Why so many schools prefer Apple

Benefits of Apple technology in the classroom

One of the first reasons that many schools choose Apple in their classrooms is ease of use. Thanks to Apple’s powerful yet simple and intuitive user experience, teachers and students can spend more time learning and less time figuring out how to use tech.

This leaves more time for:

• Increased student engagement
• Learning important skills such as collaboration and presentation skills, working with various types of media and solving complex problems
• Personalized education plans: students moving at their own pace means no one is held back by their peers and no one is pulled along by their peers whether they are ready or not
• Improving students’ digital literacy and digital citizenship

Technology-enhanced learning

According to Statista, 56% of students worldwide wanted to be able to use mobile tech in the classroom.

A cynical bid for social media on their phones? Perhaps. However, teachers want this capability as well. As a matter of fact, 74% of teachers polled in the U.S. say that technology enables them to reinforce and expand on content.

Technology-enhanced learning has also been shown to accommodate several types of pedagogical approaches shown to increase student engagement, knowledge and desire to learn. It can be the engine for student-centered learning practices such as blended learning, flipped classrooms and problem-based learning.

Student-centered learning

Student-centered learning strategies involve students in the overall planning and implementation process of their classroom work, and even involves them in assessments.

According to CBE—Life Sciences Education, student-centered learning pedagogies have been shown to improve student learning and attitudes toward education.

In fact, many researchers have concluded that student-centered learning techniques result in students with strong critical-thinking, problem-solving and community-involvement skills.

Student-centered education includes the ability to work independently, an emphasis on collaboration and questioning/seeking rather than rote memorization and a teacher able to move around the classroom asking questions and prompting inquiry.

It’s quite a shift from traditional teacher-centered lecturing and testing, and it needs the right technology to support and enhance it.

Apple makes it possible to truly transform your classroom.

iPad in the classroom

The portable, versatile and engaging iPad can foster and support exciting, interactive learning and teamwork.

When each student has an iPad, it’s possible to offer individualized instruction that allows for learners to move at their own pace during independent work. iPad can also be a multimedia center for presentations, a way to keep students productive and safe and an excellent source for technology-based knowledge and skills.

With the right apps such as Jamf School and Jamf Teacher, teachers can even use iPad for planning classes, sharing lessons and keeping in contact with students.

Apple partnerships and integrations

Not many people think of Apple and Microsoft together, but iPad and Macbook technologies easily enable Google Classroom and educational Microsoft tools.

When you add in Apple School Manager integrations, teachers have a world of well-loved education technologies at their fingertips, including:

• GeoGebra
• Desmos
• Sphero Robotics
• Showbie
• Explain Everything! Interactive whiteboard

Apple makes learning more accessible

Apple has always been at the forefront of accessibility. Schools concerned with supporting students, teachers and parents with disabilities will find many accessibility features built right into their Apple devices, such as:

• Guided access and background sounds for students with autism and other neurological disabilities
• Voiceover, Speak Selection and Dictation for visually-impaired students or those with dyslexia, dysgraphia and other learning disabilities and differences
• Assistive touch, switch control and eye-tracking support for physically disabled students
• Closed captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing students
• Siri for teachers and parents with difficulty typing or in need of reminders

MDM in Education

With the addition of a powerful yet intuitive mobile device management (MDM) system such as Jamf School or Jamf Pro, school and district Mac administrators can keep track of their student and teacher Apple devices, as well as managing permissions and empowering parents. They can make updates and install some of the terrific integrations we’ve talked about here with ease.

Make sure you have chosen an MDM with available security features including screening, malware scanning and behavior-based security. You’ll also want to ensure that your MDM is dedicated to Apple — using MDMs that are cross-operating-systems can often cause school IT admins a lot of headache. And don’t forget inventory-tracking capabilities!

You’ll also want ensure that your MDM is as intuitive and straightforward as it can be — especially in very small schools that might not have a dedicated IT department but instead depend on teachers and administrators to manage devices.

With the right management system and the right Apple technology in place, there’s no limit to how far your students can go!