iPads
Last month, IT issued 250 new iPads to elementary teachers and other elementary staff. We continue to have iPads on our five-year replacement cycle, ensuring each staff member has an updated iPad to run the most current operating system. We want to highlight how teachers are taking advantage of this learning tool and simultaneously offer suggestions for possible professional learning that may be of interest.
We have about 200 AirServer licenses deployed and used by district teachers. AirServer essentially turns your MacBook into an Apple TV. Once AirServer is installed on your MacBook, you can screen share your iPad to your MacBook. This allows teachers to move quickly around the classroom, all while sharing content from their iPad to their MacBooks. Many teachers are taking this further by using the powerful app Explain Everything on their iPads (this can be downloaded from Self-Service). Whether a teacher is sharing a math problem, highlighting student work by taking a photo and marking it up, or quickly grabbing a document from Google Drive and using it for instruction, Explain Everything can greatly support teachers. Check out Todd's video below on how to get started using AirServer.
Apple Professional Learning Live does a great job each month offering free, one-hour training primarily focusing on using an iPad in a classroom. You can check out the number of selections on the site and try one out. You can earn 1 MEAP for any of these trainings. Please submit for participation in the session before the training on the MPDC site and sign-up on the Apple Professional Learning Live website. Once you have completed the training, send Mike Lynch an email with the training you completed, and he will email you back a Google form that will produce a certificate of completion.
We would also love to feature how teachers use their iPad to support instruction here in our IT News and Notes. Please email Mike, and we will add it to upcoming IT News and Notes. This can be a great way to share innovative practices with other teachers in the district.
