www.mimio.com • Retail Price: Classroom Annual License Educator $199; Site License $2,699; District Quotes also available (Must also purchase MimioStudio software, included with some Mimio hardware)
MimioMobile is an app that works in conjunction with MimioStudio and other Mimio interactive tools. The app allows students to use Mimio hardware, Android, and Apple-based handheld devices for front of the classroom control, collaboration, and assessment. MimioMobile allows students to participate in multiple choice, short essay, numerical, and true/false questions with their mobile devices. Teachers can share a lesson with multiple students, as well as display multiple students’ work at the front of the classroom.
Quality and Effectiveness: MimioMobile is a great answer for teachers using different mobile devices in the classroom. The software is compatible with iPad 2 and above, all versions of the iPad mini, iPhone 4, and above and iPod Touch 4th Generation and above. The Android app works on Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) or higher.
Ease of Use: The MimioMobile software license is very easy to add to the MimioStudio software, and allows each classroom up to three mobile device connections (Apple or Android). This can then be expanded to the entire classroom with an annual MimioMobile license.
Creative Use of Technology: MimioMobile gives teachers and students the ability to control the classroom whiteboard from anywhere in the room from almost any mobile device. One limitation of this software (as well as similar apps) is that all devices, including the teacher computer, must be on the same wireless network for the devices to interact.
Suitability for Use in a School Environment: MimioMobile is very easily integrated in to schools that already use MimioStudio software, and its implementation is not much harder for schools that do not already own MimioStudio. MimioMobile allows for more flexibility in the classroom as teachers can move around the room, and students can control the whiteboard from anywhere as well. This frees the teachers and the students to move about the room as needed during a given lesson without being tethered to the computer. The App also allows for quick, formative assessment, as well as the ability to share the screens of multiple devices on the whiteboard. Overall, this is a suite of features necessary in the 21stcentury classroom.
TOP FEATURES
• Ease of Use: Installation and use of the app are self-explanatory. Connecting student mobile devices to the virtual classroom is a breeze with the use of a QR code that teachers display on the whiteboard.
• Collaborative Features: The ability to turn control of the whiteboard over to the students allows all students to take ownership of their learning and share their work with the class.
• Formative and Summative Assessments: The ability to ask quick, formative questions of your students on the fly, as well as the ability to create longer assessments (utilizing MimioStudio), make MimioMobile a great way to administer assessments.
OVERALL RATING: Utilizing MimioMobile allows teachers to perform quick, formative assessment, as well as deliver more in-depth assessments. The app’s one license per classroom vs. per device makes it easy to manage and install on students’ mobile devices.
