Introducing…The New Apple TVs

Recently, there has been a new addition to AISG classrooms. The projector cords are gone and in their place are the newly-installed Apple TVs. Apple TVs are essentially Apple’s own media streamer, and they can be used for watching movies, shows, videos and viewing photos from Apple devices. All of this is done wirelessly through WiFi.

Since our school has the 1:1 program where each student is required to have a MacBook laptop, the AirPlay feature that Apple TVs provide, which includes projecting the laptop onto a screen, can be effortlessly incorporated into learning. Mr. Navis, the middle school and high school technology coach, explained that “The idea is to be able to allow not just teachers to use it but students also.” All they have to do is click the AirPlay image on the top left corner of their laptop screens, input the code that appears on the projector screen, and viola!

Last year, the Apple TV was only in the PE office, classroom 227/228, and the library as a test run. The IT department was slowly working out the bugs. Mr. Navis remarked that “It’s a process where you roll it out a little at a time to work out the bugs and then once you’ve worked it out it’s okay” Since then, IT has set up an independent network for the TVs and increased the number from 4 to 26 Apple TVs around the Science Park campus located in different classrooms, the gym and the library. The numbers will only increase. The Apple TV in the library is open to all students as long as the students use it responsibly for schoolwork.

Like any technology, there are still improvements that can be made. One issue that has come up is when a laptop does not disconnect from the Airplay and the laptop screen appears on the projector screen the next time someone uses the projector. Also, the teachers have reported that the laptops sometimes have problems connecting or suddenly disconnect. Nevertheless, as long as teachers and students remember to log out, the first issue should not be a big deal. Also, the IT department is working to help the teachers with the connection problems. Teachers are receiving training sessions about more logistics pertaining to Apple TVs.

When asked if the IT department has had support from the school, Mr. Navis mentioned, “the school board has been really, really good at saying hey, we want to keep the technology going, we want to keep you going, we want you ahead of the curve, not behind it.” The Ersha campus is also experimenting with removing the projector screens and using big-screen TVs for higher resolution and a screen that will not be affected by the sunlight from the windows. The projectors have a life cycle of approximately five years, so a possible future replacement for them might be these large flat-screen TVs. More Apple TVs are also expected to arrive for the 2017-18 school year. Needless to say, AISG is definitely moving forward in terms of technology.