECH CRAYON
The Logitech Crayon has been around for a few years and many iPad schools already use them. If you are not familiar with it, the Logitech Crayon is a rugged, rechargeable drawing tool for the iPad which, in iPad apps that support it, includes a variable line weight, similar to a "real" pencil. It is built using the Apple Pencil technology. When a student angles the Logitech Crayon down a bit, the line one is drawing gets darker and thicker. Another useful feature of the Logitech Crayon is the "palm rejection" feature which ignores stray screen touches.
The Logitech Crayon works seamlessly with the iPad. Simply press a button to turn it on and it ready to write with. There are no delays to get started!
The Logitech Crayon runs for 7.5 hours of writing/drawing time per charge. And, to conserve battery life, it powers off after 30 minutes of non-use. There is also a battery life indicator light which will give the user a clue as when it it time to charge the Logitech Crayon. Charging the Logitech Crayon is easy-- just plug a lighting cable attached to your computer or small charger into the top of the device, as seen below. And the Logitech Crayon charges fast, too!
Having a stylus for each student with an iPad is important. We all know using a finger to draw on a tablet screen does not produce good results. With the Logitech Crayon, students can be precise when making a sketch of a science lab result, drawing a prototype of a 3D object they want to design, painting a picture to use in a video or digital story, or even taking notes in their own hand, and, when using a note-taking app like Nebo, Notablity, or Microsoft's OneNote, and convert their handwriting directly into text.
The current iPads that are compatible with the Logitech Crayon include, once they are updated to at least iOS 12.2
- iPad Mini (5th gen)
- iPad Air (3rd and 4th gen)
- iPad (6th, 7th, and 8th gen)
- iPad Pro 11" (1st and 2nd gen)
- iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd and 4th gen)
LOGITECH H390 HEADSET
Almost every computer and Chromebook come with a webcam. However, at times, the quality may not be very good. The Logitech C270 HD Webcam strives to solve that problem at a low cost. It is a basic webcam with a built in microphone. It works with Windows computers, Mac computers, Android devices, and Chromebooks and has a USB-A connector.
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
V4K PRO Ultra HD USB Document Camera
I have been a long time supporter and user of IPEVO products. Their ability to provide low-cost, high quality technology hardware and software specifically created for education is awesome! I have reviewed their offerings on the blog for many years, and you can see those posts here.
Their newest offering is the $149 V4K PRO Ultra HD USB Document Camera. What sets this new offering apart from their other document cameras is its upgraded audio and video performance.
IPEVO's document cameras have been utilized by educators during their virtual teaching sessions these past two years. With the V4K PRO Ultra HD USB Document Camera, educators now have a device whose microphone can filter out background noise as well as has a high resolution 8 megapixel lens (3264 x 2448 resolution) for increased clarity. This document camera is compatible with PC, Mac, and Chromebook. It is also plug-and-play compatible with many online video-conferencing tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and with software such as Seesaw and Camtasia.
The V4K PRO Ultra HD USB Document Camera is perfect for mirroring items, creating instructional videos to use for blended learning, and taking photos and sharing them with students. In addition, with its LED light, microphone and articulated components, can also be used as a high resolution webcam!
The microphone on the V4K PRO Ultra HD USB Document Camera includes an AI-enhanced voice technology created by IntelliGO. This noise filter removes any background noise to allow for clear and quiet conversations with students or peers.
Here is my test of the noise reduction feature. It is truly amazing!
The built-in LED light, at 172 lux, lights up the stage when using the camera, even if you are in low light. This light output is higher than the recommended workspace light for those ages 25-65 and provides a bright light. In addition, in the video above, I used the
V4K PRO Ultra HD USB Document Camera as both a Webcam and a light source for lighting up my face in a low light situation!
Here is a video from IPEVO which showcases all of the features of the V4K PRO Ultra HD USB Document Camera.
For those of you who want to know the inside scoop on the specs of the
V4K PRO Ultra HD USB Document Camera here you go!
Size
- (when folded) 10.91" x 3.07" x 1.89" (277 x 78 x 48mm)
Weight
- 1.28lbs (581g)
Camera
- Sony 8 megapixel camera
- Resolution up to 3264px x 2448px
- Frame rate up to 30 FPS
- 12X digital zoom using IPEVO Visualizer software
- Autofocus range of 10cm ~ ∞ / 3.93” ~ ∞
Built-in features
- Omni-directional microphone with EMI filter
- LED light (172 lux)
- AI enhanced voice technology from IntelliGO
- Physical control buttons
- Exposure
- Noise reduction on/off
- LED light on/off
- Focus
- Maximum capture area of 13.46” x 10.04” (342 x 255mm)
- Attached USB-A cable of 4.90ft (150cm)
Sunday, July 18, 2021
Wacom for Education
Using a mouse or a computer touchpad to try to annotate an image on your computer or draw on an online collaborative whiteboard is very difficult. It is just frustrating. That is why I have used external pen tablets over the years. I am not an artist, but I do mark-up presentations, sometimes even when I am presenting live! I also take teachers through sketchnoting practice and show them a great alternative to pencil and paper sketchnoting. During the pandemic, many educators used pen tablets and blank presentation slides or online whiteboards to replace their in-classroom whiteboard when they were presenting from home.
Wacom (pronounced Wok'um) has been the standard in the pen tablet and pen display industry since 1984. I have had a couple of Wacom pen tablets over the years -- the Wacom Graphire in 2002 (which included a mouse and a pen), which we also used in my school's computer lab, and the Bamboo Capture Pen and Touch tablet which I reviewed in 2013.
The thing about Wacom pen tablets is they continue to work forever! I only had to put an USB-C adapter on the USB-A connector for the my 2013 Bamboo Capture Pen and Touch Tablet to work perfectly with my Asus Chromebook Tablet 10 and my MacBook Pro M1!
The wonder of Wacom is the electro-magnetic pen technology which does not use batteries, always works, is pressure sensitive, and very accurate. In addition, the tablets work great for both left and right handed users!
However, since technology has come a long way since 2013, when Wacom recently contacted me, I was happy to review some of the new tablets and those with new features which are targeted especially for the education market!
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ONE BY WACOM PEN TABLET
The new One by Wacom comes in two sizes - a small size for $69.95 (8.3 x 5.7 x 0.3 in.) and a medium size for $129.95 (10.9 x 7.4 x 0.3 in.). This pen tablet plugs into a Chromebook and just works! (You will have to install small drivers if you are using a Windows or Mac computer.)
Chromebooks need to be able to run the a current version of ChromeOS and have a USB port to work with this tablet. This page on the Wacom site contains a list of compatible Chromebooks and USB adapters that work with the One by Wacom.
- Chrome Canvas
- Google Keep
- Concepts
- Jamboard
- Kami for Google Chrome
- Explain Everything
- Collaboard
- Limnu
- Pear Deck
- Squid
- Infinite Painter
- Autodesk Sketchbook
- ibisPaint
- Clip Studio
- MediBang paint
I love the following YouTube video which provides both an overview of the One by Wacom, but also showcases the power of the pen tablet for teachers. The same features highlighted for online teaching are of course, the same features that would make the content engaging for students in a face-to-face classroom.
However, the One by Wacom is not just intended for educators. Students, with a computer, will be able to freehand draw, easily do a math problem and show their work, mark up a peer's English essay with their feedback, sketchnote a lecture in class, create an animation in Google Slides, markup an photo taken during a science lab, take their class notes by hand, and much more. Using a pen tablet is just like writing and drawing by hand, but so much easier to edit and fix! In addition, the drawing pen is also available to be used as a pointer for choosing menu items on the Chromebook or other computer.
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WACOM INTUOS WIRELESS PEN TABLET
One of the newer features, to me, was the ability to un-tether a pen tablet. The Wacom Intuos Pen Tablet comes with or without Bluetooth, and I was intrigued by the Bluetooth model. The Bluetooth Intuos pen tablet comes in a small size for $99.95 (7.87"X 6.3" x 0.35in.) and a medium size for $199.95 (10.4" x 7.8" x 0.35").
The Wacom Intuos Wireless Pen Tablet comes with the ability to be tethered via a USB cable as well as un-tethered when using its built-in Bluetooth connectivity. I am always a fan of un-tethered technology for a number of reasons. First, one can use this pen tablet without worrying about what kind of USB port your device has.
But, more importantly, imagine the teacher being able to walk around the classroom with the Intuos Wireless Pen Tablet wirelessly connected to the front end computer which is being projected on a whiteboard or large monitor. The educator can hand off the tablet to students to have them to mark up a book passage, draw an image, or, in cursor mode, take the class on a guided tour of something on the Web.
I used the Intuos Wireless Pen Tablet, attached wirelessly to my laptop, to create two assets. The first was to sketchnote a TED talk by Matt Cutts.
https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days?language=enI could sit comfortably with the pen tablet in my lap, watch the video, and then sketchnote as he went along with his presentation. To create the sketchnote, I used my MacBook Pro M1 and sketchnoted in an Explain Everything whiteboard on the Web, via the pen tablet. Here is a video of my sketchnote process.
Again, I used the Wacom Intuos Wireless Pen Tablet attached wirelessly to my MacBook Pro M1. It worked great!
I think the Intuos Pen Tablet, whether wired or wireless, is a great addition to any classroom. Drawing naturally with a pen makes the process more precise and easier to do. I believe the Wacom Intuos Wireless Pen Tablet is a great addition to the teacher's toolbox, since the educator can roam and still draw and control the projected computer screen, as well as hand it off to students to allow them to do the same. This adds to the whole class experience in a big way!
Wacom has developed the Wacom One Creative Pen Display (not to be confused with the One by Wacom Pen Tablet) with the education market in mind. Wacom makes high-end pen displays for the professional market. The Wacom One Creative Pen Display, in my opinion, would fit best in a high school or college graphic arts program. With an affordable cost ($399), teachers and students would be using the same technology the professionals use.
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Stock photo of a Windows laptop and the Wacom One |
- ibisPaint
- MediBang paint
- Bamboo Paper
- Adobe Sketch
- Infinite Painter
- Concepts
- Autodesk SketchBook
- Adobe Premiere Rush
- Jump Paint by Medibang
- Clip Studio Paint
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