Quick Tips for Managing Student iPads in the Classroom

If you have ever hesitated to use iPads in the classroom because you have feared that it would become a classroom management nightmare, then I have a few hints and tricks to enable you to manage and control the content that students are accessing in the classroom.  

NearPod- this free app allows the teacher to control the content that appears on student devices.  Teachers sign up for a free account, create presentations using a variety of content from the web, and have students sign into a student account and enter a PIN to view the teachers created presentation.  There is a video preview of this app available here. 

Guided Access- In the Apple iOS software, the option to lock a student into an app is as easy as activating guided access.  Go into Settings>General>Accessibility and under Learning, turn on Guided Access.  You will be prompted to enter a passcode, which you should keep to yourself.  When you would like to have students work in one specific app for a particular amount of time, triple click the home screen button and select START at the top right hand side of the window that appears.  You will see a notification that Guided Access has been enabled.  Students will not be able to exit the application, unless they have the passcode. You can end Guided Access by triple clicking the home screen button and selecting END.  

Air Drop- With an iPad 4, a WIFI connection, and the latest edition of the iOS7 software, you can push content such as photos or webpages to students.  To activate AirDrop, swipe from the bottom of your device's screen until the control panel appears.  Here, you can tap on AirDrop, select the people to whom you would like to be discoverable, and then decide what you would like to share with students.  In apps that you see the option to share, you can then determine the people you would like to push the content out to based on the name of the device.  This could include photos in your photo app, webpages you have searched out in Safari, or other apps that have the following logo:

Accessibility on the iPad with iOS 6 software

Accessibility Features in the new iOS 6 Software

The accessibility features contained in the new iOS 6 software are located in:

>Settings>General>Accessibility

Voice Over
Voice over is a handy narrator, reading everything that is selected on the screens and within an app.  When voice over is turned on, the gestures used to navigate through screens and open apps change. Single tapping any app on your screen will bring up a box around the selected app. To enter the application, double-click the desired app. Swipe three fingers across the screen to move between your app screens. With voice over, you have the option of connecting a Braille device, having your notifications spoken, as well as customizing how the device reads aloud to you.

Speak Selection
Turning on speak selection will enable individuals with reading difficulties to have text read to them.  When speak selection is turned on, an individual can highlight text to be read and select ‘speak’ to hear the text read.

Mono Audio
Allows the user to adjust right and left audio channels to meet the individual’s specific hearing needs.  A must for individuals with hearing impairments when listening to music, videos, or podcasts.

Zoom, Large Text, Invert Colours
Designed for individuals with vision impairments, the zoom, enlarged text, and inverted colour options provide options for individuals with seeing difficulties.  The user has the option of zooming in on what’s captured on the screen, enlarging the print, as well as inverting the colours to maximize the viewing of the screen.

Assistive Touch
The iOS 6 software offers the option of customizing the gestures employed by the user to navigate through screens and apps. If swiping through screens is not manageable, the user can program the device to respond to their own particular gestures.

Guided Access
Allows the user to set restrictions within apps. Turning on guided access will prompt the user to set a restrictions passcode and then create the parameters in which another user can operate. For example, when guided access is turned on, another user cannot exit the current application and that same user may not have access to particular parts of the application.  A triple-click by the initial user will bring up the passcode screen in which a four-digit code can be entered, allowing the user to end guided access.

Note: The iPad 3’s are capable of just a little more, having SIRI, the automated voice control option available with the current iPhone 4S devices.

Here are some links to check out:

Accessibility in iOS 6: https://nfb.org/blog/atblog/whats-new-accessibility-ios-6

Mono- Audio explained: http://youtu.be/X1wCPiS45sU

Guided Access explained: http://youtu.be/N_cPotZ_q4c