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.
Hello and Happy first few weeks of summer. School is out and I know you are excited to just hang out with your family, and do what you want to do for a little bit! This is something you need to do to recharge your batteries because as we know school will start back up soon! We also know that teachers normally still work in the summer. We do something that make us feel productive right? It can be anything: reading, writing, researching, staying in touch with families, buying supplies for...
I think most involved with education would agree that students need physical education—knowledge of diet, personal hygiene, and regular exercise (though, there has been efforts to cut back on this subject). In schools, there is an established physical education curriculum and time set aside for physical activity to coincide with academic study.
However, this is not good enough.
As we witness continued and new waves of societal problems: mental health crisis such as sharp...
With schools slowly returning to normalcy, it is more important than ever to have the administrative team visible to students, teachers and parents.
As we get ready to head in to summer, I know you are thinking about taking a break! You should be. But, as a teacher, I know my brain was always thinking, “what is something new I will try next year”? I am going to break down STEAM and STEM learning this summer in a several part series, to make it easier to try to organize and decide what YOU want...
The COVID pandemic caused k-12 teachers and higher education faculty to suddenly shift to using more technology, to teach virtually and remotely, to keep learning going in new ways. Educators were pushed out of their comfort zones, having to quickly learn new knowledge and skills.
For instance, some k-12 teachers were required to use course management systems such as Canvas—tools traditionally reserved for the college-level- to organize online work, grade assignments, and communicate...
Principals can help shift the focus from teaching to learning if they insist that certain critical questions be considered and principals are in a key position to pose those questions. How can we continue to reduce student misbehavior and increase time on task? Is the redirect process working? What do we want our students to know and be able to do? Teachers are not teaching if students are not learning.
The focus of high performing schools are not on are you teaching but what are the...