Teaching Touch: Instructional Realities of iPad 2 Video Mirroring

Since the first time we eagerly plugged in the original VGA adapter into our 1st Generation iPads, we (as teachers) wanted more.  The way that the video output only worked with specific apps left a great deal to be desired. Particularly grievous was the lack of any way to easily show the "tablet-top" interface to a group in an instructional setting.  Most of us compensated by using document cameras or just by holding the iPad up and pointing to it.  These solutions were not stellar.

The anticipated iPad 2 has arrived, and along with it is the ability to mirror out to a display or projector whatever is showing on the screen.  The new HDMI adapter will do this (if you have display/projection devices with HDMI inputs).  There are also confirmed reports that the old VGA adapter will work to mirror the iPad 2 video out as well (obviously to devices with VGA inputs).  Great news! But...

As I was driving the other day, I was listening to an episode of Leo LaPorte and Sara Lane's iPad Today podcast.  During the course of the podcast, they pointed something out that burst my bubble a bit.

They pointed out that when we demonstrate something on the iPad's user interface and mirror it out to a display device, there will be no visible indicator of what we touch.  An iOS device doesn't have a visible "cursor" or any other good way to show what you are doing.  The audience will only see what the "touch" has triggered--not how the action was triggered.

I don't think I'm really complaining about this, it is just a natural reality of a touch-based interfaced.  The cursors that we have become used to on desktop computers were necessary to show us the location on the screen that corresponded with our intended mouse or trackpad position.  In a touch environment, this is superfluous--our fingers are directly touching the interface object with which we want to interact.

There are things that happen in the iOS interface when you touch a spot for an extended period of time.  In the tablet-top interface this would cause your apps to start to jiggle.  In an editable area or a text area an extended-length touch will likely cause the magnifying glass/ copy/ select/ paste popups to appear.  Not sure these will really be useful in addressing  this issue.

Perhaps the main iOS interface needs a feature in the future that offers a optional mode providing a small colored dot at the location the touchscreen is being or was last touched.  Not really expecting this to come over the horizon from Apple in the near future, though individual developers might take this into consideration when they build their respective apps' user interfaces.

In conclusion, I am excited about the new video mirroring capabilities that have been introduced in the 2nd generation iPad.  I am, however, not as excited as I was before I was prompted to think about some of inherent realities of displaying a touch interface.  Leo and Sarah, quit making me think!