The iPad as Presenter Tool
The iPad is not only an incredible personal learning device, as you are discovering, but also a wonderful tool for presenting content to the entire class.
While the Apple TV is a great way to connect your iPad to a TV or projector, it requires that you have yet one more piece of hardware in your already complex technology-rich classroom. It also requires you to shift your video source on the projector between computer and Apple TV every time you need to show one device or the other.
You can also use a VGA dongle that connects your iPad directly to your projector. However, you must then remain physically connected, not the ideal situation for the classroom teacher that likes/needs to walk around the room.
Enter Reflection, a Macintosh application that allows you to project your iPad screen to the computer, and therefore to a projector/SMART Board. This tool resolves the two issues stated above. You don't need to switch back and forth between video sources, because the computer is the only device connected to the projector. And because Reflection works via Airplay (wirelessly), you aren't tethered to anything, and can roam around the room as you work on the iPad. We have noticed that walking around in a brisk manner can affect performance, so please test this out in your own classroom before the lesson actually begins.
Tips for using Reflection
Here are some general tips for using Reflection. The first three actually apply to any tool that projects your iPad to the big screen.
Getting a license for Reflection
As of this writing, Reflection is available for $15 or five licenses for $50. Here at St. Matthew's we have purchased bulk licenses, so please see the Tech. Dept. for more details.
While the Apple TV is a great way to connect your iPad to a TV or projector, it requires that you have yet one more piece of hardware in your already complex technology-rich classroom. It also requires you to shift your video source on the projector between computer and Apple TV every time you need to show one device or the other.
You can also use a VGA dongle that connects your iPad directly to your projector. However, you must then remain physically connected, not the ideal situation for the classroom teacher that likes/needs to walk around the room.
Enter Reflection, a Macintosh application that allows you to project your iPad screen to the computer, and therefore to a projector/SMART Board. This tool resolves the two issues stated above. You don't need to switch back and forth between video sources, because the computer is the only device connected to the projector. And because Reflection works via Airplay (wirelessly), you aren't tethered to anything, and can roam around the room as you work on the iPad. We have noticed that walking around in a brisk manner can affect performance, so please test this out in your own classroom before the lesson actually begins.
Tips for using Reflection
Here are some general tips for using Reflection. The first three actually apply to any tool that projects your iPad to the big screen.
- Set your Auto-Lock to Never so that the iPad doesn't fall asleep while you are teaching. You will find this in Settings>General>Auto-Lock.
- Turn your Notifications off so that a new email or calendar event doesn't pop up in the middle of your lesson. You will find this in Settings>Notifications. There are a number of different options you can set here, so you will want to explore the variables and test these out.
- Because Reflection responds to screen orientation, be aware of how you are holding your iPad, as it may switch between Portrait mode and Landscape mode depending on how you are holding it. You may choose to lock the orientation if necessary.
- Audio: Reflection pushes audio as well as video to your computer, so be sure your computer is connected to speakers if you want audio to be heard by the class.
- Password: Reflection opens up your computer to anyone that wants to share her/his iPad screen. This is a great option for students to share their screen with the class. However, to avoid any unwanted or unintentional screen sharing, you should set a password. With Reflection running on your computer, go to the Reflection menu (on the Mac) and select Preferences... From there you will see the option to set a password. Once set, it will be required for anyone wanting to share an iPad screen on your computer.
- Full screen: You can have Reflection launch in full screen mode automatically, which is desirable for keeping the screen free of clutter. You can set full screen options in the same Preferences window mentioned above. You can also press Command + F any time to toggle between full screen and non-full screen mode.
Getting a license for Reflection
As of this writing, Reflection is available for $15 or five licenses for $50. Here at St. Matthew's we have purchased bulk licenses, so please see the Tech. Dept. for more details.