Bangor Firm Designs Device For Teachers Using iPads

Bangor-based Modern Efficient Design (MED) has been assisted by Invest Northern Ireland to design and manufacture Padvu, a unique device for teachers using iPad tablet computers in the classroom.

MED, formed by teachers Sam Sinclair and John Titterington, developed a holder that enables teachers to use an iPad as a document camera or camcorder in the classroom.

The company received a range of assistance from Invest NI including design advice and an Innovation Voucher to enable a link up with the Northern Ireland Technology Centre at Queen's University and to convert an initial concept into a commercial product that’s now being manufactured by Crossen Engineering in Ballygowan.

Mr Sinclair, a Business Studies teacher, said: "As teachers, we used an iPad extensively in the classroom but struggled to hold it steady over student work and experiments. So we set about finding a practical and cost-effective solution for us and other teachers.

"What Padvu does is to transform an iPad, now widely used in classrooms across Northern Ireland, into an overhead projector and convert it into a more effective teaching tool for sharing and celebrating exemplary student work.

"Padvu enables the teacher to photograph or video a student’s work or a demonstration with iPad and share with the class by means of a projector or interactive whiteboard. The image can also be uploaded wirelessly to the school network, Google Drive or Dropbox."

(CD)