Look Mom, no wires! New Wireless Projector Kit Available

09/08/2014

Classroom Wireless Video Checkout Kit Available

After extensive testing over the summer the Instructional Technology Center has put together four wireless video checkout kits that will work in any of our 200 plus Technology Enhanced Classrooms (TECs) at Eastern Illinois University.

This kit may be used by the instructor to provide a wireless video teaching and learning experience for an entire classroom. What this means in practical terms is that the instructor is no longer tethered by wires to the podium at the front of the room while teaching.

Miracast is a wireless video standard that allows compatible devices to “mirror” the device screen wirelessly up to the big screen projector. What the instructor sees on the device is what the class will see on the projector in the front of the classroom. The instructor has complete flexibility with projecting anything displayed upon the miracast capable device including webpages, Word documents, PDF files, PowerPoints, YouTube videos, apps, and of course OneNote!

It is quite liberating to be able to walk freely about the room and “mirror” your screen to the projector from anywhere in the classroom. This kit has been successfully tested with our Surface Pro 2 Windows 8 Tablet Carts that are also available for classroom checkout from the ITC.

In order to use miracast you must first have a miracast capable device AND a miracast receiver connected to a VGA or HDMI projector.

Contents of the ITC Classroom Wireless Video Checkout Kit:
Netgear PTV3000 Miracast Receiver with power adapter
HDMI to VGA Converter Box with power adapter
HDMI cable to connect PTV3000 to the VGA Converter Box
RCA Audio Splitter Cable
Power Surge Bar

We are taking advantage of the existing “VGA Laptop” connector in our TEC classrooms to connect to the wireless miracast receiver. Once the receiver is connected it receives the video and audio signal from the miracast capable device. The wireless signal is then passed thru to the standard VGA cable to the classroom projector.

See the picture below for the setup:

The wireless video checkout kit is a solution to the problem of being able to provide the latest instructional technologies to our classrooms without breaking the budget.

To see the capabilities of miracast I have embedded a YouTube video below:

Ideally we would like to replace all of our older VGA projectors with new HDMI miracast capable projectors or large screen HDTVs but that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars if done all at once. Sharing a wireless video checkout kit provides an economical solution to move forward with the latest instructional technologies at a fraction of the cost. The kit as currently configured is well under $100.

If you are an EIU faculty member and interested in experiencing the wonderful world of wireless video in person please stop by the ITC for a demo.

Keep on Learning!

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

@tomgrissom

http://www.eiu.edu/itc/