A reply to a question about connecting the iPads to projection ….. I thought others of you might want to know as well.
Yes, unfortunately, most of our teacher computers are running Windows XP and AirServer won’t work on them.
I bought AirServer to use with my Samsung Tablet (which has Windows 7). If I come into a school I can hook my tablet to the projector and connect the iPad through the tablet instead of the classroom computer. You could do the same, but that doesn’t solve the teacher’s problem. I sent out an email last week to the Literacy Coaches that talked about 6 ways to connect. I’ve copied the main part below:
However, depending on what you want to do with the iPad, you should also check out Splashtop and Doceri. Splashtop allows you to control your computer from the iPad and I believe is free. But it doesn’t display the iPad. Doceri has more functionality and allows you to use the iPad more like a remote slate for writing on your presentations. Quite a few of the teachers at the high school are using Doceri. You can get Doceri for a free trial to see how it works. You have to download the Doceri App to the iPad and download the Doceri Desktop program to the Computer that runs the projector. The iPad app is free, but the program for the desktop is somewhere between $24-$30 each, depending on how many licenses you buy.
If you don’t need all that functionality, or if the price is too high, you can check out Reflector. I believe Reflector WILL work on Windows XP. This allows you to display your iPad screen wirelessly at a cheaper price, about $10 to $13 per device, depending on how many you order. The iPad and computer must be connected to the same network. It might be a good idea to make sure that David isn’t planning to move all the mobile devices to a separate network from the other computers. Some school systems do this and it won’t let the iPads connect to the classroom projector.
I know that connecting the iPad to the computer through that short little Dongle cable limits the movement around the room and is inconvenient due to the short cord and the fact that many of the computers are under a table. There is a new free app called iTools that allows you to use your longer white charging USB cord to do the same thing. And there are cheap USB extenders that could make that cable much longer. I just learned about that last week.
Hope this helps!
Jeff
6 Ways to Show Your iPad on a Projector Screen
By Tony Vincent
Teachers really want to the ability to display their iPad or their students' iPads on a projector screen. Projecting on a large screen is great for demonstrations, simulations, explanations, and showing examples. There are several ways this can be done in the classroom.
If you don't mind keeping your iPad in one spot, then a VGA adapter (for 30-pin Dock connector or for the new Lightning connector) or a document camera (or USB camera) should work for you.
If you want to wirelessly transmit your device's screen and audio so that you or your students can walk around the room, then it gets more complicated. You'll tap into Apple's AirPlay feature that is built into all iPad 2s and newer, including iPad mini. AirPlay works over Wi-Fi and requires all devices using it to be on the same network.
Apple TV is a small black box that can connect to a projector. iPad can mirror wirelessly to Apple TV using AirPlay. Apple TV only outputs HDMI. Your projector might not have HDMI input. If that's the case, you'll need an HDMI to VGA adapter like the Kanex ATVPRO.
If you already have a computer connected to your projector, you should look into using software to turn that Mac or Windows PC into an AirPlay receiver. You can download and try for free AirServer or Reflector (formerly named Reflection). The software runs on your computer and allows devices to mirror iPad to the computer screen. Since the computer is connected to a projector, then the iPad shows on the projector. I've written lots more about both AirServer and Reflector.
In my visits to various schools, I'd say that Apple TV, AirServer. and Reflector work about 50% of the time. That's because AirPlay requires the device and the computer or Apple TV to be on the same network. Often schools have different networks for mobile devices and for PCs so AirPlay won't work. Also, AirPlay requires specific ports to be open on the network and frequently they are not. It's a good thing there are free trials of AirSever and Reflector so you can test your school's setup before purchasing.
If your Wi-Fi network won't cooperate with AirSever or Reflector, you should check out iTools. It's free software for Macs and PCs that will mirror to a computer using your device's charge/sync cable. Read more about iTools.
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