teachers

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on teachers:

Apple Learning Coach program adds instructors nationwide

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The program certifies instructors who help school teachers make the most of Apple products in their work.
The program certifies instructors who help school teachers make the most of Apple products in their work.
Photo: Apple

The Cupertino tech giant expanded its free Apple Learning Coach program Wednesday to invite more tech instructors of various stripes across the U.S. to join. Once certified, they can show school teachers how to get the most out of Apple products to help their students.

Folks like tech coaches and digital learning specialists who want into the program can apply by November 16, Apple said.

Apple’s education discount ‘loophole’ is back!

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Apple education discounts available again without student verification
Home school teachers can once again get Apple education discounts.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The U.S. Apple Store for Education reversed a recent change Friday, dropping the requirement that shoppers prove they are a university student or teacher before they can get products at a discount. This surely comes as a relief for home-school teachers. But it’s also good news for anyone willing to fib to get a discount.

It’s not clear if this is a temporary rollback or a permanent change, though.

Apple education store discounts now require proof of student status

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Apple education store now requires proof of student status
If you want an educational discount on a MacBook, better be prepared to prove you are a university student.
Photo: Antoni Shkraba/Pexels

The U.S. Apple Store for Education now requires shoppers to prove they are a university student or teacher before they can get products at a discount. Before now, it essentially operated on the honor system, which was a giant loophole.

After the change, shoppers can’t even see the discounted prices without getting verified first.

Update: Apple flip-flopped on this change.  Read more in, “Apple’s educational discount ‘loophole’ is back!

Science teacher shows how to make the most of iPads in classrooms

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A science teacher’s free ebook shares years of experience using iPad in the classroom.
iPad can be very useful in school. And even more so when the classroom extends out into nature.
Photo: Apple

Jodie Deinhammer wrote the book on using iPad in science classrooms. Literally.

The middle school teacher — and Apple Distinguished Educator — has been using tablets to teach since her district first equipped every student with an iPad in 2014. All that experience went into a new e-book for teachers.

How to get a discount on the new MacBook Pro

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The new MacBook Pro isn't wallet-friendly.
Photo: Apple

The new MacBook Pro is the most gorgeous laptop Apple’s ever made. It’s thin, powerful and touchable. There’s just one big problem: It’s expensive as f***!

Dropping two grand on a new MacBook isn’t an easy decision for many Apple fans. But if you’re lusting after the new MacBook Pro and don’t have quite enough cash to foot the bill, there are a few ways you can get a lower price.

Why Window 8 Tablets Will Lose To The iPad In Education [Feature]

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Microsoft may try to challenge the iPad's place in the classroom, but time isn't on its side
Microsoft may try to challenge the iPad's place in the classroom, but time isn't on its side

The iPad became a big hit in the K-12 education market over the past year. Pioneering schools that brought Apple’s tablet into the classroom last school year proved that the iPad can be a excellent learning tool – one that has immense power to transform education.

As the new school year begins, and hundreds of thousands of students across the U.S. become iPad users thanks to one-to-one iPad deployments, there’s already talk that the iPad’s success in schools will be short-lived. The belief is that iPads will quickly be replaced by tablets running Microsoft’s Windows RT or Windows 8.

That assumption is absurd and delusional.

How Hard Is It To Get iPads Into The Hands Of Thousands Of Students?

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Lexington School District One in South Carolina shows what it takes to to roll out iPads to thousands of students.
Lexington School District One in South Carolina shows what it takes to roll out iPads to thousands of students.

Many school districts around the country are embarking on new territory this back to school season – deploying hundreds or thousands of iPads to students. Most of the deployments will be one-to-one initiatives where every student receives a school-owned iPad to use for this school year or their entire scholastic career. Planning such a roll out isn’t easy, but schools and districts making the shift this year have the advantage of looking what worked and didn’t work from counterparts that pioneered the iPad in the classroom last year.

One school district, Lexington County School District One of South Carolina, has served as a model for many other schools around the country. The district offers a lot of insight into the technical requirements, education policy issues, and roll out processes in such a colossal undertaking.

Despite iPad And MacBook Investments, Most Schools Don’t Make The Grade With Technology

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Schools are adding Apple technology, but many don't integrate it well into the classroom.
Schools are adding Apple technology, but many don't integrate it well into the classroom.

Apple kicked off 2012 with its education event in New York. At that event, the company announced its electronic textbooks for iPad initiative, iBooks Author, and the revamped iTunes U. According the Apples latest financial data, the education initiative has paid off with both iPads and Macs being purchased by schools in record numbers.

A 21st century vision of education , however, is about more than getting the iPads and MacBooks into the classroom. It also requires technology goals, professional development for teachers, high-speed access to up-to-date content, education-centric portals for students and teachers, back-end systems, and education apps or software.

The More Tech-Savvy The Principal, The More iPads In The Classroom

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iPad use in schools more likely when administrators like and use mobile tech
iPad use in schools more likely when administrators like and use mobile tech

With its e-textbook initiative, iTunes U, and a range of educational resources, Apple is pitching the iPad as critical element in 21st century schools. Many schools have already begun iPad tests or full-scale deployments. In other schools, however, there’s still a fight over where and how the iPad and other technologies fit into the classroom. A battle erupted between teachers and lawmakers in Idaho earlier this year over new technology requirements in the state’s schools.

So what makes some schools embrace iPads and other new technologies while others resist them? It turns out that the answer may lie in the personal technology preferences of school and district administrators.