Turn Your iPad 1 or 2 into an Interactive Whiteboard by Dr. Tim Tyson
Everyone is so excited about tethering the iPad 2 to a projector, admittedly very cool, that we have missed something else at least as good if not even better! Go all the way: make the iPad 1 or 2 into a complete interactive whiteboard solution!
If you already own an iPad, computer, and projector, this can be done for less than the cost of Apple’s new Digital AV Adapter for the iPad 2. Ok, full disclosure: this solution only costs 2 cents less than the adapter. But for tethering with the Digital AV Adapter, you also have to purchase an HDMI to VGA cable too!
I just recently figured this out—last Friday to be exact. I confess, it was an accident, actually. Now, I’m not talking about just drawing on your iPad and projecting that drawing in front of the class, and I’m not talking about using the iPad2 to connect directly into a projector and show what’s on the iPad.
I’m talking about using the iPad as a control surface to actually control your computer desktop, write on your computer desktop, and project all of that in front of the classroom just as a regular interactive whiteboard does. The only difference: no interactive whiteboard is needed, and you can do this wirelessly using the first generation iPad as well as the second, and that’s correct, without tethering your iPad to the projector or the computer with wires.
This will work on both Mac and Windows machines. So, no matter what kind of shop your classroom runs, this should work if you have an iPad.
I made a 4 part series of rough and ready quickcasts to take you through the entire concept and process. They are linked below the list of what each quickcast covers.
This isn’t difficult and offers an affordable solution for the classroom.
- Part One: What You Need (2m.22s)
- Part Two: The Setup Process (12m.07s)
- Part Three: The Demonstration (6m.20s)
- Part Four: Current Limitations (6m.11s)
The iPad is a powerful computing device, and with the introduction of the iPad 2 (cameras, a powerful iMovie app, tethering), it is ideal for the classroom setting. Apple hit another home run.
