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Do You Know About The Many Free Resources For Education Available from Apple?

Posted By Kelly Walsh On In Free Tools & Resources,Professional Development,Special Needs Students,Workshops & Conferences | 24 Comments
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In memory and honor of the visionary Mr. Jobs, this week we’re sharing some of the many education related resources that Apple Computer has made available.

In Memoriam: Steve Jobs

I just wanted to take a brief moment to express my sadness at the loss of one of the true visionaries in the computer technology field. May he rest in peace, and may his example inspire people worldwide to exhibit bold leadership and to continually strive for innovation.
I first worked on an Apple computer in 1983, programming the Lisa Assembly Language and BASIC on an Apple IIe. It amazes me to think that Steve Jobs was just 28 at the time but had already played a pivotal role in developing and marketing the Apple microcomputer, which had begun to find its way into educational institutions in the US.
Leap forward nearly 30 years to the present day, and the innovation and impact of Apple technologies in education is stronger than ever, as attested to in this video [2] highlighting the emergence of the iPad as a powerful tool that is finding its way into classrooms across the world and into the hands of more students every day.
We’ve lost a rare individual, but his legacy will be with us forever.

Below I have provided summary information and select details about some of the many resources available from Apple on this page: www.apple.com/education/resources [3].

Professional Development
Apple offers 15 different Professional Development hands-on workshops for educators [4]. Apple experts will show you how to integrate their products into your curriculum, assessment strategies, and overall student environment, for a richer teaching and student learning experience. Workshops are held at your school (or district site of your choosing), and they can be tailored to your group’s specific needs. All Apple Professional Development workshops qualify for Continuing Education Units. Click here [5] to download the PD workshops catalog.

I have to assume the aforementioned workshops are charged for (I’ll clarify that and update this accordingly), but there are also a number of free Professional Development resources available from Apple, including the “Tune-in Series [6]” of technology seminars for educators and IT leaders, and these “iWork Tutorials” [7].

Special Education & Accessibility
Apple is clearly committed to accessibility, and provides extensive resources [8] for students with special needs, and for developers looking to accommodate those needs. Resource sections are broken out by product types (OS X [9], iPad [10], iPhone [11], and iPod & iTunes [12]), with subsections on each page dedicated to Vision, Hearing, and Physical & Motor Skills. Also, don’t miss the general resources [13] page.

Here are a few examples of the tools and information that are offered in Apple’s Accessibility web pages [8]:

Curriculum
Apple has developed and made available a variety of tools designed around curriculum support.

Challenge Based Learning: One of the curriculum tools Apple has compiled focuses on Challenge Based Learning [24], which “applies what is known about the emerging learning styles of high school students and leverages the powerful new technologies that provide new opportunities to learn to provide an authentic learning process that challenges students to make a difference.” Click here [25] to download Apple’s Challenge Based Learning curriculum guidelines; click here [26] to access their CBL Classroom Guide.

There happens to be a free webinar, “Challenge Based Learning in action” coming up on Tuesday, October 19 from 10 to 11:30 AM Pacific Time. Learn more and register for this webinar here [27].

Apple also has these other Curriculum Resources available: a “Moviemaking Curriculum [28]”, a “Guide to Creating Student-Led Documentaries [29]”, and a science learning piece titled, “How Notebook Computers, Digital Media and Probeware Can Transform Science Learning [30]”.

Funding
Apple’s funding information resources include:

Apps for Education
This page [35] includes different two sections of Apps - one section for the iPad, and another for the iPod Touch/iPhone. Each section is grouped into the following Academic Subject Categories: English Language Arts; Mathematics; Science; History and Geography; Language Development; Arts, Music, and Creativity; and Reference, Productivity, and Collaboration.

Thanks to Apple for providing all of these great resources!

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
The year of the iPad in Education: they’re being distributed in more schools every day [36]
Using The iPad As A Digital Whiteboard (Plus 4 Cool Free Apps To Try It Out) [37]
iPads In Education – How’s It Going So Far? [38]



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About Kelly Walsh [43]

Kelly Walsh is Chief Information Officer at The College of Westchester, in White Plains, NY, where he also teaches. In 2009, Walsh founded EmergingEdTech.com. As an education and instructional technology advocate, he frequently delivers presentations on a variety of related topics at schools and conferences across the U.S. Walsh is also an author, and online educator, regularly running Flipped Class Workshops [44] online. His eBook, the Flipped Classroom Workshop-in-a-Book is available here [45]. Kelly also writes, records, and performs original music ... stop by kwalshmusic.com [46] and have a listen!

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are my own, or those of other writers, and not those of my employer. - K. Walsh]