An iPad is a wonderful creativity tool but it is better when that creativity can be shared with others. One way to display the iPad screen (other than having others crowd around the screen) is to have it projected. There are many ways to do this including:
- Connecting the iPad to a dongle (this will either be a VGA or HDMI connector on one end to a lightning or 30 pin connector on the other end. One end connects to a cable which is connected to the projector and the other end is connected to the iPad. The benefits of this solution is that it is simple, relatively inexpensive and does not suffer any lagging. The disadvantage is that the iPad is effectively chained to the projector and there is no ability to move around the classroom. Also, only one device can be projected at any given time.
- Another way that some teachers use to display their iPad screen is using a document reader. This is a device that magnifies an object onto the screen (it is like a fancy overhead projector). The advantage of this solution is that it is really easy to set up. The disadvantages are that it is not as sharp as many of the other solutions, that document readers are relatively expensive and hard to find, and that while trying to touch the iPad, your hand will be projected. A substitute for an official document reader is to use another iPad mounted on a stand such as the Justand.
- Some schools and classrooms are equipped with Apple TVs. In addition to being able to stream digital content such as YouTube or Netflix, Apple TVs have a media streaming protocol called AirPlay built into them. This is a proprietary technology exclusive to Apple and included on all of their devices (except the iPad 1). There are two components to AirPlay - a sending component and a receiving component. iPads and Mac computers contain the sending component and Apple TVs contain the receiving component. Through the use of Bluetooth and WiFi, it is possible to wirelessly mirror the screen, stream audio or video. If video media is being streamed, it will require a WiFi connection (Bluetooth is not robust enough to handle that much data). The benefits of this solution is that there are no cables involved and that any number of devices can easily be streamed at any time (however, only one device can be projected at a time). The disadvantage is that Apple TVs are not particularly inexpensive and that it may not work well in an environment with a complicated wireless network (such as a school).
- Instead of purchasing a $70-150 Apple TV whose sole purpose may only be for streaming, it is possible to emulate an AirPlay receiver through software (Reflector 3 and AirServer are two popular solutions) loaded on a computer (Mac or Windows). The advantages of this solution are many. For starters, the price is significantly lower than an Apple TV (typically running around $12). Secondly, it is possible to mirror multiple devices at the same time (limitless in fact, dictated only by the size of the screen). Finally, the software also allows recording anything that is being mirrored. As such, it is possible to use this solution to create an iPad tutorial. The disadvantage is that like an Apple TV, it requires both devices to have connectivity to the same wireless network which may not always be possible in a school (there may be multiple subnets under the same network name). Splashtop is another company that creates mirroring software and they have a variety of solutions for different purposes. Some of their mirroring solutions include mirroring360, Splashtop Classroom and Splashtop Whiteboard.
- It is also possible to connect the iPad to a MacBook which is then connected to the projector. The reasons for using this solution over a dongle is that an adapter may not always be available. Secondly, this solution requires running the QuickTime program which allows recording of the screen. See the tutorial section on How to Mirror an iPad to a Mac computer Using QuickTime.
For a complete guide on screen mirroring for all devices, click here.