It’s no secret that Apple held its World Wide Developers’ Conference in California today. Among the impressive lineup of hardware and software updates revealed was a relatively small feature added to iOS6 that will have teachers dancing in the streets.
All Apple mobile devices, when upgraded to iOS6, will sport a new Single App mode. It’s a very simple feature that, when activated, removes home button functionality. This essentially turns the iPhone or iPad into a single app device, hence the name.
The educational applications for Single App mode are widespread. Without having to hover, teachers can rest assured that students are actually using the math app and not surfing the Web via Safari. Ambitious classes can use the devices to administer tests and quizzes confidently because the temptation to use other apps or the Internet to cheat is removed. In younger grades, accidental touches of the home button will no longer interrupt usage, and teachers will not have to fear inadvertent trips to the App Store.
Single App mode is a pretty minor thing to come out of WWDC 2012, but it is one that will resonate with teachers.
In the News:
Bell Ringer Activity:
The Winter Games are about to begin. There is a building~called the MegaFace~ at the Olympic Village where people will get to see their faces(giant versions) on the side of the MegaFon Pavilion. It's kind of like a huge Mt. Rushmore for "regular" people. The side of the building has a screen with 10~000 pins that can extend to the shape of a person's face.Those who wish to see their face on the side of the Pavilion first need to...
Perhaps, you'd like to share the following with your students on the Monday after Groundhog Day.
Groundhog Day is Sunday, February 2nd
Groundhog Day is Sunday,February 2nd. Its a time when people look to a groundhog to find out whether or not we will be having six more weeks of winter. The idea dates back hundreds of years when people looked to hibernating animals such as badgers, hedgehogs and bears to see when they might wake up from their winter sleep. According to the...
If your child is weak in mathematics and strong in music, we usually get him a math teacher and not a piano teacher. If you did in fact focus on his strengths and not his weakness, that same child could become a great musician, and then he can hire an accountant to do his math.
Deepak Chopra
According to Joseph Renzulli and Sally Reis in their book, Light Up Your Childs Mind, the student was a young boy, who loved taking nature photographs, but he also had a disability that...
Earlier this month, we at the Learning First Alliance were pleased to welcome our newest member, Parents for Public Schools (PPS). As we work to advance public education nationwide, we recognize the important voice that this organization and those it represents brings to the school improvement conversation.
PPS has local chapters throughout the country that work to elevate the role of parents in public schools from passive...
Whether you are a counselor, school psychologist, or classroom teacher, your job involves identifying potentially gifted students. Depending on where you work, you may also be responsible for screening and testing students for a gifted program.
Either way, you need to be on the lookout.
So what do you look for anyway when trying to identify giftedness? While each school district will have different criteria and guidelines, I thought it would be helpful to dedicate...
The National PTA Reflections Program was founded in 1969 by Colorado PTA President Mary Lou Anderson with a simple objective: to encourage students to explore their talents in the arts and deepen their self-expression through those experiences. Eleven years ago, the US Department of Education started a Student Art Exhibit Program, and each year they recognize many of the student Reflection winners as part of the ribbon cutting...