Monday, September 26, 2011

Issues with the iPad

In the short time that I have had the iPad, I have figured out one important thing: The iPad is not a computer. It is a vehicle for using apps. We tend to think of apps in the traditional way as an application like a word processing program, but the apps for iPad are a much similar concept.

I have also learned that there are basically two types of apps: stand-alone apps and apps that require continuous Internet access to function. Because our iPads did not come with the 3G network, we have to rely on WiFi to work some apps. This is a big drawback. In order for faculty to get the full benefit of the iPad, either individual faculty members need to purchase access to the network and pay a monthly fee for using it or the college would have to pay large sums so faculty could have access. Using the iPad only on Parkland's campus is a bit unrealistic, but the cost to connect to the network is also prohibitive.

The last thing that is bothering me about the iPad is there doesn't seem to be a wireless way to project your iPad screen to your computer, such as to the instructor work-station in LCD equipped classrooms. This is a very basic concept that seems to be largely overlooked. I will investigate this problem more.

5 comments:

  1. There is a way to project the iPad screen on to a computer. The app is called Doceri remote. You need to also download something on the computer. The problem is that it communicates via the network so you need a reliable wifi connection, something I don't have in my classroom.

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  2. I downloaded Doceri yesterday, but I haven't tried it out on another computer just yet. I will give a try at home and at Parkland let you know how it goes. Thanks for the tip.

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  3. I'm trying to understand how this is different than what we already have in our smart rooms. I love a few of the apps that I have found--especially one about the brain and its functions--but I don't see how I can use it in the classroom for everyone to see. Curtis' suggestion sounds good, but I'm not computer savvy enough to do it.

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  5. I downloaded Doceri to my iPad and to my laptop. I can now control my laptop from my iPad (which is cool) but I want to display my iPad screen onto my laptop or to the instructor computer station and thus the LCD projector for my students to see.

    From my research, I have learned that iPad must be physically tethered to the second computer for this to happen--very inconvenient for the active speaker.

    I then looked into the possibility of a screen capture that would record my iPad screen. I know I can capture still images of my iPad by simultaneously pushing and releasing the off button at the top and the home button at the bottom. If you do it right, the screen will flash and make a camera-like noise. Unfortunately, the only way to record the iPad screen is to jail break it--which I simply refuse to do!

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