Apple’s New ‘Classroom’ iPad App Download Now Available

The iPad multi-user support for education feature first teased back in January by Apple, is now available through the new Classroom for iPad app, which has hit the App Store.

Classroom allows teachers to control how their students are using their iPads, either by launching the same app, website or book across all devices for students, or for groups of learners. It can also allow teachers to make sure students are on task by seeing what they are viewing (students are alerted when their screens are being viewed).

For anyone who has taught in a classroom, this app should save tonnes of time, especially when it comes to younger learners that need help launching an app or visiting a website (or to lock down those ignoring your lesson and watching YouTube).

The only barrier to entry with Classroom? Filling an entire class with iPads, which can be costly in B.C. anyways, given the shoestring budgets our public school districts work with.

Here’s what it can do:

Assign Shared iPads to students
– Once configured, Classroom connects to nearby student devices
– Classroom intelligently assigns students to the Shared iPad they most recently used
– Log students out of Shared iPad at the end of a session to prepare for the next class

Start, focus or pause student work
– Launch any app, website or book on student devices with a tap
– Lock devices into a single app to help students focus
– Lock screens to pause work or refocus your class

See what your students see with Screen View
– See an overview of all student screens at once
– Focus on a single student screen
– Students are informed when their screens are being viewed

Share student work on the classroom Apple TV
– Showcase the great work your students are doing to the class
– Use AirPlay to wirelessly present a student’s screen
– Students are informed when their screens are being presented

Reset forgotten passwords right in the classroom
– Reset a Managed Apple ID password without calling IT

Organise student devices using groups
– Classroom automatically creates groups of students based on the apps they are using
– Teachers can create groups to break students into project teams
– Perform actions on entire groups or on individual students within groups

Great for use with both 1:1 and Shared iPad student devices
All actions take place over the local network only

If you’re a teacher that is going to use Classroom for iPad, be sure to share your experience with the app in the comments below. You an check out Apple’s Classroom documentation guide PDF on getting started in iOS 9.3.

Click here to download Classroom for iPad in the App Store.

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