New Computer Equipment

My family often gets me new computer gadgets for Christmas and birthdays. They always know what to get me thanks to the Amazon wish list. This year I was given an Adesso Cyberpad and I was late getting home from school tonight because I was showing my new gadget to another teacher (Mrs. Lewis). She also uses a lot of technology and is one of the reasons I have done so much in technology (think partner in crime). Anyway, the Adesso Cyperpad is awesome. I used it with the kids today and they were as excited as I was. The possibilities for its use in the classroom are endless.

I have often used the Wacom pen tablet, but this does so much more and is easier for the kids to use. It comes with a few software programs and its easy to use (for anyone, not just techies). The Adesso Cyperpad is a digital notepad that records your handwritten notes so they can be transferred to your computer and manipulated electronically. It uses a digital pen and regular legal sized paper. The pen writes smooth and the handwritten notes transfer nicely to the computer. It also comes with presentation software to use with powerpoint. In addition to being a digital notebook, it can turn your computer into a blackboard/whiteboard (If you can't afford a smartboard, this is a good alternative). This is the feature the kids used today. A couple students wrote on the pad and the other students could watch them on our big screen as they were writing. The difference in this versus the Wacom is that the kids write on paper so they can see what they are writing (they can't with the Wacom and they weren't able to coordinate their writing). They were able to easily show their writing. We talked about how we are going to use it in the future and they were excited. When they are student of the day they will do their student interview and their writing on the cyberpad and we will use their writing as lessons for that day. When we are using it effortlessly and as I come up with new uses and ideas for using it in the classroom, I will post updates.

In addition to classroom use, I can think of a lot of ways to use the cyberpad personally. I wish I would have had this when I was in college. It will be great for taking notes at meetings, conferences, recording student observations or taking notes during student parent-teacher conferences. The possibilities are numerous.
Thank you Bill, Autumn and Austin for a great gift!

You can go to www.adesso.com to read more about the cyberpad.