Sunday, April 08, 2012

[ED-TECH] Apple TV In The Classroom – The New Smart Board?

Ed-Tech list members,

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

How important is the ability to mark up material being projected on the screen in the classroom? Would having an iPad that you could walk around with, controlling your presentation and marking it up, be something we should investigate as an alternative to the Sympodium writing tables we are using today?


DETAILS

The Instructional Advancement Center manages the technology in the original 65 general assignment classrooms: Memorial, Learning Center, and Residential Colleges. When we designed the technology for those rooms we put in the SMART Sympodium writing tablet LCD displays. The goal was to allow faculty to write on the screen when presenting PowerPoint or other material through the computer. Usage of the Sympodium has been very low, based on our faculty surveys, the Sympodiums cost a LOT more than a normal computer display, and they are failing as they reach five years of age.

Here are some questions we are beginning to ask. We would love to have your views on these questions.

1. Is this functionality something that faculty want? Do you want to be able to "mark-up" PowerPoint slides, or web pages, or Word documents in front of the class?

2. Is the fact that you have to stand at the podium one of the factors that limits usage of this technology?

3. Is an alternative, such as an iPad, where you could walk around the classroom, controlling your presentation, and marking it up, a "better" solution for you?

4. The iPad "solution" is not clean, at this point. There are lots of gotchas that would have to be worked out in order to make this widely available. How much effort do you think we should expend researching and developing solutions for use of the iPad by the instructor in the classroom?

We would really appreciate your thoughts on these questions. Our efforts in the IAC are measured by how they actually enhance learning in your classrooms. We need your input as we look into the future and make plans that will affect the student experience in your classrooms.

Bill Vilberg - bill.vilberg@miami.edu, 786-250-2255

http://vilberg.com - Spreading seeds of education, technology, and more