Apple iOS 14 - Top New Features for Educators
Written by Rachael Yates, eLearning Facilitator, St Peters Lutheran College
Apple’s
newest iOS 14 update for the iPhone and iPad include major improvements, many of which will be useful for teaching and learning. In this article I will highlight some of the new features that have the ability to positively impact educational iPad use, and also some cool new features that I am enjoying using - just for the fun of it!
Default mail and web browsing: This could be useful for education depending on your preferences and school requirements. To set default web browser (e.g. Chrome), go to Settings, Chrome, Default Browser App. To set default mail, go to Settings, Mail, Default Account.
Scribble: Scribble provides a handwriting tool which automatically converts to typed text. It also allows you to handwrite in any typed text field such as internet searching. Check that it is turned on in Settings. In an educational setting, it is unlikely that all students will have an Apple Pencil due to cost. However, this would make a great accessibility tool for students with learning difficulties.
Notes app: Personally, Notes is one of my most used apps, and is now even more useful for educational situations. Two aspects I’d like to highlight are the integration of Apple Pencil and Scribble, and while not new, many still don’t know about the built-in scanning. Start a new note, tap the camera icon, Scan Documents. From there choose how to save or export as a PDF.
Privacy: Whilst there are many new privacy feature updates in iOS 14 such as approximate location and privacy reports, the one new feature that stood out to me was the Recording Indicators. Basically, this means that if an app is using the camera or the microphone, a small dot (green for camera and orange for microphone) appears in the top right of your screen. This would be worth pointing out to students in terms of personal privacy and safety.
Translate: I got excited about the built in Translate app until I realised it is only available on iPhone, not iPad. Of course, there are other translate apps such as Google Translate which will do the same job. Handy for ESL students or assistance with language learning.
And now for the cool stuff (not necessarily useful for Edu users but worth pointing out)
App Library: I really like this now I understand it’s point. Essentially, I have reduced all my apps on my phone to just one Home Screen of frequently used apps and have moved the rest to the App Library. To find an app that I use less frequently and now only store in my App Library, I just search or head to the App Library by swiping right to left to the furthest Home Screen. This article explains the App Library nicely.
Widgets: Widgets are a way to make your favourite information more accessible on your Home Screen and can be added to both iPhone and iPad. For example, I use my Calendar and Weather apps frequently so have made these widgets. There are lots more to explore and create your own personalized widget collection. These could be a handy tool to share with your students too.
Messages – These messaging updates will no doubt provide some very welcome features including Pinning Conversations and Mentions in group chats using the @ symbol, but the feature that stands out to me is the ability to reply ‘inline’. This threads the reply to just the part of the message that the user wants to reply to.
Lastly, check out the Back Tap if you want a shortcut by simply double tapping on the back of your phone. I found that I accidentally back tapped quite frequently, which launched my screen shot! So, have disabled for now.
I’m looking forward exploring the updates to Augmented Reality (ARKit and RealityKit) especially in terms of educational use. And I must admit I’m excited for when I buy my next new car and can have my Apple Key in my iPhone Wallet. Even less to carry around!
I’ll be facilitating the Additional Needs Symposium at the National Education Summit Brisbane on 5 & 6 August 2022….come along and say HI :-)