Using Apple TV AirPlay
At my school, we’re lucky enough that most of us have Apple TV . However, I feel like most of the teachers don’t really use theirs because they don’t know what to do with it. Can anyone relate?
I love to use Apple TV to mirror my iPad to the screen/projector! I don’t do it all the time, but it’s definitely a handy trick to have up your sleeve. If you’ve never done this before, you can connect both devices to wifi and mirror your screen using AirPlay! Once you connect the 1st time, it’s typically pretty quick and easy to do!
Here are 3 ways I use Apple TV in my classroom…
Manipulatives
There are TONS of apps that you can use to act as math manipulatives. I love to mirror my screen use these apps to demonstrate a skill or concept to my kiddos. Of course most of the time, my kids have their own set of manipulatives, but I like being able to model what they should be doing on the board. The best part is that you’re able to walk around the classroom as you model!
Personally, I love the Brainingcamp virtual manipulatives, but there are a lot of other options as well!
Using Educreations and Notability for Students to Show Work
I know that students LOVE getting a chance to write on the board, but do you ever just feel like you don’t have time for that?? They walk up to the board… then forget their answer… then walk back to their desk… and it just takes forever. Well, use your iPad instead! I promise it will be just as engaging for your students.
Educreations is a great, FREE whiteboard app that you can use for this. You can even take pictures of a worksheet and have students “write” on top.
Once you get comfortable with mirroring your screen, I’d suggest looking into a paid app, like Notability ($3.99) or GoodNotes ($7.99). In the classroom, I love using Notability because it will sync with my google drive! This allows me to pull up Google Slides I’ve previously made and write right on top of them. We do this A LOT with word problem lessons! I can walk around, monitor, and solve OR I can pass the iPad to a student to solve!
Games, Apps, and Other Websites
The final way I use AirPlay is for playing games in the class. This is another alternative to “passing the pen” if you have a smartboard. We also do this a lot with whole group Zearn lessons! I have the students simply pass the iPad around the classroom to make their answer choice throughout the lesson. Also, if I have a few extra minutes left in class, I will pull up a fact practice app and the students can pass the iPad around and take turns playing the games and answering questions.
There are SO many other ways to use your iPad and AirPlay, but these are just a few of my favorites! I hope you find something that you can use in your classroom! Give it a try - I think you’ll like it!
