Tuesday 3 May 2011

Presenting ppt slides with an iPad and VGA adapter

I've been told (volunteered?) my International Marketing and Management course at Lincoln University will be a testing ground for using iOS devices to enhance teaching and learning.  I've been given an iPad and a Dock-to-VGA cable to use.  Oh, and a couple of months to make everything work.

I'm working with the Flexible Learning team so while I'm trying to sort out technology use in lecturing, we'll be trying to revamp the online resources to maximise learning opportunities across a wide variety of mobile and connected devices (with a focus on iOS devices).

My first lecturing hurdle was to find an app that would best organize and present my lecturing materials.  I already use GoodReader and DocsToGo on my iPhone so those were included.  I also added Keynote and QuickofficeHD to have some developed-for-iPad apps. 

Edit: I've also just found an app "2Screens" which seems to be a multifunction app with a presentation focus.

I am more interested in these apps in the lecture theatre so I'm focussing on their ability to present, not edit or create presentations.

How do these apps present ppt files?

Keynote
It imported ppts quickly and easily and it had some basic editing and transition features including a useful Undo button.  It does have a presentation mode which gives more options when you plug in the VGA adapter.  With the adapter, it allowed you to show the next slide or your notes on the ipad screen (and the time) while the external screen just shows the slide.  This feature is great if you rely on detailed notes.


DocsToGo
This app opened the ppt file fine and had basic editing capabilty but did not have a presentation mode.  Also, no output through the VGA adapter.  Even if there was output, it wouldn't be particularly useful for lecturing without a way to get rid of the notes column and show the slide full screen.


GoodReader
Like DocsToGo, this was designed for viewing and light editing instead of presenting.  When loaded, you can zoom in and out and scroll up and down the slides.  If you don't mind a scrolling presentation, the app did mirror the presentation to the external monitor, although the scrolling is very choppy (only on the external monitor) and some of the words were only half showing.


QuickofficeHD
This app places a much greater focus on presentation.  It opens ppt files with basic editing but I was really impressed with the presentation options. When going into presentation mode, it asked whether you want to use the iPad screen or the detected external monitor (via VGA adapter).  In the external monitor mode, you can move through the slides with forward and backward arrow buttons and you can toggle on/off (rather small) slide previews in a left hand column.  Also, if you hold your finger on the iPad screen, a laser pointer appears on the external monitor screen.


2Screens
This app takes a different approach.  Instead of adding presentation capabilities to a mobile office app, 2Screens is a purpose-built toolbox for presenting.  It opens ppt and has basic editing, and with an external monitor attached, you can show slide previews and notes only on the iPad screen.  Within the app, you can play videos, open a browser, load bookmarked URLs, and annotate everything with a basic art overlay. 





Let me know if you know of another app I should add to the comparison.

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