PROJECTING FROM YOUR PHONE OR TABLET

  One of the limitations of using Mixed Reality devices and applications in the classroom has always been the size of the phone or tablet screen.  Only a small number of students can gather around either device and for VR, only one student is able to see and interact with what's being projected.  One way around this limitation is to make use of the Screen Mirroring feature of your phone or tablet.  It's not too difficult but you'll need a Chromecast device (for Android phones and tablets) or an Apple TV box (for IPhones and IPads.)  You can also do this with a direct cable connection, but it limits your movement.

     These devices are often used to connect your phone or tablet to your television so that the device screen shows up on your tv screen.  The Chromecast or Apple TV is plugged into your tv using a USB or HDMI cable.  Using your phone or tablet's WIFI settings you make sure the phone/tablet and device are on the same network, then use the Screen Mirroring feature of your phone/tablet to sent what ever is on that screen to the tv screen.  What makes this work well in a classroom is that you can also plug the Chromecast or Apple TV into a multimedia projector or even a VR headset, then follow the same WIFI connect procedure to send whatever is on your screen to the projector, again using Screen Mirroring.

     Here are a couple of videos showing you how it's done: 

Android phones and tablets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXg_8lPQ8dg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ynZNwIPR4  The section for using the Chromecast comes about six minutes into this video.
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-cast-and-mirror-an-android-screen-to-a-tv/

IPhones and IPads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUjjyB1whAY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGniF02F4_4

     While this works pretty well in your home, you might have problems in classrooms.  Most school networks will not let you set up WIFI connections for your phone or device.  The way around this is to use your device's Personal Hotspot.  That allows you to bypass the school's network (and all the protections) and use your own network.  Here's how it works:

IPhones and IPads
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204023

Android phones and tablets
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-turn-your-phone-into-a-wi-fi-hotspot







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