Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>> Presenting from an iPad
Teaching from a tablet
By Ian M. Camera, RN, MSN, ND
Professor of Nursing
Holyoke Community College
The simplest thing is to use the iPad to replace the blackboard or whiteboard. Screen mirroring
allows you to use any drawing app.
Chalk is a free web app that will make you think you are at a chalkboard.
If you save a link from mobile safari to your homescreen, you can use it without an internet
connection.
A quick screen shot will even save your image. Now if only they would add the clicking and
whispering sounds of the chalk on the board
Paper is a "freemium" app that has basic functions for free, but is upgrade-able with in-app
purchases.
Adobe Ideas is a free drawing app from the makers of Illustrator and Photoshop.
Sketchbook Pro is a full-feature illustrating app.
Any of these will rely on your own drawing and handwriting skills. They have different
features built in to them, so practice will be necessary. These suggested apps are presented
in order of complexity, so the ones earlier in the list will be easier to learn and are
probably more appropriate for live presentation.
Present prepared materials
The more typical way to present is to use prepared materials, such as a powerpoint file
(or "slide deck" as they are often called). In this case, the ipad is acting as a replacement
for a typical laptop. Why would one do this?
Because the ipad is lighter, has a longer battery life, and is easier to configure than
a laptop.
Also the iPad is more portable in the room, particularly when hooked up to an apple tv
unit wirelessly. It offers the portability of a handheld "clicker" with the control of
standing at a laptop, plus the freehand input of writing on the board.
How do you do this?
The most common way to use the ipad
The most common way is to use the iPad version of Keynote to present powerpoint or keynote
files built on a laptop, or on the ipad itself.
Because the ipad mirrors its screen on the projector, it is also possible to make a PDF
of a slide deck, and present that from a reading app such as GoodReader.
Other styles of presentations are also possible, such as using a mind mapping app such as iTHoughts
HD. The benefit of this presentation is that individual branches can be folded and unfolded
as you move through the map, allowing you to give a guided tour of the details while
also presenting the overview.
A second choice that may be more desirable for visual or spatial learners is to create
a zoom-and-pan style Prezi presentation. This is created on a web app but then can be viewed
and edited on an iPad app. Assuming a decent internet connection, pinching and swiping
on an iPad is a very natural way to present this content in this style.
This type of presentation arguably makes the best use of the iPad as a presentation tool.
I call these "Presentation-Plus" because they include many of the features present above,
and then add in an extra electronic trick
One of my most popular experiments among students has been recording "screencasts" of my lectures
in the classroom. This is very do-able on the iPad, my favorite tool being an app called
Explain Everything. This app will record the screen as you present from a powerpoint or
PDF file (including any zooming or annotation you do), and it will also record your voice
as you present to the class. These video recordings can be exported and presented to students
later, for their review or in case of student absence.
A second electronic "bonus" feature is to broadcast your iPad screen not only to the
projector, but to anyone else on your local network who wants to view it on a laptop,
a tablet, or a phone. AirSketch will do just that, allowing you to present from a PDF,
including freehand annotation, and broadcasting that presentation at a specific address that
browsers can view.
Collaborative Presentation: the airplay feature that makes a wireless connection between iPad
and apple TV can be used to share the stage, metaphorically speaking. Anyone using an iPad
in the room can take a turn driving the projector, so a faculty member can invite students to
display what they are working on for the rest of the class to view.
I hope this gives you a taste of what is possible on the ipad when presenting to a group. Anything
that might make presenting easier, more efficient, more effective, and most of all more fun is
worth trying. Best of luck with your next presentation!