Top Ten Reasons You Need (and Deserve) to Be An Apple Teacher

 

Apple Teacher is a excellent program of free professional learning Apple Education released last summer in the United States. Through a digital badge system, Apple recognizes each mini-course you successfully complete. The mini-courses include badges in Pages, Keynote, Numbers, iMovie, GarageBand, Productivity and Creativity in either iPad or Mac strands. I highly recommend completing matching mini-courses in both strands concurrently, i.e. complete the "Keynote for iPad" and the "Keynote for Mac" at the same time as it helps you understand the nuances of a program based on the device you are using. There are also coding badges available in the fabulous Swift Playgrounds covering basic coding concepts through implementation in the classroom. So why sign up?

1. Rich resources. Each mini-course has a fabulous multi-touch starter guide with step-by-step instructions, classroom examples and helpful tips.
2. Self-paced. No one needs to know you are learning in your pjs! Learn what you want, when you want. 
3. Build a strong foundation in the Apple ecosystem. Forming a solid understanding of iWorks (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) and learn how they fit together and extend learning.
4. The Apple Teacher community (#AppleTeacher) is a wonderful way to grown your Professional Learning Network (PLN).
5. Different perspectives. In the Apple Teacher program, you are learning from the best of the best. These teachers use technology in such interesting ways and you will gain new perspectives on how to use technology in your classroom. I never thought about using Numbers to organize students' research for example.
6. Evolution. Apple Teacher is a program that learns and grows with you. The recent addition of Swift Playgrounds is the first example but I am quite certain we will see more added to this program.
7. Classroom ideas. You will learn not only how to master certain apps but also gain new ideas in how to implement in your classroom. Real life, practical learning!
8. Magical. When you go outside your comfort zone, that's where the magic happens. Perhaps you have been hesitant to learn spreadsheets, or coding, or GarageBand (I know I was!) - well, this is the perfect program for you. Stretch your learning and take a risk - - you never know where it may take you.
9. Professional recognition. In most fields today, professional learning is key and education is no exception. What's lovely about the Apple Teacher program is you are earning professional badges from a highly respected educational company which will transfer no matter where you go.
10. It's FREE!   

 Apple Teacher is expanding around the world!

Accessibility is Everything

 Dylan's Voice https://youtu.be/oMN2PeFama0

At the wonderful FCIS (Florida Conference of Independent Schools) conference, many of our faculty were able to attend one of the best learning events I have ever witnessed, 3 amazing hours with Luis Perez, Apple Distinguished Educator and accessibility evangelist. Luis is one of those rare educators who has the knack of making everything he speaks about relatable. You cannot leave one of his workshops without feeling that it is  imperative for you to implement and educate your students and parents on accessibility features. Apple, of course, is the king of accessibility. It is part of their DNA and Luis showed us over 3 hours just how important these accessibility features are to learning. It is all about equity not equality. After the conference, I had a chance to read Luis's book, Zoom In. While this book is intended for teachers who may work with students with low vision, I found it to be a tremendous inspiration to use with all students. In Zoom In, you will find a wealth of material that will change our perspective on how you present everything. I highly recommend reading it and rethinking everything from how you write on the board, to classroom decorations to handouts and presentations. It is truly an opening book. At NBPS, we have a school within our school called Lighthouse Point Academy, for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. We also have about 350 students from around the world who speak over 42 different languages. So accessibility is a game changer for us. I thought our August PD addressed this area, but Luis's session was so powerful. It was truly his influence which inspired our faculty to really pay attention to this issue and I cannot thank him enough.

From the FCIS program with my highlights :)

Several months prior, we had once again included an overview of the accessibilty features available on the iPad and on our Mac computers. We crammed a lot into 45 minutes but what we did differently this year is that we also met one on one with every student and parent as part of our iPad distribution over the summer. Each appointment was about an hour where most of that time was dedicated to showing off these accessibility features. Parents are our partners in learning so it made perfect sense to include them in this communication. During these appointments we mainly focused on three areas of iPad accessibility: read to me feature, dictation and visibility. Parents were amazed to see that they could use these features on their iPhones as well. It was a win win situation for all. 

Happy Birthday iPad!

Do you remember January 27, 2010? I do. The famous keynote when Jobs announced the iPad. I felt like it was the device that schools had been waiting for. It was not a cheap netbook. Or a heavy, clunky tablet computer. It was an honest-to-God "magical" and "revolutionary" device. 

It is incredible to me when I think how much this device has afforded us in teaching and learning. The iPad breaks down barriers that blocked technophobe teachers from truly integrating tech into their classrooms. There is something so friendly about the iPad. The touch capabilities build an intimate relationship between the user and the device. Somehow, a lot of the fear is taken away. I have seen teachers pick up this device and with little instruction, begin using it right away as opposed to the introduction of a laptop. 

Children take to it right away. They seem to have a natural understanding of navigation and gestures. iPads have become so commonplace today that I think we forget what it was like pre-iPad. The ease, portability, speed, freedom and almost unlimited potential of this device are outstanding. Jobs was right, the iPad is magical and revolutionary. It has and will continue to shape teaching, learning, publishing, creating, and communication in ways we cannot even fathom yet.

Now, teachers send photos or videos home every day to parents. Students of all ages create stories, individually or collaboratively, with ease and share them with each other, parents or around the world. Whether it's Book Creator, iMovie, Puppet Pals or any of the dozens of apps available, our students and teachers are creating and stretching beyond the boundaries of their classrooms. 

As our school begins to weigh the best way to address the digital book market, it is incredibly exciting to see how books are developing in ways we never considered to address all types of learners. Accessibility is only part of the wonderful developments that are available now. Teachers have the ability to create their own textbooks, thanks to iBooks Authoring tool. The rich media embedded in books brings learning to life in ways that I thought were only possible in futuristic movies. The future is here now and it is a very exciting one. Thanks, Steve. 

Be Humble & Celebrate Your Team: I-Leadership

 Since Steve Jobs announced that he is stepping down as CEO of Apple; stories, videos, collection of quotes, and whatnot are circulating around the web celebrating his reign as arguably the most inventive and creative leader of one of the most successful companies in the world. Especially popular is the 2005 commencement speech Jobs delivered at Stanford. My favorite excerpt from that speech:

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

Essentially Steve was relating to the graduates that if you do what you love, you should not fear failure, it is part of the process of learning. However, my personal favorite Steve Jobs clip showed up in my G+ stream this morning. It is Steve Jobs at the WWDC conference in 1997. Jobs is back at Apple, and charged with bringing it back to life. No mean feat, especially after the failure of NeXT. An audience member questions Steve's ability to lead and calls him out on his lack of technical expertise [boy, I bet that guy feels like a jerk now]. There is a long painful pause and then Jobs rises from his stool,  almost like a down and out fighter, to reply to the smarmy, insulting questions. Steve Jobs is one of the smartest people I know and he has a wicked sense of humor so no doubt he could have squashed this fellow like a bug. Instead, Steve Jobs demonstrated the following leadership lessons:

• Great leaders rise to the occasion (demonstrating restraint, class, and thoughtfulness).
• Great leaders are humble about what they don't know and confident about what they do know.
• Great leaders support and empower their team. They recognize what they are capable of and get out of their way.
• Great leaders know it is NOT all about them. Jobs mentioned folks by name and celebrated their contributions to Apple.
• Great leaders admit when they are wrong. 
• Great leaders are candid and engaging.
• Great leaders are  visionary and "get it" [new vision for Apple: it's about the consumer experience, not the tech] 
• Great leaders are passionate about what they believe in and they invite you to follow them on that journey

And to you Steve Jobs, may God watch over you and your family. Yes, you have given us great products over the years and changed immeasurably how we interact with technology, but more importantly, you have give us endless inspiration, increased our aspirations, and generously shared your hard won life lessons. You have given us the ability to connect with each other in ways that I believe have far greater implications which we will probably not realize for another decade. So thank you Steve Jobs for your courage, vision and your heart. You taught me the most important lesson of all, don't let failure shape your life, instead let the architecture be the lessons you learn---and never be afraid to share those lessons. Thank you, Steve.