This week I presented to about 30 parents, to help them and their children use an iPad for learning. We covered many topics including Apple IDs, Family Sharing and apps for learning.

September 2017 has been a busy month for Apple. From an education perspective there are lots of changes to be aware of, especially concerning macOS High Sierra and iOS 11.

This school holiday period I will be running an iPad workshop for parents. The 2 hour workshop will address issues surrounding better management of the iPad at home, and some techniques that can be used to promote positive learning outcomes while at school.

It is clear that our students are moving into a workforce that is both unpredictable and precarious. With constant reminders that computers and automation will replace many professions in the future, it is recommended that we “teach differently”. Schools are being challenged to create young minds that are rich in interpersonal skills, ones that are creative, collaborative, and above all, resilient.

When I was about 14 I was fortunate enough to have drum lessons from an outstanding teacher. Despite being located over an hour away from my home, each week I would travel from Ealing in West London to Shoreditch in East London for my 60 minute drum lesson.

I have recently assisted a few schools to get their shared iPads prepared for their students. Although quite familiar with Apple Configurator 1, the change to Apple Configurator 2 has thrown out a few 'gotchas'. I have included my notes below. I hope it helps.

I am very excited to be working with Anita L'Enfant from Datacom, this Thursday 17th September, at the beautiful Fairbrossen Estate in Perth. The day is for teachers and has been developed to share best practices around the use of iPads in education.

Last week the Catholic Education Office West Australia, gave me an award as part of the LEAD awards for excellence initiative. The LEAD awards recognise projects and initiatives exemplifying the categories of Catholic Education WA’s strategic direction: Learning, Engagement, Accountability and Discipleship.

Every month vendors and app developers improve their platforms in response to the needs of the most efficient and proactive teachers, and the lines between technology and pedagogy blur. But for many, this "EdTech" bullet train is passing us by with just a few onboard. The reason for this isn’t because some teachers have missed their opportunity to be involved, it is because most teachers are not ready to apply transformative methods to their teaching practice.

A few months ago I wrote about the importance of differentiation in the classroom. It was identified that, by providing teaching staff with a wide spectrum of details about a student, then learning could become more meaningful. Since that discussion, my colleagues and I agreed that a Personal Learning Card, available about each student in the school, should be a priority. This finely curated digital card would give teachers an ‘at a glance’ overview of a learner.

If you use Google Drive for work/school, you will find that keeping all of your files organised, can get out of hand very quickly. As you add new items into your Drive, the files typically reside in the ‘top level’, without any folder structure. This can give the impression of a chaotic & unorganised space.

Click here to view your schools portal page. This tutorial will show you how to make a great looking 'school portal', if you set the permissions of the page to share with only your domain, then you have a fully functioning, private, and great looking intranet Jump Page!

The internet of things. This blog is typically reserved for discussion around innovative tools and practices in education. However with the huge impact that the ‘internet of things’ is making on our lives, I am very excited at the positive impact that devices like the Canary can bring into our homes and lives. This post is a review of the Canary security device, available from www.canary.is

I have just signed up to join the Adobe team for some training, next week at Edith Cowen University. The sessions look really interesting, with 4 sessions including: "Webdesign without coding using Adobe Muse & Edge Animate" and "Animate Digital Portfolios made easy with Adobe Acrobat". This opportunity is too good to miss, especially as its free!

One of the benefits for utilising Google Apps for Education at your school, is the simplicity afforded to you and your colleagues with regards to signing into other websites and digital services. When you discover a good education website it can be off putting when you and your students need to create and remember new account details.

Technology's role in differentiation Computers can be used for a whole variety of purposes in the classroom. But I have recently come to the conclusion that if technology’s use is for anything other than the pursuit of personalised learning and differentiated instruction, then educators should reassess the role that technology plays in their pedagogy.

iPhone screens are getting bigger. I am already seeing dozens of new iPhones at my 7-12 school and I am anticipating that in the next 3-5 years, this device might become a students primary tool. I have assisted many teaching staff in recent weeks, with their new iPhones, primarily to connect them to our network. But while we are together, our discussion expands into “Can I use this tool to further enhance my teaching practice?”.

How did the iPhone 6 cope on a trip up Kilimanjaro and around the Serengeti?

A comparison of iTunes U, Edmodo and Google Classroom.

If your students are using any form of technology throughout their day, then one would expect the consumption and creation of digital media. This may be in the form of a Word doc or PDF. As students begin to express their creativity further they will create images, videos and audio podcasts.

I have worked at two schools over the last five years and in terms of student achievement, I have found that each year group is as different as the next. Some excel in literacy, where as others are gifted in the arts.

Check out the iTunes Festival from SXSW streaming free via iTunes and on the Apple TVIf you're a Soundgarden fan (like me) you can see them perform the entire Super Unknown album from beginning to end.

Last month I wrote about classroom tasks which could be easily sorted by 3 C's: Consumption, Creation and Collaboration (read here). By aligning your tasks with Blooms Taxonomy the iPad apps became authentic learning tools.

Below I have outlined a number of tasks, for use with the iPad in the classroom. I believe that if you understand these 5 tasks from beginning to end, you will have an excellent foundation to build any engaging classroom activities.