In previous blog posts, we’ve discussed choices for mirroring your iPad to a screen. Teachers may also be interested in another way to use the iPad: mirroring the desktop of your computer to your iPad.  Being able to control your computer from anywhere in the room provides you with the opportunity to manage your instructional presentation while continuing to monitor what’s going on around the classroom. It’s also an advantage when working with software for the interactive whiteboard. Using Splashtop Remote will enable you to hand your mobile device to a student to interact with or add to any content you’re presenting as well.

You will need:

• the Splashtop Streamer (installs to your computer)
• the Splashtop Remote app (currently $4.99 for iPad, or Android but always check for the most current prices from your mobile device)

Download

Using the link above, download the Splashtop Streamer software to your computer.

On the right side of the screen, you’ll find “Download the Streamer for your Computer.”  The first dropdown menu asks you which version you’d like.  Choose the “Personal” version as the others incur a cost to use.  The second dropdown menu is for you to choose the operating system – either Windows (PC) or Mac.

Click on the blue “Go” button to start the download.  Save the download file to your computer.

Install

Locate the downloaded file, double click on it and follow the prompts for installation.

NOTE:  You may be prompted to restart your computer following the installation.  This is a best practice after installing software so allow that to happen.

Setup

After the restart, the Splashtop Remote software may start up automatically or you can find it in the Start Menu (PC) or Applications folder (Mac).

In the Status tab, you’ll see the name of your computer and Splashtop Account Login.  Set up an account by clicking on the “Create one” link.

Enter your Email and a Password.  The password will be used to help you connect your mobile device to your computer. After creating an account, you should be automatically logged in.

Connect

On your mobile device, go to the app store and search for “Splashtop” and install the Splashtop 2 Remote Desktop–Personal version of the app.

Once you’re in the app, tap on the gear in the upper right corner and use the same login information that you entered on your computer. Once logged in, you should see the name of your computer on your device. Tap on the name of your computer and in a few seconds you should see a screen showing you the gestures that can be used to do things like click, right-click, scroll, etc.  Tap on Continue and you’re ready to start your instruction.

Customize

As you continue to work with Splashtop, you’ll want to further explore the tabs on the Splashtop Streamer window.  Enable Auto Launch enables you to decide whether or not the Splashtop Streamer starts up automatically when your computer starts.  This might be a good option if you’re using it fairly frequently.

The sound output options can be important to explore if your computer is going to be connected to an interactive whiteboard with attached speakers or if you’re simply using external speakers with your computer.

What other applications have you used that are similar to Splashtop?