Your First 10 Minutes With An iPad

iPad Best Practice

Notetaking Apps

Here is a great video that explains some of the popular notetaking apps available for the iPad and Apple Pencil/iPad stylus combination. https://www.idg.tv/video/89607/the-best-note-taking-apps-for-the-ipad-and-apple-pencil

NIST is not mandating which app for staff to use. Ultimately, this is a personal or team decision as the needs are different in different situations. However, we do have a few recommendations:

• Notability if you want ease of use and ability to share notes with someone else but not collaborate.
• OneNote if you must have collaboration but not printing.
• Notes (Apple) takes best advantage of Apple Pencil
• Pages if you want collaboration and printing as well as backup to iCloud.

Some things to consider if you are trying to choose an app.

• Backup – Ensure your notes are being automatically backed up to some online place. Do not let them only be on your iPad.
• Sharing/Collaboration – Do not use a notetaking app with no option for exporting. You may want to share notes. Collaboration is a great thing on a Google Doc; however, on your personal notes, it tends to be less so. Only a few of the apps allow actual collaboration.
• Apple Pencil/iPad stylus – How well does the Apple Pencil/iPad stylus work in this app? Does it have palm exclusion? Does it perceive angle of the pen? Try the Notes app, and you will see what I mean.

Multi-tasking with Split View

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSBZKr5kXYM

iPad as Whiteboard… and more

• An iPad projecting using AirPlay can then use Keynote or any notetaking app to behave just like a whiteboard. But this is better since you can have multiple screens and switch between them.
• You can photograph student work then mark it up using the pencil.
• You can annotate over web pages in Safari.
• Take a screenshot and use Markup with your Apple Pencil.

Screen Recording on iPad

iPad Magnifier as Classroom Visualizer

• You can use your iPad as a document camera.
• In Settings > General > Accessibility, turn ON Magnifier.
• Then, at any time, on your iPad, triple press the home button and then select ‘magnifier’ to bring up the camera with a zoom slider.
• If you mount the iPad in an iPad stand, you can then use it as a visualizer and wirelessly project to your AirPlay or Air Server. You can get an iPad stand from IT.

iPad Guidelines

What are the basic iPad guidelines for students?

• Each year, students do an Empowered User Agreement with coaches. Please book a coach to do a lesson with your class. Teachers should review them with students as necessary.
• Class essential agreements regarding iPad use should reinforce above.
• Students may not take iPads to break/lunch except when headed to Specialist class just before or after lunch. If that is the case, there are storage places for the iPads.
• Teachers are responsible for providing learning conditions to ensure (as much as reasonable) iPads are being used as educational devices — not for gaming or casual media consumption (YouTube etc.).
• Students should force quit all apps at the end of each day.
• Students should restart their iPad once a week.
• Here is an End of Year Student iPad Backup Procedure.

Should iPads be used by Specialist teachers/classes?

Yes:

•  iPads have great potential to streamline productivity across the school.
• Logistics of movement of iPads needs to be arranged between teachers. Check our Guidelines for iPad use in Specialist Classes.
• Yes! There are many great, specialized apps for our single-subject teachers.

• All teachers should be familiar with the communication,  transportation and app installation guidelines for specialist classes
• Understand that Y1-3 is technically and practically different from Y4-6.

If you haven’t reviewed the specialist or the purchasing guidelines recently, please take a moment to do so. This isn’t just for coordinators and specialist teachers — the process will work much more smoothly if everyone has a basic understanding.

Apple Pencil/iPad Stylus Rules

What do I do if a student loses an iPad stylus? Ensure that you have exhausted all options to find it at school and home over a 3 school day period. Report to IT via a helpdesk ticket with the number of the iPad (e.g. 5B-17). IT will engrave a new stylus and bring to the classroom. IT will make a PR for the team leader to authorize.

Can anything else go wrong with the stylus? If it just stops working, report to IT via a helpdesk ticket, and IT will fix or replace it (no charge). If the pen falls to concrete, the tip can be damaged, but IT has replacement tips. Keep an eye to make sure the kids do not remove the tips. 🙂

iPad security

• Teachers need passcodes, students do not.
• iPad Cart lids need to be locked every night.

Updating

• NIST uses a tool to update all devices.
• You do need to accept any updates released to your machine.
• Apps will update automatically.

Clearing Storage

• iPads work best when the storage is not full.
• This video explains how to clear the storage by deleting photos and videos and emptying the trash. (Thanks to Leo S for making the video.)

Printing

• Printing should just work without any user input. However, if you are stuck, please check out this printing setup guide for iPads.

Other iPad-related Guides

• Accessibility Guide
• You can dictate to your iPad, and it will convert it to text.
• Book Creator is one of the NIST core apps
• Purchasing iPad Apps Guide
• End of Year iPad Guide
• Elementary Student iPad Setup Guide for Parents

---

Some history follows.

One-year Review of iPads

http://wordpress.nist.ac.th/technology/knowledge-base/ipad-review-after-one-year/

iPad Trial video

Last year, we trialed 25 iPads around the elementary school. The results were amazing.