A couple of weeks ago, I gave a presentation using my iPad, and it worked out pretty well! I used the iPad version of Keynote (Apple’s Powerpoint-like presentation software). Keynote has a handy-dandy presenter notes feature that is really easy to use, so your notes are on your screen, and your slides still appear on the LCD projector – in a much easier and user-friendly way than Powerpoint.
Guess what? The iPad version of Keynote does the same thing. The screengrab above shows the presenter notes view on the iPad. If there’s more text than shows on the screen, just use your finger to scroll down to the rest of the text.
You also use your finger to advance slides – just swipe the screen, and slides advance. Swipe the other way to go back a slide. Pretty simple to use!
Now – how did it work?
- It was really easy to set up and use – I just needed to get the iPad VGA adapter, and plug that into our LCD projector. Then the iPad magically did everything else, so I didn’t have to mess with screen resolution compatibility, etc.
- I was able to stand up in front of the room (I was presenting for the library’s Board of Trustees, who sit at a long table) with no podium – I just held the iPad, and finger-swiped away.
There were a couple of oddities, too:
- If you stand with the iPad, you need to hold onto the VGA cable. Otherwise, the weight of the cable will pull iPad VGA adapter out of your iPad. Not good.
- Finger swiping the slides felt a bit odd to me – I’m used to clicking a hand-held thingie to advance slides.
- Most important – the on-screen slide appeared first, followed by the presenter notes, so there was a bit of lag time. It looked weird for a bit, so I was swiping back and forth, looking for the correct notes, until I figured out the 1 second lag. Once I figured that out, I was ok.
So – looking to do a presentation without having to lug around a laptop? You might consider using an iPad/Keynote setup – easy stuff!
One question: Using the VGA adapter, doesn’t that mean you have to, literally, stand right next to the projector at all times? I haven’t seen a wireless version of this adapter if exists. Did this cramp your style?
One question: Using the VGA adapter, doesn’t that mean you have to, literally, stand right next to the projector at all times? I haven’t seen a wireless version of this adapter if exists. Did this cramp your style?
Well… it depends on the length of the projector cable. I stood at the
front of the room, and the projector was in the middle of the room, for
example.
There’s an app you can get for your iPhone to let you use it as a remote to advance your iPad slides. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/keynote-remote/id300719251?mt=8Â
However, it might be tough to see your presenter notes on the smaller screen…
If you are using the iPad 2, you can quickly and easy bounce between apps. The faster processor means no lag time. Bouncing between Keynote, Google Earth and Safari is pretty cool.
We would be
thrilled to hear what you think of our newest iPad app called Presentation
Link, which we will release August 10. You can find more information on
http://www.prelin.com
 AppleTV and AirPlay should change this up a bit, to make it unnecessary to connect via a cable.
When my colleague and I presented at 3Ts 2012 in Albany, NY, in March 2012, we used an iPad to present. (We were talking about using iPads and other mobile devices in academic library classrooms… so we thought it was appropriate.) It was incredibly convenient and effortless! In fact, we had a much easier time setting up than the presenters before us, who needed extensive assistance from IT to configure the projector display settings so everything showed up properly. When we went up, we plugged ourselves in and, poof! like magic, everything just *worked* with the iPad. And you’re right: Keynote “Presenter Display” is great! So convenient.
Before the presentation, though, we practiced at home by plugging our iPad into a TV (via an HDMI adapter since our TVs had HDMI inputs) and it worked the exact same way. So it’s not necessary to use a projector: if your conference room only has a monitor/TV, you can plug your iPad into it, too.