The Reflection app has been available for the Mac for a while and is now also available on Windows. The app allows you to display the screen of your IOS device (iPad, iPod or iPhone) on your computer, meaning you can easily switch to your device during presentations or record screencasts.
To establish a connection and share your screen your computer must be on the same network as your IOS device, but our initial impressions are that it is reasonably easy to establish a good connection. We had a play with the trial version of the app, which is fully functional but limited to 10 minute sessions. Have a look at our first impressions and quick guide to getting started below (2.26).
Thanks – a great intro to an App I had been hearing a lot about
It seems a good option so far. We just wish that there was a screencasting option that would work straight from the iPad, but Apple’s multitasking controls will probably mean we will never see that unfortunately.
We’ve been looking at Reflection and AirServer as options to use in our Education Sessions to show students primary sources and artworks. There is a good review of both available on Glenn’s HistoryTech blog: http://historytech.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/reflection-gets-even-sweeter-now-has-competition/
Has anyone worked with AirServer, got any feedback?
Thank you for sharing this post. As soon as I saw the tweet, I took your post to our technician. Within minutes we trialled a 10 minute version of the Reflection app and tested it on our PCs.
Our school has interactive whiteboards in many rooms and a PC is dedicated to them. The majority of staff also have PC laptops.
We also have class sets of iPads. So, we were excited to discover that we can put the app on our PC or laptops, then use the iPad as a remote device to project the screen of the iPad onto the PC screen or the whiteboard. This will save us much money as there was talk of purchasing apple TVs etc for many rooms. It is good to know that we can purchase a license set of the apps.
We liked the testing so far. The only thing that doesnt seem to like to be screencast are youtube videos. Thanks again and would love to hear of other people’s feedback on the app.
Thanks for your comment. It seems like a cheaper alternative to the Apple TV, though I have heard of schools that use Apple TV to allow students and teachers to easily display work on the whiteboard. I use one at home and it’s very easy to use, but fitting out all of your classrooms with the devices is a pretty big investment. As you point out, Reflection is a cheaper alternative.
I’m glad the post helped you out. Let us know how you make use of the app in class.
Regards,
Cameron