Apple TV in the Classroom

A teacher who has used the Apple TV in his classroom says it is a fabulous teaching tool. He’s been using it in conjunction with the iPad. but he’s having problems finding suitable apps for presenting his lessons. Hear that app developers?

Simon Haughton:

Using Apple TV in a lesson is FANTASTIC! Having read about it online I sort of knew what to expect but it was only when I actually tried it out in a lesson did I realize the huge impact that it has on teaching and learning.

He makes the following points in his post:

• You can stand anywhere in the room to demonstrate a skill – you aren’t confined to just standing next to the projected display.
• The fact that you can pass an iPad to a child to write on makes it much more flexible (and easier too for the shorter children who can’t always reach the top of the board).
• You can display any child’s iPad screen to share it as an example of ‘what a good one looks like’ to the rest of the class (thus replacing the need for a visualizer).

He said he used it in a year 4 class, and the students asked him to mirror the iPad screen of one of the more confident students, so they could watch the process of how the student created their work.

Haughton says his only problem with the set up is he’s having trouble finding suitable apps to present lessons on. He has high hopes for an app called “SMART Notebook“, which will be launched over the summer.