When you do almost all of your recording, correspondence, and communicating via computer, you might feel a bit lost when switching to a plain old ballpoint pen. There’s no squiggly red line to tell you when you’ve misspelled a word, for instance – and there’s no “backspace” key.

The Lernstift (which is German for “learning pen”) is a pen which aims to bring the art of handwritten correspondence into the digital age. The pen senses when you’ve misspelled a word or when you are using poor grammar or penmanship – and it vibrates to draw attention to your errors. The pen networks with a variety of devices to keep track of your progress and problem areas.

There are two modes built into the Lernstift: calligraphy mode tracks only the neatness and correctness of your handwriting. In orthography mode, the pen keeps track of your spelling and grammar errors. The pen even detects writing that is done in the air rather than on a surface, but there is a ballpoint writing instrument inside for when you feel like putting pen to paper.

Both modes help kids or anyone else learn to write correctly, both in form and technical content. Obviously, a tool like this would be excellent for helping children stay on track with their spelling and grammar. This is especially important today since it seems like kids have all but given up on writing in favor of texting.

The post Rumble Writing: Digital Pen Vibrates When You Make a Mistake first appeared on Gajitz.

For those of us who weren’t blessed with superior math skills, calculators are a handy way to figure out complex equations. But do we rely on them too much? The makers of a calculator called QAMA think so, and they’ve come up with a novel way to combat this laziness. Before the calculator will give you an answer to your math problem, you have to provide an estimate – and that estimate has to be close to the real answer. It might seem like a rough way to teach math, but according to the inventor kids love the challenge and the reward of estimating correctly.

The QAMA (Quick Approximate Mental Arithmetic) was invented by physicist Ilan Samson who wanted to encourage students to think on their own rather than letting calculators do all of the work for them. The calculator has two modes: its regular mode in which you have to provide an estimate, and one in which it will provide the answer outright. In the latter mode, however, its lights will flash to alert everyone in the area to your laziness. Not to worry, though: even in estimate mode, the calculator will provide the answer outright after five incorrect estimates.

The post Mental Math: Calculator Only Gives You Answers You Know first appeared on Gajitz.

Students who have ADD or ADHD often find it difficult to sit still and stop fidgeting long enough to listen to lessons in school. Their constant movement is not only frustrating for teachers; it is often disruptive to other students and to the ADD student as well. Teachers have come up with all sorts of ingenious ways to keep students occupied and attentive, but Squizits is a set of toys that is designed specifically for these unconventional learners.

Squizits, designed by Lavinia Chu, is a boxed kit of simple wooden toys meant to keep restless hands occupied. For many ADD/ADHD and OCD kids, keeping their hands busy can actually help their minds focus. Putting something into those hands that won’t distract surrounding students can mean the difference between a successful school day and a frustrating one.

The key to these little fidgets is that they are simple and discreet. Students can manipulate them with one or both hands below their desks, out of sight of everyone else in the classroom.

But even more importantly, there are eight pieces in the kit. When the student gets tired of one, he can pull out a different piece to keep his fingers moving and keep his mind on the task at hand.

The kit also comes with a clip with which to secure the fidget toys to the student’s chair or desk. Kept close by, the small toys can be grabbed quickly and manipulated to stimulate the mind or provide a feeling of calm, depending on the student.

There are even some adults who might benefit from this type of device. While they may not have an ADD diagnosis, many adults find it easier to absorb new information when their hands are busy. A set of small objects like this, each with its own function and tactile sensation, could improve productivity in schools and businesses alike.

The post Idle Hands: Fidget Toys Let ADHD Kids Focus on School first appeared on Gajitz.

If there’s one thing Sharpie is known for, it’s permanence. Their markers are used to write and draw on just about anything that needs to keep that mark for good. But they’ve just revealed plans to release an awesome new product with some pretty impressive qualities. The new Sharpie Liquid Pencil will write just like a pen, be erasable like a pencil, and become permanent like a Sharpie three days after the marks are made.

It’s a novel concept that will likely change the way Sharpie enthusiasts write. Since the markers are a favorite of artists and designers, making them erasable for the first three days is a fantastic benefit. Now one mistake won’t mean scrapping the whole work in progress. The new liquid pencils work with liquid graphite, which shouldn’t smear like pen ink. As of now, the pencils haven’t been approved for use on standardized tests, and we’re guessing some teachers will probably put up a stink when they first see them in classrooms, but the company calls the pencil a “No. 2 lead equivalent.”

The post Getting the Lead Out: Hybrid Writer Gets High Marks first appeared on Gajitz.