QI teach technology to elementary and middle school students. I currently have my laptop connected to a projector. The projector mirrors what is on the desktop. But I would like to have a program open without the students seeing it. Is there something that will help me do this?

AYour job must be fun and challenging. Since you are into technology, I'll have to assume you've tried tweaking the display settings on your laptop.

Some laptops support Dual Monitor mode. This allows you to extend the desktop onto a second monitor. You can have two programs running, each on a separate monitor.

Other laptops only allow you to mirror the desktop on an external display. Both monitors display the same thing.

The latter is essentially what you have now. One monitor is the projector; the other is the laptop's screen. Ideally, Windows would treat them as separate monitors, showing different things.

A quick check

There's a quick way to check if your laptop supports Dual Monitor mode in Windows XP. Right-click on the desktop and select Graphics Options, Output To. Look for Extended Desktop. Select it if you find it.

In Vista, click Start, Control Panel. Double-click Windows Mobility Center. Click Connect Display; Vista will detect the projector. Select "Show different parts of my desktop on each display." Click OK. Select whether you would like to extend your desktop to the left or to the right. Click Apply and OK.

Hopefully, Dual Monitor is

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available. You can set it up so only the program would open on the laptop. It's fairly easy to do.

You may need help specifying particular settings for dual monitors in Windows. Read my free tip to learn how to do this without any hassle!

Free download

Speaking of running more than one monitor on your laptop, I have a free download to help. You can download here on Komando.com. Using this program, you can give each monitor an additional taskbar. Each taskbar shows only the application on a particular monitor. Plus, it makes it easy for you to move windows between monitors.

As I said, some laptops don't support Dual Monitor mode. On a desktop computer, the solution to that would be fairly simple. You'd just add a second video card to your computer. Or, you'd upgrade your current video card to a dual-head one.

Things aren't so easy with a laptop. Laptops generally don't leave much room for upgrades. You can add RAM or a bigger hard drive, but that's about it.

Use an adapter

Adapters are available to extend your laptop's desktop onto the projector. Some run well over $1,000. Others are more reasonable at around $100.

The less expensive adapters will entail sacrifices. The video quality probably won't be as great. And the resolution may be limited. Also, the cheaper adapters don't look as elegant. But do you really care about that? I didn't think so.

IOGEAR, Memtek and Sewell make adapters that connect to a laptop's USB port. The prices range from about $100 to $150.

Watch the connections

When selecting an adapter, look at the type of connection it provides. Some have VGA ports, while others have DVI ports. Make sure the connection matches your projector. You will also want to look at the maximum resolution. A higher resolution is better.

All of the adapters I saw only work with USB 2.0 ports. Check your manual. If your laptop doesn't have USB 2.0 ports, you can add them. An adapter that fits your PC Card slot would run about $30.

Now, you may decide to add a monitor, as well as the projector. That would give you three screens! Think it can't be done? My tip will make you rethink your position!

Since you're an educator, here are some more links you might want to check out to use with your students:

Use CTR + click to follow link.

See if the kids are as savvy as they think they are on MySpace. Have them take the MySpace Test

Make them take home my online contract for kids

How to set up a safe Facebook profile

Tell the kids I said hello! And thank you for sending in your question.

Copyright 2008 
WestStar TalkRadio Network.
Reprinted with permission. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the written consent of WestStar TalkRadio Network. 

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