Can I wirelessly project what's on my iPad screen onto a Promethean board? I have read of connecting the iPad to the digital projector via iPad-HDMI cable, but I want to be able walk around the classroom, not tied to the projector.
Not directly, and not without some help, but there are ways to get that effect. You can not go direcly from iPad to Promethean board (you need to go through the projector). While as of now the only way to go directly from the iPad to the projector is through a cable, you have several options to go through a second device.
- Connect an Apple TVto your projector. This allows you to "mirror" (duplicate so you see the same image on both screens) the iPad screen to the projector and thus to the board. The downside is that it's another device ($100) to connect, requires an additional power source, and since most school projectors don't have HDMI inputs, you'll likely need an HDMI-VGA connector to link the Apple TV to the projector. Y
- Use the iPad to control the computer (with an app such as Remote Desktop). This won't show the iPad screen on the board, but will allow you to show the computer screen and control it from the iPad. You will be able to use the Promethean software, which will not work for options 1 or 3.
- Reflection is a fairly new app that allows you to mirror an iPad onto a Mac (which could then be connected to the projector). I haven't used it yet, since our school is primarily Windows, but one teacher plans on trying it with her Mac. Apparently it doesn't fully take up the screen, so you'll see an iPad on a computer screen (as in the picture on the website), although I assume you can enlarge it to fill up the screen. The developer told me they are working on a Windows version, which we will definitely try.
Can I use Promethean board software to notate images projected from the iPad to the Promethean board? That is, adding notes + drawings, using the Promethean board pen and digital tools, to the projected iPad images.. I don't need the notations to go back to the iPad, just want to be able to save iPad images + added notes to the classroom computer.
If you use Reflection (option 3), I suppose you could. The problem is that there is no Promethean software for the iPad. When you're using the annotation and other tools of the Promethean board, what you're doing is controlling the computer (connected to the projector) and running software on it - the board/pens are essentially a big mouse. :-) That's why the computer showing on the Promethean board has to have a directy USB connection to the board - not to show the image on the board, but for the board to control the computer. Smartboards work the same way. However, there is no such tool for the iPad and Promethean board (or Smart) - it would require a direct connection to the iPad, and would have trouble working with the sandbox nature of the iPad apps.
Two other options to look at, which might give you more help:
- Splashtop Whiteboard (the same company that does Remote Desktop). Has the same control features, but also allows you to do screen annotations. You're still controling a computer, but there are some more robust features, and you can more easily do things like draw over images. However, the Promethean Software will give you the same effect, if you already have it.
- Doceriis similar to Whiteboard, seems to be more robust (and is more expensive - but because the app is free and you pay for the desktop software, you can do a trial period). Again, it's meant to replace the Promethean Software instead of supplement it, but might give you more control (and perhaps you'll decide it's better than the Promethean software for what you want to do.
Bottom line - I'd start with Splashtop Remote desktop and see how well that works, then look at some of these other options. We use Remote Desktop with our Mimio Board software, and while it's not as easy to control the software as using the pen/stylus it does give us portability and doesn't block the screen. :-)
