Tech Tip Tuesday: Look Ma! No Hardware.

When the first iPad was released one of the deepest frustrations with it was the fact that it wouldn't mirror the screen. Teachers wanted to be able to show their students what was going on. Trainers and instructional coaches wanted to be able to show teachers what was on their screen. No such luck With the release of the iPad2 and the increased power it became possible, but if you used the cable then you took this wonderful magical mobile device and effectively anchored it.

Then the Apple TV allowed you to throw your screen to an HDMI Connected device which meant you needed help to get it to a VGA Projector. OR you could buy a Document Camera for a variety of prices. I used a HueHD for a long time  to share my iPad screen. But recently some colleagues and I  have come across two amazingly useful tools that let you lose the hardware: 

AirServerApp This little app is software that takes advantage of the AirPlay feature of the iOS. Apple's iOS allows most iOS devices to mirror their screen to an Apple TV. The app essentially allows the iOS device to recognize a window on the computer an Apple TV. So now with your computer already connected to a projector you can share your screen to your computer and it will project to the screen.

 ReflectionApp This app does mostly the same as above. It is a little more expensive. Reflection offers 1 license while Airserver offers licenses on 5 computers.  The main advantage Reflection has is that it shows the iOS screen with a Skin that looks like the device. This makes it a bit more obvious that you are sharing your screen. So for just a few dollars you can now share your screen and leave the hardware behind.