New Reflections on Reflection

I know I'm going against the stream here, but I have fallen out of love with the Reflection App.  The problem is that it just has too many hiccups, especially when compared to Apple TV.

My middle school choir room has a new Apple TV set up.  I have not a single issue with it in a month of use.  When I am working in my elementary school's computer lab, I plug in my personal Apple TV.  I never have a problem.  But in my elementary classroom - the room where I spent about 75% of my time, I do not have an HDMI projector.  So thus far, I have been using Reflection in this classroom.  I have many problems.

First, Airplay through Reflection cannot be launched as quickly as with Apple TV.  In my situation, I need to first set up an ad hoc network, have the iPad connect to that network, launch Reflection on the laptop, and then set Airplay to mirror to the laptop.  Now you have a window that I usually move from my laptop screen to the Smartboard (I choose not to mirror my laptop so I can have two monitors at once), maximize the Reflection window, and hope that I don't accidentally turn the iPad to portrait orientation because then the window reverts back to a smaller size.  I can do this all pretty fast, but do you know what kids will start to do by this time?

To make matters more difficult, you can get through all of these steps and it freezes or doesn't work.  Some apps crash Reflection completely (I have a recorder playing app that does this).  Displaying photos last week caused Reflection to freeze up many times, leading to several force-quits.  If I did not have the photo on the iPad before launching AirPlay, it would freeze.

I realize there is a very good possibility that the problem is with my ad hoc network, or some other issue.  But the fact remains - Apple TV never gives me a problem (I do not need to create an ad hoc network for Apple TV).  As Steve Jobs would say "It just works".  Apple TV does not require me to change networks mid-class, freeze, or revert to a smaller size just because I change orientations.

So, I have ordered the Kanex ATV-Pro Apple TV adapter for my elementary classroom so I can hook up my Apple TV to a VGA projector.  When it arrives, I'll let you know how it works.

Apple TV Comes to the Choir Room

It finally happened.  It started at Christmas, and finished at Easter.  The middle school choir room has received some much needed tech upgrades, including (drum roll, please) Apple TV!

The middle school choir room has been neglected for a long time.  Since the former high school was converted into the current middle school eight years ago, there has been a succession of middle school choir teachers and administration.  The room never got the treatment that so many other rooms in the building received.  Over the years, it did have 2 good speakers, a good amplifier, and a 5-disc CD changer.  This year, for the first time, I am teaching 7th grade choir in addition to my K-5 duties.  To my good fortune, there was a rotating music account fund and this year was the choir's turn to spend it.

I had two ideas for the funds:
Option A - some combination of laptops and mobile devices
Option B - projector, Apple TV, network, screen, rack, and other hardware

I decided to go with Option B.  I have been doing this long enough to know that if you don't have the infrastructure in place to start with, the rest of it will not be successful.  There will be options in the future for mobile devices - I can get some out of future budget monies, BYOD, etc.  I already have a few laptops and mobile devices.  What we needed a strong foundation for future growth.

So, back in December, I started putting together a list of items and talked to the person in our district who orders technology for teachers.  The first thing that was not going to be on this list was an interactive whiteboard.  We were going to go a different direction - Apple TV.  We were both excited for the possibilities, since no other room in the district (that I am aware of) has a permanent Apple TV installation.

Don't get me wrong - I was an early adopter of interactive whiteboards in our district.  I still use the one in my elementary classroom regularly and have plenty of colleagues who couldn't imagine life without it.  But it has its limitations, the first of which is cost.  Meanwhile, I have had Apple TV in my own house since Fall, and often bring it to use in our elementary computer lab and church, both of which have HDMI projectors.

But the choir room needed a few things in addition to the Apple TV:
• an HDMI projector - the most expensive part of this project.  Yes, you can get converter boxes, but we didn't have a projector in the choir room yet, so might as well just get an HDMI projector right away.
• a mount for the projector.
• a screen - in my case, big enough for 60 kids to see clearly at once.  We purchased an 8' wide screen to replace the tiny screen that used to be in the room.
• Cables galore, and cable conduit to make things look nice.  50' HDMI, 50' RCA cable, 50' SVGA cable, 50' internet cable, new speaker wire, and more.
• A rack to put all of the equipment in, including an existing amplifier, CD changer, and VCR/DVD.  Since the manufacturer calls it a "Command Center", I think the tech staff pictured something like NASA used to launch the shuttle.  It is a perfect size for a classroom and can handle rack-mountable components.
• An audio converter for the Apple TV that allows us to run audio into the existing stereo amplifier.  This is a Toslink to RCA audio converter.  Well worth the $30 for converter and a few cables to get great sound instead of the tinny sound from the projector.  (The DVD/VCR player just uses RCA cables directly into the amplifier for audio).
• A router as a workaround for Apple TV on a secure, enterprise network.

With this new system, you can use any nearly any media you want at the push of a button and have fabulous audio and video.  But best of all, the Apple TV will allow me - or anyone else with an iPad or new iPhone on the same network - to mirror directly to the screen.  Yes, I also own the Reflection App and it is good, but it's a gamble - Apple could shut it off with a simple update.  And the room still needed these upgrades - the projector, the screen, the rack to pull it all together, etc.  Now the choir room went from being the least tech capable room in the district to one of the most forward-leaning spaces for learning.  I think when other people see it in action, they will want it, too - just like interactive whiteboards were.  Apple TV is one of those things you have to see to understand.

Total cost is still being determined, but I purchased ALL of the above for approximately the same price as a single interactive white board.  Remember - we were starting from scratch here - most classrooms already have a lot of this equipment or wouldn't need all of it.  Plus I think I might have enough leftover in the account to purchase one of the newly-reduced price iPad2 for student use.

Once Spring Break is over, I'll post about how I am actually getting to use the new equipment to help improve student achievement in choir.

Apple TV vs. Reflection

Within the last few weeks, both Apple TV and the Reflection App by AirParrot have gotten considerable attention.  I have had a 2nd gen Apple TV since Fall 2011 (we have an all-Apple household).  But I also have purchased the Reflection App because I can already see applications for both.

                    

Why has the Reflection app developed such a big following so fast?  I think it is for two reasons:
#1 - Most people do not have HDMI inputs on their projectors yet.  Although there was buzz about HDMI to VGA converters a few months ago, it's $40 for the converter on top of a $99 Apple TV box, plus cables, and you are still left with an audio issue.  And HDMI projectors are not cheap yet.
#2 - Cost.  Reflection is only $14.99 for a single installation.

But the single biggest drawback for both of these products for education or business is that neither functions well on secure, enterprise networks without some sort of work-around (at least in my experience so far).  If someone could address this problem, life would be so much easier.  So far, the work-arounds that seem to work best are Mrs. Magiera's for Apple TV (here) and Mr. Eley's for Reflection (via Tony Vincent here).

Right now, I am using both Apple TV and Reflection.  Here's what I am doing:
• If I am in the computer lab with an HDMI projector, I will hook up my Apple TV.  It is the simplest way to still have internet so I can use Edmodo, Safari, and other internet apps with students.  I find Apple TV to be a little more "seamless" in its operation.
• If I am in my classroom, I can easily plug in my laptop to an ethernet cord, set up a computer-to-computer network and use Reflection.  I find Reflection easier to use on the go.  And as a stand-alone window on the desktop, I can drag it from my laptop's screen to another non-mirrored monitor or Smartboard.  But Reflection can only be installed on a single computer.  I can take my Apple TV anywhere and plug it in.

So, at least for the time being, and if you have the funds, I would use both.  Like so many things in life, it is not "either/or" but "both/and".  At least for the near future.  And with this Summer's coming version of OSX to include Airplay mirroring of your laptop's screen, I hope somebody solves the enterprise network dilemma soon.

UPDATE - May 14 - My views on Reflection and Apple TV continue to evolve.  Please see my more recent blog post.