HOWTO: Apple TV in the classroom

by Steven B. Combs, Ph.D.

On Monday, October 22nd, I was the presenter for a local brown-bag at the Columbus Learning Center for the three institutions of higher education on our shared campus: Ivy Tech Community College, IUPUC and Purdue College of Technology. The topic of my presentation is the use of the TV in the Classroom. See, even Vice Chancellors can stay current in the use of instructional technologies!

This post provides the slides used for that presentation as well as the presentation outline. If you have something to add or a comment about the content, please drop in a comment after the post. Check out the entire presentation content after the break below.

Google Docs Presentation:

Presentation Notes: TV - Out of the Living Room and into the Classroom:

Agenda (slide 2): This 45 minute presentation will discuss the Apple TV and its use in the classroom. Major topics include:

• Why Apple TV (TV)
• Hardware
• Remote Control
• Out of the Box Capabilities and Demonstration
• AirPlay Demonstration
• Networking Requirements
• Questions and Discussion ♫

Background music before presentation provided by TV Radio, Classical, A1900 Classical

Why an TV (slide 3):

• Ubiquitous nature iOS devices
• Student friendly
• Ease of use
• WirelessCost (Entire secure setup for around $250)

Hardware (slide 4–5): Below is a list of the hardware you may need based on your classroom:

• Apple TV, $99 - the subject of our presentation
• ATV Pro, $45 - converts from HDMI to RGB and audio for older projectors
• HDMI Cable, 2 for $10 - newer projectors will only require the HDMI cable

Remote Control (slide 6): You can control the Apple TV with the following devices:

• Apple Remote (included with TV)
• Remote app, Free for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad (iOS devices)

Out of the Box Capabilities (slide 7) and Demonstration: Without a connection to any other device, the TV provides the following features to enhance instruction (brainstorming time!):

• Moves/TV Shows/Music from the Apple Store
• Access to iTunes content on other computers (iTunes required on local network)
• Netflix & Hulu Plus (subscription required)
• MLB.TV, NBA & NHL (subscription required)
• TrailersYouTubeVimeoPodcasts - Personal favorite for education is access to TED Talks
• Radio
• Photo Stream and Flickr
• Wall Street Journal Live
• More to come from Apple…all apps can be removed from the homescreen

AirPlay Demonstration: AirPlay is the process of transmitting audio, video and apps to the TV. The following are discussed:

• iOS Devices (iPhone and iPad) - AirPlay Music (Music app) and Video (YouTube app) demonstrations from iPhone 4S, Mirroring (iPhone 4S or greater or new iPad required) and Skitch demonstration from iPhone 4S
• PlayTo for Android - No device mirroring (to achieve mirroring, the device must be “rooted” and the appropriate app downloaded from the Google Play Store)
• OS X Integration - Basic connection functionality built into OS X Mountain Lion only
• AirParrot for OS X - Adds AirPlay to all Macs and adds additional functionality such as full desktop (scaled), extended desktop and by applicationA quick word about security - Passcode can be set and device connected cannot be bumped by another device

Network Requirements: The TV has the following network requirements:

• All devices must be on the same network
• Wi-Fi and Wired connections supported
• 802.11n preferred for wireless
• Network traffic affects performance and a dedicated classroom network using a $99 AirPort Express would be preferable. This layout will also decrease interference with other classrooms.

Questions and Discussion: