Sunday, June 24, 2012

Apple TV in the Elementary Classroom

Thinking of trying Apple TV in your classroom? I have heard about this tool for quite some time, but had not actually seen it in action until a recent conference. The keynote speaker did her entire presentation from her iPhone through Apple TV. I immediately emailed my tech coach and asked for one.

I have always loved and used my IWB in my classroom. I am a certified Promethean trainer so I support the boards wherever I go, however, I do like the possibilities that Apple TV brings. It is very easy to stream whatever is on your device through the TV. The first thing that occurred to me was that I could finally stream my ipad wirelessly and without my document camera. We have a set of 30 iPods in our school that we share. I would love to have the students create projects on the ipods (perhaps with Animoto or something else) and then let them stream their creations through the TV.

I'm very excited to explore the capabilities of this device. I read this post this morning that really gives a good argument for using the TV in place of an IWB. I'm not quite there, yet. I don't think I'll want to replace my board, but I think it will certainly be an exciting addition to my classroom.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this. I just went and read the other post that you referenced.

    I'm moving to a new school this next year and am pushing to have them order an iPad, Apple TV and HDMI projector instead of the IWB. I've had both a Smartboard and Promethean board. I don't spend much time in front of the classroom and the boards collected a lot of dust.

    I'm assuming that you are effectively using the software package. That makes the board more effective for you. However, I would guess that apps exist or are coming for most of the software pieces that you use.

    For me, showing video clips, showing my Google Docs for editing, and sharing pictures immediately makes the iPad combination a much better alternative.

    Excellent post. I look forward to hearing more about where you go with this knowledge.

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  2. Thank you for your response. I do use the software effectively, and yes, I agree that apps could probably do what I do with the board. I like IWBs in the lower elementary because of the interactivity for the students, but for MS and HS, I think an Apple TV and iPad will be the way to go. We'll see.

    I'd love to hear if you get your request granted and how it goes for you!

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