For educators, Apple has designed a new program and features to empower them with technology and resources to bring a meaningful difference in their classrooms. The Cupertino tech giant has launched a new “Learning Coach” program to provide free professional training to effectively use Apple technology in the classrooms, and will also introduce a new Education Community hub, integration with Google workspace, and more.
All new features announced by Apple coming to educators this year
Starting from April, Apple’s new initiatives for educators will release throughout 2022. Here is the list of all the upcoming features:
Apple Learning Coach
The new free professional learning program is designed for teachers to receive assistance from instructional coaches, digital learning specialists, and other coaching educators to effectively incorporate Apple technology in the classrooms. The learning takes place through a mix of self-paced and virtual workshop sessions for “participants come away from the experience with an actionable portfolio, a cohort of peers, and the opportunity to apply for continuing education credits from Lamar University through the Texas Education Agency.”
The applications for the Learning Coach program are open from educators in the United States through April 19, 2022.
Apple Education Community
Launching this fall, the new Education Community website which will serve as a hub for members of the company’s professional learning programs: Apple Teacher and Learning Coach. The upcoming site will also introduce the Forum (in beta) as a healthy, collaborative, and secure place for educators to connect and learn. Education Community will be free for educators and users with an Apple ID.
Integration with Google Workspace
The integration of Apple School Manager and Business Manager with Google Workspace identity services will be coming this Spring. The new integration will enable IT teams who use Google Workspace to benefit from directory sync and federated authentication.
With directory sync, user records and Managed Apple IDs are created automatically, saving IT admins both time and effort. And with federated authentication, end users can sign in to their Managed Apple ID with their Google Workspace account, making for a seamless login experience to apps like Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Messages, FaceTime, and more.
New features on Apple educational apps: Classroom and Schoolwork
In Spring, both Classroom and Schoolwork apps will be updated with new features:
- The Classroom app will feature new agendas to create time-bound outlines in class, and associated actions in the app. It will remove the need for a separate timer app. “For example, after 20 minutes of free reading, educators can schedule a stretch break with their favorite app or YouTube video.”
- The Schoolwork app will allow educators to add multimedia like audio and video recordings into assignment instructions, exit tickets, and try-again messages. The new feature is designed to boost student engagement and facilitate comprehension, especially for preliteracy learners.
The tech giant has proven that its focus is not only on producing new technologies but also to train and educate important segments of society like students, teachers, and educationists, to use them effectively and come up with technological solutions to existing issues, like remote learning during COVID-19 pandemic.
Calling professional learning an important part of the company’s education offerings, Apple’s vice president of Education and Enterprise Marketing, Susan Prescott said:
“We know that professional learning opportunities — from educators, for educators — make all the difference in unlocking the potential in every student. Apple Learning Coach is designed to do just that, and we are thrilled to offer this new program today. We also look forward to bringing the new Apple Education Community online, as a vibrant space for educators to learn from and connect with one another, and we think educators are going to love the new features coming to Classroom and Schoolwork to make learning even more interactive.”
