Apple TV Integration Project Final Report - eetlc.ca · PDF fileAPPLE TV Lethbridge College...

APPLE TV Lethbridge College Pilot Project Evaluation

Educational Enhancement Team May 2012-February 2013 Prepared by Andy Benoit

Educational Enhancement Team. Lethbridge College, 2013 2

“I am very interested in the mobility of an iPad used in connection with Apple TV. I want to show video, slides, and apps on the screen in classes, but do not want to be tethered to the podium at the front of the class as I do this. I am hoping the mirroring and streaming capabilities of an iPad connected to Apple TV will allow me to be more mobile as I show these

things in class.”

Apple TV Instructor

Project Team

Faculty Brent Cottle | Jeff Hamilton | Rick Blakeley | Frank Isaac

Educational Enhancement Team

Elio Girardi | Gavin Brinsmead | Andy Benoit

ITS Team Dean Johnson | Mike Holland


Apple TV Integration Project Summary/Evaluation

Executive Summary

An Apple TV used in conjunction with an iOS device such as an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch can extend instructor mobility in the classroom. Equally important, an Apple TV can enhance access to information and media, whether generated by the instructor, the students, or via the iTunes platform. Feedback from Apple TV project (2012-‐2013) participants (n=4) and instructors in the phase one Tablet project (2012-‐2013; n=14) indicate that increased mobility and additional access to resources, enabled by Apple TV’s (or related software), represent a significant opportunity to enhance teaching practice. ITS staff have indicated that integrating this technology from a technical standpoint would require additional network infrastructure if this technology is to be implemented successfully. Do Apple TV’s or related software merit formal implementation?

What is an Apple TV?

“Use Apple TV to watch high-‐definition movies and TV shows directly from the iTunes Store on your widescreen TV. Play content from Netflix, view live and archived sports and news, and enjoy podcasts, YouTube, Vimeo, and Internet radio. Stream your music and photos from iCloud, or play your iTunes content wirelessly from a Mac or PC. View full-‐screen photo slideshows from the comfort of your couch. And with AirPlay, wirelessly display your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch screen on Apple TV, or mirror your iPhone 4S or iPad screen.” (Source: Apple TV-‐3rd Generation manual)

Project Purpose

Throughout May 2012 to October 2013, four instructors contacted the Educational Enhancement Team (EET) requesting support with Apple TV integration. Essentially, instructors wanted to be untethered from cables that “tied” them to the front of the class, and also to explore innovative methods to access and share instructional/media resources within the classroom.


Project Goals for Apple TV Integration

The instructors intended to explore the following questions:

1. To what degree can an Apple TV (+ iOS device) increase instructor mobility in the classroom?

2. To what degree can an Apple TV (+iOS device) increase instructor and student opportunities to share instructional/media resources?

The Educational Enhancement Team identified three additional goals:

1. In what ways can the affordances of a device such as an Apple TV facilitate excellence in teaching and learning, in particular when used in combination with an iOS device?

2. To what degree can the Apple TV function within existing infrastructure? 3. What types of resource are required to enable Apple TV and iOS device

integration in a classroom at Lethbridge College? Note: At the outset of the project AV, ITS and instructors anticipated challenges. However, there was a willingness to move forward to explore the possibilities of the Apple TV technology.

Instructor Profile

Instructors’ interest in the Apple TV technology emerged independently, yet collectively the group shared a common purpose, namely extending instructor mobility and enabling wireless access to instructional/media resources. The following programs are represented in the Apple TV project: College and University Prep (CUP), Multimedia Production, Apprenticeship, General Studies, Business Administration. Faculty: Brent Cottle | Jeff Hamilton |Rick Blakeley| Frank Isaac The instructors tested the Apple TV in the following locations throughout the College: IB1333, TR2811, CB3013, AN1691

Project Team

Two different service areas came together to support this initiative. The Educational Enhancement Team provided technical and logistical support, and the Information Technology Service (ITS) department provided wireless networking support. Educational Enhancement Team: Elio Girardi |Gavin Brinsmead |Andy Benoit ITS team


Evaluation Process

Data Collection Methods

Two methods were used to gather evaluative data: Survey and Document Review. A. Survey In January 2013, a short survey containing five open-‐ended questions was sent to instructors using the Apple TV, one AV support staff, and one ITS support staff via email. Questions included:

Q1. What were your hoping to achieve by using the Apple TV? Q2. Did you achieve your goal, please explain how, why or why not? Q3. Do you have recommendations about next steps? Q4. What challenges do Apple TV's present from an AV standpoint? Given the project goals, what are possible solutions? Q5. What challenges do Apple TV's present from an ITS standpoint? Given the project goals, what are possible solutions?

B. Document Review

A variety of documents and sources (Blogs vendor websites, technical guides) were reviewed in order to become more familiar with the Apple TV.


Findings

A. Survey Responses The instructors and support staff who participated in this project wanted to explore whether or not the Apple TV would increase instructor mobility and facilitate access to content/media. In general, there appears to be consensus from Apple TV participants that the wireless network impeded their ability to achieve project goals. In response to survey question #2: Did you achieve your goal, please explain how, why or why not? Participant #1: “We never got audio working and streaming from YouTube is flakey at best so I have saved the videos to my laptop and show them from that platform. Using the IPad over the LC Guest wireless network intermittently worked well but I don't want to find that out while teaching when every minute counts… I can't afford class time changing platforms.” Participant #2: “Still in progress. Idea is sound; just need to get some glitches worked out. I'm using a portable apple TV now that I take with me to rooms. It's more of a hassle but seems to work ok.” … “The issue I did have with the AppleTV in IB1133 was wireless network based so next steps would be to make sure that's taken care of.” Participant #3: “Yes”. “Fingers are too big for fine cursor control of the iMac screen. But it works.” Participant #4: “I don't think I've achieved my goals yet-‐-‐or maybe I should say the Apple TV hasn't yet achieved the goals I have for it. So far, I've found the Apple TV useful in mirroring my iPad image. It's also good at mirroring the images of other devices in the room-‐-‐so, if I want somebody else to show an image from their device, it works well for that. I am, therefore, trying to work to create activities where this is kind of thing is effective. I've created one where it worked very well, and a couple of others where it didn't work so well. I'm going to continue to refine these activities through the rest of the semester. On the other hand, another thing I foresaw for the Apple TV where it hasn't worked that well is showing film clips from the Internet. In Pop Culture and Film Studies there are a lot of times when we want to pull up a clip of this or that and the Apple TV seems perfect for that. And, in fact, it is perfect for that-‐-‐unfortunately, our wireless signal is not yet perfect for that-‐-‐or at least the signal in the room I'm in is not year perfect for that. A clip works well if I remember ahead of time to get the Apple TV to start downloading it. However, for a clip we want on the spot, it doesn't work so well because, with the internet signal we currently have, it takes far too long for the clips to download. For really short clips it's not too bad, but for longer clips (5 minutes plus), it just takes too long. If the signal was improved, the Apple TV would be very useful in this regard. In the meantime, I'm not sure it presents that much advantage over just pulling a clip up on my laptop. Anyway, I'll keep tinkering with things as the semester moves on, and will let you know more later.”


In response to survey question #4: What challenges do Apple TV's present from an AV standpoint? Given the project goals, what are possible solutions? “The challenges we face are instructors teaching in more than one room or being assigned different classrooms each semester. We found a possible solution for instructors that need Apple TV in multiple classrooms, an HDMI -‐ VGA adapter. The adapter allows an instructor to take their Apple TV and connect to any projector in any room. Two instructors are testing this adapter to see if it's a viable solution. We are incurring installation costs to retrofit Apple TV in a classroom. The HDMI-‐VGA adapters cost $250.00. Installed AppleTV devices require an optical to analogue converter ($200.00) because most projectors at Lethbridge College do not have an HDMI input which means the audio signal needs to be separated from the digital HDMI signal.” In response to survey question #5: What challenges do Apple TV's present from an ITS standpoint? Given the project goals, what are possible solutions?” ITS staff provided a detailed response to question #5, summarized below: At the outset of this project, ITS staff had to tweak the wireless setting in order to open up the network to allow for Apple TV’s. Previously the guest network was more restricted in that two devices could not communicate with each other as is required with an Apple TV and iOS device. Unfortunately, in opening up the guest network, this led to an increase in broadcast and multicast traffic that has since been discovered to be adversely impacting the quality of the guest network.


B. Document Review

This section details findings from a document review (blogs, vendor websites and product guides/manuals) in response to three questions asked by the educational technology manager in EET.

1. In what ways can the affordances of a device such as an Apple TV facilitate excellence in teaching and learning, specifically, wireless projection?

2. To what degree can the Apple TV function within existing infrastructure? 3. What types of resource are required to enable Apple TV and iPad integration

in a classroom at Lethbridge College?

Question #1

In what ways can the affordances of a device such as an Apple TV facilitate excellence in teaching and learning, specifically, wireless projection? A necessary precursor, prior to the effective integration of any classroom technology, entails testing the device to identify technical considerations. Such work was the primary focus of the Apple TV pilot project. However, it is important to emphasize that the goal of Apple TV integration is not the end, but rather a means to enable excellence in teaching and learning. For this reason, to balance the focus on technical considerations, the “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education” as developed by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson, were used as a conceptual framework through which to evaluate the merits of the technology from the viewpoint of effective teaching practice. The table outlines the relationship between the Apple TV and effective teaching practices.

Principle Example scenarios 1. Encourages

contact between students and faculty

An Apple TV + iOS device can be used to increase instructor mobility in the classroom making it easier for the instructor to interact with students.

2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students

An Apple TV provides additional methods to showcase student/group work to the whole class and in so doing enable collaboration.

3. Encourages active learning

The iTunes store currently has over 650,000 apps available for iPhones and iPads. When used in combination with an iPad, apps specific to disciplinary content or those more broadly related to competencies such as the development of communication skills, problem solving, inter-‐cultural communication, etc, can be incorporated into the classroom creating new opportunities for learner centered learning.


4. Gives prompt feedback

The Apple TV makes it easier for students with access to an iOS device to share their content with the class and receive feedback from peers. For instance, a student could access resources from cloud storage and display them on a larger screen for whole class viewing.

5. Emphasizes time on task

The Apple TV, when configured properly, offers a simple workflow for student and instructors to share resources and in so doing use time more efficiently.

6. Communicates high expectations

An Apple TV can be utilized to showcase student work, and when appropriate hold learners accountable to the class/peer standards.

7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning

The Apple TV provides students with choice in how they access and engage with learning resources as well as showcasing their efforts.

Question #2

To what degree can the Apple TV function given existing networking infrastructure? Information Technology Services (ITS) has indicated that it will not be possible to integrate Apple TVs into classrooms without additional network infrastructure. Consider the following:

• Apple TV does not currently support enterprise WPA2 authentication. • There is no way authenticate access to the wireless network when using an

Apple TV because the Apple TV does not have a web browser. Source: http://davidjhinson.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/apple-‐tv-‐too-‐cool-‐for-‐school/

• The Apple TV has an Ethernet port. It is not possible to use the Ethernet connection in an enterprise context, however, as it cannot be discovered by other iOS devices. Both devices must be on the same network.

Audio-‐visual staff have provided the following insight:

• Managing a large-‐scale deployment of Apple TVs may be challenging. Currently, to set the Apple TV password, the instructor would have to be in the same room as the device. For students to share their content through Apple TV, they would need to know the password. Therefore, it is anticipated that the password for an Apple TV would have to be reset approximately once/month. Source: http://www.williamstites.net/2012/04/12/considerations-‐for-‐deploying-‐the-‐appletv-‐in-‐your-‐school-‐or-‐enterprise/

• For an enterprise level deployment of Apple TVs, it would be important to identify a naming convention.


• The Apple TV remote is an essential tool when using the Apple TV. However, it is easily lost.

• Apple TV’s rely on streaming. Therefore, a user cannot plug in a USB flash drive or hard drive full of personal videos.

• The iOS device must be on the same network as the Apple TV to communicate.

• Smooth playback without lag is contingent on adequate wireless infrastructure and bandwidth.

Question #3

What resources are required to integrate an Apple TV and iPad into the classroom?

• Apple TV • HDMI enabled projector • HDMI Cable • iTunes store account (free); iTunes software (free) • Apple Mini Display Port to VGA adapter • Mac laptop running the Mountain Lion OS or later (provided), access to a

Wi-‐Fi network • An iOS device is required for wireless projection

From a user experience standpoint, utilizing an Apple TV in a classroom requires the following steps:

• Step 1: Connect the Apple TV to a projector using an HDMI Cable. Note if the projector lacks an HDMI input, a VGA-‐HDMI adapter is required. Turn the Apple TV on and configure for the Guest Network.

• Step 2: Turn on the laptop and ensure it is on the same network as the Apple TV, in this case the Guest Network.

• Step 3: Turn on the projector and ensure the Apple TV and iOS device are on the same network.

• Step 4: Double tap the home button on the iPad and swipe right until you see the Airplay menu.

• Step 5: Select “Apple TV Mirroring”. Alternatives to Apple TV It’s worth noting that apps are available to provide some of the same functionality as an Apple TV, in particular the ability to mirror and stream content from an iOS device. EET staff and some instructors in the tablet project have conducted some preliminary testing. This method entails having the instructor install an app (Reflector or Air Server. $15.00) onto the laptop computer, converting the computer into an AirPlay receiver. In the classroom, the instructor uses a VGA adapter to connect his laptop to the classroom projector. Using Airplay technology, the instructor can wirelessly mirror


the tablet display to the laptop or stream content, which is then displayed onto the projector. The instructor is now able to wirelessly share content from the tablet with the class. While this option is lower in cost, when compared to the purchase of an Apple TV, it does require the instructor to have a laptop in the classroom, whereas once the Apple TV is installed, an instructor would not require their laptop at all. Resources • Reflector app website: https://www.reflectorapp.com/ • Air Server app website: http://www.airserverapp.com/en/Info/WhatsNew • Airplay: http://www.apple.com/airplay/ Considerations • The laptop and tablet must be on the same network to communicate. • Smooth playback without lag is contingent on adequate wireless infrastructure

and bandwidth.


Synthesis and Next Steps

Four instructors in the Apple TV project and another fourteen in the Tablet project have identified a need for increased mobility in the classroom and increasing flexibility around accessing and sharing information/media with students. The Apple TV seems like a promising technology with capabilities to enable effective teaching practices. However, most if not all participants have indicated that it is difficult to integrate the Apple TV, or similar software such as AirServer into the classroom given existing network infrastructure. While the Apple TV was intended as a device for home entertainment, it is nonetheless finding its way into the enterprise. In scanning the literature, it is evident that Lethbridge College is not alone in trying to leverage the promise of Apple TV’s (see Educause List Serv on Apple TV), nor is the College alone in facing significant barriers to effective integration. As always, translating the promise of an innovative technology into reality is hard work. As the Apple TV pilot project comes to a close, additional discussion, exploration and consultation is required to determine whether or not the Apple TV or apps with Apple TV like functionality should be formally implemented at Lethbridge College.


References

Alternatives to Apple TV “Best Alternatives to Apple TV”. Retrieved February, 11, 2013: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features/digital-‐home/3368967/best-‐alternatives-‐apple-‐tv/

AirPlay and AirPlay Mirroring Technology: Overview “How Apple Airplay and Airplay mirroring works” for an excellent explanation of this technology. Retrieved October 2012 from: Refer to Rasmus. Larsen’s (2012) article “http://www.flatpanelshd.com/focus.php?subaction=showfull&id=1347605891

General References Teacher Cast. Apple TV in the Classroom. Blog Post. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from: http://instructionaltechtalk.com/apple-‐tv-‐in-‐the-‐classroom/ Educause List Serv. Apple TV: http://www.educause.edu/discuss/constituent-‐groups-‐institutions-‐specific-‐size-‐or-‐type/edaccess-‐constituent-‐group?keys=apple%20tv&filters= iPads in the Classroom: http://successbeginstoday.org/wordpress/ipads-‐in-‐the-‐classroom/

Image Citations

Apple TV in hand. Retrieved from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/_z/5227006307/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Creative Commons Designation. Apple TV with monitor. Retrieved from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yuckymuffintech/6988362351/sizes/m/ Creative Commons Designation.

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