Using Your Apple Computer to Capture Your iPad Screen

Use Quicktime to record and create screencasts of your iPad screen by connecting your iPad to your computer. Setup is fast, easy, and intuitive. This guide will walk through the process for Macs, which come equipped with Quicktime as standard software.

Creating an iPad Screencast 

Step 1: Connect your iPad to your Computer 

  1. Connect your lightening cable (the standard cable provided with your iPad) to your computer and then to your iPad. 

  1. If you have never connected your iPad to your computer, a popup box will appear on your iPad asking if you want to trust this computer. Click Trust. 

  1. Your computer and iPad should now be connected. 

Step 2: Create the Screencast 

  1. Open Quicktime. 

  1. Select New Movie Recording from the File dropdown menu. 

  1. A popup box with a record button will appear. Click the small arrow next to the record button and select your iPad as the camera input. 

  1. Click the record button. Your iPad screen should now appear on your computer screen. 

  1. Click the stop icon in the upper left corner of the Quicktime toolbar when you are done recording your screencast. 

Strategies for Recording iPad Screencasts 

  • Using a stylus with an iPad allows you to mark up your screen, which can allow instructors to annotate and provide feedback on student papers that have been electronically submitted while also verbally describing the instructor’s feedback. 

  • Consider using the photo gallery on your iPad to display images that students can analyze or that the instructor can mark up and share with the class through a screencast video. 

  • Students can use screencasts from iPads to share their own annotations on written documents or images with the instructor or classmates. 

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