What Can Your Class Do with the Wireless Station? There are numerous options for teachers looking to invigorate their curriculum and get their students (re)engaged and inspired. Let’s take a look at what’s possible when you pair a document camera with multiple iPads.

For the uninitiated, doc cams capture printed documents and 3D objects. What you do with that video is where it starts to get interesting. Sure, you can project the image onto a large screen for teaching sessions, but what happens when you stream it to multiple iPads at the same time? Memorable, effective, and just plain fun activities, that’s what!

Here are ideas for some K-12 subjects to get your mind turning with all the possibilities:

Math

1. Word Problems: Position a word problem under the doc cam, and stream it to groups of students. Each group discusses and collaborates on the best way to solve the word problem. Groups then share and compare their answers. You can write out the best solution for everyone to see when each group has had a chance to share.

2. Pattern Blocks: A fun yet educational exercise for younger kids involves pattern blocks and tangrams. Show patterns with the doc cam. Groups must complete the patterns correctly with their blocks.

English

3. Fictionary: Why not have some word game fun as a reward or just as a break in between regular lessons? One of the most fun is Fictionary, which you can play in groups. Find an obscure word in the dictionary and write it under the doc cam. The groups must come up with definitions for that word. Write down each “fake” definition along with the real definition. The groups then have to guess which definition fits the word. Points are scored both for correct answers and for how many times groups guess your fake definition. It’s a lot of fun!

4. Picture Books: For the younger crowd, reading picture books to the class can really be enhanced when another copy of the book is placed under the doc cam. Students can follow along on several iPads mounted throughout the class. Kids will love being able to follow along and see the artwork as you read.

Science

5. Dissection: Frog dissection is one of those iconic science class events. You can share your dissection with the class so they get a better understanding of how to conduct their own dissection (or when there aren’t enough specimens to go around). The same is true for labs and demonstrations of all kinds. Keep in mind there are a lot of great video tutorial apps for experiments and dissections.

6. Electrical Circuits: Give groups the tools they need to make simple electrical circuits. Provide instructions and diagrams with your doc cam, and then have each group create their own circuit — to light a light bulb, for one example — using batteries, wire, circuit boards and switches.

History

7. Geography: Share blank maps with groups using the doc cam. Students must fill out the maps (country names, capital cities, names of rivers and other natural features, etc.). Share and compare the answers at the end. You can add a little competition to the mix with a “Geography Bee”-style elimination.

8. Mystery Object: Bring in one or more actual objects from the past — an arrowhead, a uniform patch from World War II, a newspaper article about a famous event — and stream it to everyone’s iPad so they get an up-close view. Ask students to guess the object’s period, function, importance, and more. This is a great visual lead-in to a lesson.

Art

9. Share Your Technique: Three to five iPads, when properly distributed, is the perfect amount to give smaller classes a “front row” view of your own artspace when you share brush techniques, drawing methods, collage construction, etc. A close-up tablet view can sometimes be better than a single large projection screen, particularly for fine detail work. Now everybody can see what you’re doing without physically crowding around.

10. Camera Tour: For lessons in digital photography, take students through a detailed walkthrough of the actual camera itself and all of its buttons, menus and functions. Students can learn by doing and follow the video stream of your camera tutorial with their own cameras.

To pull this setup off, consider pairing the iPads with two inexpensive products from IPEVO: the Ziggi-HD USB Document Camera and the WS-01 Wireless Station.The setup’s pretty straightforward, and with just one WS-01, you can stream 2 or 3 iPads simultaneously at 1600 x 1200 resolution, or up to 5 iPads at 1024 x 768 resolution (which is still very good).

The possibilities are endless, so “get your hands dirty” and give it a shot. Chances are you’ll develop a unique activity that works for you and your class.

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Following stories are written by teachers, educators and other professionals. They provided the first hand experience on how the document cam assisted them on education and presentations using the iPad.

1. Kathy’s Story
Kathy Schrock, educational technologist, adjunct professor at Arcadia University. She chooses P2V to project iPad for the following reasons: easy to set up, low cost and compatible with smartphones, iPads, and other electronic devices.

“Good things come in small (low-cost) packages! With so many of us trying to demo our smartphones, iPads, or other devices to an audience of educators, the IPEVO Point 2 View ($69) is something to consider for your toolbox! It easily connects to a computer to project to a large group using an LCD projector for real-time viewing of the screens of the electronic devices we are trying to show.”

Let Kathy tell you more:
http://blog.kathyschrock.net/2010/08/point-2-view-document-camera-review.html

2. Paul’ Story
Paul Yip, educational technologist at The Bishop Strachan School. He selects P2V to deliver a quick iPad demo in a conference room for these conveniences: handy, portability, plug-and-play USB, no power cable required, compatible with iPods, iPad and apps

“For those of us doing demos of iPods and iPads, it seems to be one of those “perfect things” as it gives you the ability to show a complete workflow of either device, without relying on one special video cable as well as any apps’ compatibility with video out. Removing it from the stand gets me thinking about poking it into different parts of science experiments, or using it as a “field” camera with a laptop on a stage, in a gym or outdoors. These types of uses are more or less impossible with the larger ones.”

Let Paul tell you more:
http://themindofachildblog.blogspot.tw/2011/01/review-ipevos-p2v-80-document-camera.html

3. Steven’s Story
Steven Sande, Mac/iPad/iPhone guru, puts his iPad (or iPhone) on the big screen with P2V. Because P2V is low in cost, easy to set up, and compatible with every app.

“One of the things that was a bit frustrating for me after purchasing the iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter was finding out that it doesn’t work with every iPad app… So what if you want to teach an iPad class and show your students everything that’s going on your iPad? ……
There’s a less expensive and pretty cool little camera that seems like it was designed just for doing iPad demos. The IPEVO Point 2 View (P2V) USB camera is inexpensive, has remarkably good resolution, and comes with a stand that is perfect for doing demos.”

Let Steven tell you more:
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/05/27/frustrated-by-no-universal-video-out-for-ipad-ipevo-p2v-can-hel/

4. Nathan’s Story
Nathan Curtis, founder/principal of EightShapes, told us how P2V solve many challenging aspects of sharing sketches in real time, and the benefits using P2V to demonstrate a device:

“I often throw a device (notably, my iPhone or iPad) under the IPEVO camera to demonstrate an experience with actual gestures, responsiveness and more, which feels more real that using an application like iOS Simulator on the Mac.”

Let Nathan tell you more: http://www.eightshapes.com/blog/2011/08/19/sharing-sketches-remotely/

5. Deborah’s Story
Deborah Highfill, art teacher at Cannon Elementary, shared how the Ziggi changed the way she teach and the learning atmosphere.

“I’ve used document cameras before but never have I seen a document camera display such clear, crisp, high quality images on the screen like this one. It can even display images from an iPad, which was something the document camera I had before could not do. “

Let Deborah tell you more: http://www.ipevo.com/wishpool/story/142

6. Alicia’s Story
Alicia Elrod, teacher at Lakeshore Elementary School, uses P2V to project iPad for its easiness to setup, image quality, and compatibility to all apps.

“I started using my document camera as soon as it arrived! It was very easy to set up and the quality is excellent! So far, I have used it to model graphing, share photos related to our science topic, and to show science videos from an app on my iPad. “

Let Alicia tell you more: http://www.ipevo.com/wishpool/story/97

7. Phil’s Story
Phil Goodman, Apple Certified Trainer, told us why he used IPEVO’s Point 2 View USB Document Camera to conduct iPad training for members of LAPUG: low cost, portability, and image quality.

“After using many different products to view the iPad, I settled on the Point 2 View, because it appeared to be an inexpensive yet flexible method to demonstrate the products we’re discussing…The P2V has much higher resolution and is much lighter and more flexible to set up and carry around.”

Let Phil tell you more: http://blog.ipevo.com/?p=2322

Do you need to project iPad onto the big screen for your lecture or presentation? If so, you definitely need to know why a USB document camera is the best way to go.

Reasons Why We Recommend an IPEVO Document Camera:

1. Project All Apps and Tablets
When it comes to projecting iPad, people turn to Apple technologies like Apple TV and AirPlay. However, AirPlay is not available on older iPads or iPhones, nor does it support every single app. With an IPEVO doc cam, you don’t need to worry about compatibility. The camera simply captures everything displayed on your iPad, iPhone or any other tablet.

2. Offer a Complete Picture by Including Fingers and Gestures
“How did you do that?” If you’ve ever been asked that question, you know the importance of showing actual operations and gestures on iPad with fingers visible. From piano apps to drawing math diagrams and more, finger gestures absolutely matter, and you can only capture them with a document camera.

3. No Need to Mess with Network Settings — Plug-and-Play via USB
To project your iPad with AirPlay, you need to link them both to the same network, which can sometimes cause problems and delays. With an IPEVO document camera, just plug in your camera to a USB port on your projector-linked computer and launch the software. You’ll be ready to go in no time! And no hassling with the network or waiting on IT for help.

4. Effortlessly Switch Between Devices and Objects
Sometimes you need to include more than one iPad in your lecture. And sometimes you need to show a book, a printed diagram, or something else entirely. No matter what material it is, an IPEVO doc cam projects it all. And there’s no need to switch between different setups to present different types of material. Just slide your material under the doc cam to project it.

5. Remote Lectures are Easy with IPEVO
An IPEVO document camera is easy to set up on PC or Mac, and it’s perfect for webinars, video conferencing and distance education. All you need to do is select IPEVO Document Camera in Skype, start the video conference, and shoot the iPad to start your lecture.

6. Get All These Features Combined for Just $69 with Free Shipping
An IPEVO document camera is the ideal tool for your iPad presentations. It’s easy to use, it’s portable, and it’s affordable — as low as $69. Get it at a trusted retailer like Amazon, or purchase from www.ipevo.com and take advantage of free shipping.

Read the full article ›

We all love our iPad, and our iPad loves sitting on PadPillow, but PadPillow is also appreciated by a lot more! Here are some photos we received from PadPillow lovers.

IPEVO’s unofficial mascot Roy and PadPillow.

“Shorty” on PadPillow.

Shiba dog Sammy and PadPillow.

PadPillow as chair cushion. Original blog entry in Japanese.

Having a sweet dream on PadPillow? Original blog entry in Japanese.

The PadPillow is one of our most popular products, and we decided to offer up a Do-It-Yourself Guide for making your very own PadPillow from scratch. Now making PadPillow is just as much fun as using it! This DIY project is great for families or just anyone who loves some hands-on arts and crafts.

Here’s what you need to do, one step at a time:

1. Buy (or reuse) a large piece of sturdy cloth for the PadPillow exterior. It should measure 0.45 yards (about 16 inches) long and 45 inches wide. A tough material like denim works best, but you can experiment with other fabrics. Gather a few necessary tools: scissors, pencil, a sewing needle and thread, a sewing machine, a razor knife, and a ruler. Lastly, you will need a small piece of leather to make a leather tab.
   
2. Purchase a large chunk of carving foam, which can be found at art supply stores or other specialty stores. This will form the soft body of the PadPillow.
   
3. Download IPEVO’s printable .pdf file of PadPillow cutouts, and print the document in its original size. Cut out the shapes from the printed document with scissors. Place the four cutouts onto your chosen cloth. Trace the shapes with a pencil.
   
4. Cut the cloth according to the shapes with scissors. You will now have three cloth cutouts — one long rectangle and two chisel-like shapes.
   
   
5. Using the cutout document as your guide, sew the leather tag onto the rectangular cloth cutouts using needle and thread.
   
   
6. With a sewing machine, sew the chisel shapes onto the rectangular shape using the cutout document as a guide for where to join the pieces.
   
7. When you’ve sewn all three cloth cutouts together, you’ll have the basic shape of the PadPillow with a hole in the back to stuff foam into.
   
   
   
8. From your carving foam, cut your first piece of foam using a ruler and razor knife. The smaller piece should measure 12.6 x 9.1 x 1.6 inches (32 x 23 x 4cm).
   
9. Shave down one side of the foam piece to form a semi-triangular shape rather than a simple rectangle.
   
10. Cut your second triangular piece of foam. This piece measures 6.3 x 5.7 x 12.6 inches (16 x 14 x 32cm ), where 6.3 inches is the base of the triangle, 5.7 inches is the height, and 12.6 inches is the length.
    
11. Carefully stuff the foam pieces one at a time into the opening of the sewn-together cloth cutouts.
    
    
12. Try folding the two foam sections together. If it doesn’t fold quite right, you’ll need to remove the foam pieces and trim them for a better fit.
    
13. Enjoy your very own homemade PadPillow! It’s perfect to hold iPad and ebook readers in the lap or anywhere else.
    

Heard of Wishpool? It’s IPEVO’s new way of getting education technology into the hands of more teachers. And we’re extremely pleased to announce a big milestone in this initiative. Even though it’s only been going on for a month or so, we’ve already received 500 wish stories from educators! And each day, we’re trying our best to make as many of those wishes come true as we can.

To date, we have delivered 356 Point 2 View USB Document Cameras and 325 Typi Folio Cases + Wireless Keyboard to 230 schools across 4 countries (Canada, Finland, United Kingdom and United States). And reports have been trickling in about how these handy ed tech accessories have impacted learning and teaching in the classroom. It feels great to know that IPEVO tech is making a difference, and we can’t wait to see what else our enterprising teachers have in store.

We want to keep the momentum going, so if you’re an educator who thinks IPEVO technology could help maximize teaching as well as learning, we’d like to hear from you. Make a wish today for free, and you might join all of the folks who have already had their wish stories come true.

What kind of teachers are becoming Wishpoolers? Check out the Wishpool site and see for yourself, and here’s also a small sample:

Colleen Rose at Nipigon-Red Rock District High School
Red Rock, Ontario, Canada

“Our art program has started to embrace technology! The Point 2 View document camera would help me demonstrate a variety of ways to use media for studio lessons, but it would also allow students to show their methods as well.”

Chelsea Rawhoof at Pecatonica Elementary School
Pecatonica, Illinois

“My kids and I do a lot of writing. I would love to be able to model writing for them using this camera. It would allow me to edit right along with them using the same paper.”

Brian Dunagan at Mooresville Middle School
Mooresville, North Carolina

“If my wish were granted, the Point 2 View would be used mostly for demonstrations. I often use demonstrations so students can experience scientific experimentation when the materials are either too expensive or are dangerous. As the old adage says, ‘Seeing is believing.’”

To all the teachers who have submitted wishes: a sincere THANK YOU. And to all the teachers who haven’t yet, we’re accepting wish stories on an ongoing basis. It won’t take long, it’s completely free, and we just might be able to make your wish come true. Let’s keep it up!

Tricia Fuglestad is a visual art teacher who has done some truly innovative things in her art class with IPEVO’s Point 2 View USB Document Camera. And as it turns out, she had plenty to teach us (and potential Wishpoolers) about what’s possible with our favorite featherlight doc cam. What can you do with IPEVO ed tech in the classroom? Maybe the better question is: what can’t you do!

Working with K-5 students at Dryden Elementary School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Tricia is the current recipient of the NAEA 2012 Illinois Art Teacher of the Year. Her art blog was an Art Ed finalist for Blog of the Year as well as a finalist in the 2011 Edublog Awards for best new blog. (Translation: it’s really good, check it out!) Tricia originally became interested in the Point 2 View after attending an education tech conference in her area. Many educators were praising the Point 2 View for its high quality and low price, and she decided to try it out.

There’s nothing like digging in and trying things out first-hand, and Tricia did just that with the Point 2 View. She developed 6 ways to use the Point 2 View in art class, and we even have an additional couple of updates to share. We’ll let Tricia tell you more in her own words:

1. Animation: “The Point 2 View was a perfect tool for explaining and demonstrating the stop motion animation process to my students. Just move an object, click the snapshot button to take a still image, and move the object again.”
2. Augmented Reality: “We printed out an Augmented Reality marker in order to view a 3-D model of the Parthenon on the projection screen during our study of Greek art. Students could hold the marker at a comfortable level to view the model from all angles.”
   
3. iPads and iPods: “I connect the Point 2 View to the computer and project these devices for demos. This use is perfect for the Point 2 View.”
   
4. Photo Booth: “Apple’s Photo Booth allows the Point 2 View to record video. I can aim the Point 2 View at my students who are too small to reach the desktop camera or who can’t position themselves because of a disability. We recorded students’ lips for artwork we created.” (Here’s their amazing video presentation of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax using this method.)
   
5. Sharing sketches: “The Point 2 View gives my students a way to share their sketches or writings with the class quickly. It’s perfect for playing guessing games or sharing with the class to see if artwork has communicated ideas clearly.”
6. Fine Art Techniques: “The Point 2 View is great for demonstrating small detailed techniques. Instead of calling all the students out of their seats to stand over me as I demonstrate, I use the camera to make art along with them.” (See picture below for the setup Tricia used to demonstrate in real time how to create the illusion of a curved 3D apple.)
   
7. Update #1 — Collaborative Sculpture: Students made clay mask sculptures. To supplement the activity, the iPad was loaded up with an app called 123D Sculpt. The Point 2 View was set up to capture the iPad for projection as students took turns digitally sculpting the same image. Fun!
   
8. Update #2 — International Exchange: Mrs. Fuglestad’s fourth-grade students had a Skype conference with Professor Juan Carlos Castro’s students (future art educators) studying at Montreal’s Concordia University. The Point 2 View was turned up and used like a web camera to capture students presenting for their audience. As Tricia explains on her blog: “Each student presented one slide and glowed in the polite applause of their audience in Canada (that was so sweet). Then they lined up to answer questions and later ask questions. We all learned so much!”

Tricia sums up the Point 2 View this way: “The Point 2 View has amazing clarity and great weight balance, and I like that it uses USB as opposed to other document cameras that use VGA, which requires more fiddling with the projector. $69 is a very affordable price for a teaching tool that can make a world of difference for students.”

Interested in trying out some of the same techniques or a few of your own? We created Wishpool to help you. Become a Wishpooler, tell us your story, and you just might get a free Point 2 View or other IPEVO ed tech for your school. It’s free and it’s easy. Meanwhile, remember to check out Tricia’s art blog for more great artwork and teaching ideas.

To learn more about Wishpool, please visit http://www.ipevo.com/wishpool.

The education community has given us tremendous support, and we wanted to do something to show our appreciation. That’s why we developed the new IPEVO Wishpool. Teachers, listen up, because we might be able to make your education technology wishes come true — for free!

Wishpool is a unique program that’s all about empowering teachers with free IPEVO ed tech — like the Ziggi and Point 2 View USB Document Cameras which have both been such a hit in the classroom. Wishpool is free to sign up for and it’s very simple. You just need to be a teacher at a registered primary or secondary school (public or private) within the United States, Canada, Japan, or the European Union. Visit the Wishpool website and register with your school email address.

From there, we want to know your story! Tell us about your classroom — what you do, what your students are doing, and how IPEVO technology might help you take your teaching (and their learning) to new heights. A written story is great, and any pictures are a big help as well. We call these “wish stories” — when you think you could do even more in your classroom with an IPEVO product, let us know and we’ll try to make your wish come true.

That’s pretty much it. You’ll receive a confirmation email letting you know your wish story was approved. Your story will appear on the Wishpool website as inspiration and to generate even more ideas for teachers with the same goals. After about a week, we’ll let you know whether we were able to fulfill your wish. If so, you’ll receive one or more of our monthly ed tech giveaways featured on the Wishpool website.

Wishpool is a program for special teachers, and our goal is pretty special, too — a better, technology-rich education for more children, each and every day. And with teachers like you leading the way, we can do it.

Remember, applying for complimentary products through Wishpool is absolutely free and there’s no obligation. So if you’re a teacher with technology needs in the classroom, there’s no reason to delay. Sign up for Wishpool (http://www.ipevo.com/wishpool/), make your wish, and together we can make a difference.

All three sizes of the Perch Security Stand — Desktop (S), Side (M), and Podium (L) — are great for businesses of all types. But did you know that these stands are a perfect fit for the classroom, too? Educators will find tons of uses for each size of Perch Security Stand.

For the brief rundown, Perch Stands provide a solid support for the new iPad and iPad 2. The iPad can be mounted in either landscape or portrait orientation at customizable viewing angles thanks to a special dual-axis hinge. And the Security holder features two locks to ensure the iPad can’t be removed from the stand, which is ideal for busy classrooms and curious (and dare we say clumsy) kids. When you use Perch Security Stand, you’ll know the iPad will stay put in the stand.

Let’s talk about each stand:

Desktop (S) — This stand is just the right size for student desks and your teacher’s desk. Students can use education apps either by themselves or with a partner. And when you use Apple TV and the AirPlay app, you can also use Perch S to mount your iPad like a document camera and then project your iPad screen wirelessly onto a widescreen TV or the classroom projection screen.

All of the learning advantages we’ve shared about our Point 2 View and Ziggi Document Cameras (such as 50 Ways to Use Your Doc Cam) apply to your Perch S doc cam. You’ll open up whole new horizons and engage students on multiple levels.

Perch S is also perfect to place on the chemistry lab counter, where you could supplement live experiments with something like Chemistry By Design or make data forms easier to fill out with Forms.

Finally, we wanted to mention an app called GradeCam. This app allows you to use the iPad’s camera to scan and grade the results of multiple choice, “scantron”-type tests. Position the students’ test paper underneath iPad, and you’ll get an instant grade and answer breakdown.

Side (M) — This stand can be placed right near the desk, either for your students or yourself. If you have chairs and couches in addition to the classic desk, note that Perch M’s flat feet can be easily slid under furniture so the user can pull the iPad close. Perch M could also be positioned between two students’ desks for cooperative learning.

Just two of the near-infinite amount of education apps you might want to try are Strip Designer, in which students can create comic strips to illustrate what they’ve learned in a unique way, and ArtRage, in which students can experiment with different drawing tools.

Podium (L) — Last but not least is our tallest stand designed for standing users. These are great for establishing a dedicated “learning center” or “recreation area” that students can visit and use during free time or as a special treat. How about an iTunes U learning library? Or SAT Vocab to build vocab in a fun way? Or how about supplementing a life sciences course with 3D Anatomy, or a course on geography with MapProjector?

Educators, do you have any amazing education apps that you’d like to share? Please feel free to leave a comment. And check out the Perch S, Perch M, or Perch L Security Stand product pages for more info on these handy classroom helpers.

We’re rolling out a brand new software app for all of our USB document cameras, including the Point 2 View and Ziggi. It’s called IPEVO Presenter, and it’s still got everything you need to quickly and easily get amazing image captures in the classroom. But in addition to a more user-friendly interface, Presenter also has a few extra tricks up its sleeve to make your experience even better.

And one of these new features we’re excited to tell you about is integrated Evernote support.

Evernote is a powerful, multimedia notetaking application that has particular value for teaching and learning, not to mention business collaboration and project management. Almost anything you can think of — audio files, pictures, text, entire web pages — can be arranged in an Evernote notebook.

As for IPEVO Presenter, a new Evernote mode allows you to take snapshots with your doc cam and then send those captures directly to the Evernote notebook of your choice. Take high-quality captures of textbook pages, handwritten notes, artwork, math equations, charts and graphs, or anything else, and then round up all those captures and send them to Evernote in just a couple of clicks.

You can probably see the potential for Evernote support, but let’s discuss a couple of the advantages. Evernote is available for Android, iPhones, iPad, PCs, and just about every mobile device out there. That means your doc cam images can now be viewed and managed on whatever device you like. Your captures are instantly more portable and more versatile.

Also consider that you can share notebooks with other Evernote users. Whether you’re a teacher sharing class notes with your students, a businessperson collaborating on a project, or a student organizing a group study session before the big exam, there’s a lot to like about Evernote’s ability to share.

We’ll give you one more reason to use Evernote with your doc cam. Evernote’s search function — set up very similar to the Google search bar in your browser — can not only search typed notes, but also images with text. Capture textbook text or even your handwritten class notes, upload them to Evernote, and now you have a searchable archive so you can find exactly what you’re looking for.

If all of this sounds cool, that’s probably because… it is! And there are even more ways to accelerate teaching and learning when you use Evernote and your IPEVO doc cam. Head on over to the Evernote home page to find out more. The basic Evernote app is downloadable for free, and there’s a premium upgrade with additional benefits.

IPEVO’s Evernote support gives you one more way to take teaching and learning to the next level, so download your free Evernote account and see what inspires you.