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Apple Announces 'Classroom' Coming to Mac, Reveals New 'Schoolwork' App for Educators

Tuesday March 27, 2018 9:30 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Apple during its education-focused event in Chicago today announced that its existing iOS "Classroom" app will be making the move to Mac, beginning with a beta this June.


Classroom is a "teaching assistant" that helps teachers manage their students' iPads, as well as guide kids through lessons, keep them on track, and share their work. Using the app, teachers can launch apps, books, and websites on all student devices simultaneously, and send or receive documents. Classroom also allows teachers to view their students' screens so that they "stay focused," and other administrative options like password resets.


At the same time, the company revealed a new cloud-based app called "Schoolwork" that lets teachers assign handouts and track the progress of their students. Apple said that Schoolwork "builds on the success" of the Classroom app and both apps will be combined to help educators "get the most out of integrating Apple technology into schools."
“Creativity sparks a deeper level of engagement in students, and we’re excited to help teachers bring out that creativity in the classroom,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

“When you combine the power of iPad, the creativity of Apple Pencil, over a million iPad apps in the App Store, the rich curriculum in Everyone Can Code and Everyone Can Create, and unique Classroom and Schoolwork apps that support students and help schools manage technology in the classroom, we believe we can amplify learning and creativity in a way that only Apple can.”
Using Schoolwork, teachers will be able to make handouts that include PDFs, links, and other documents, as well as check in on the progress of every student for a specific assignment. Schoolwork will integrate with third-party apps using Apple's ClassKit API, acting as a hub of sorts for a classroom's projects and assignments. Schoolwork will be available for teachers in June.

There will also be a new "Apple Teacher" professional learning program available online, aimed at helping teachers build skills, chart their progress, and get inspired to launch new lesson plans. The program will allow teachers to earn badges shaped like gold stars, encouraging them to continue using the program and evolve their classroom.

Related Roundup: iPad
Tags: March 2018 event, Classroom, Schoolwork, ClassKit
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Caution)
[ 35 comments ]


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iFanaddic
9 months ago
I wish “profiles” on iPads weren’t only for schools.
Rating: 10 Votes
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ThunderSkunk
9 months ago
Every time I see a bunch of smiling kids herded together and being molded and trained that the purpose of their life is to be organized in a hierarchy by an authority figure and have their productivity monitored and its worth graphed for comparison and valuation, I become optimistic about the impending collapse of this old british class culture and its failure to develop beyond the industrial revolution. What a beautiful disaster this century is going to put its kids through.

Nice that there's an app for that.
Rating: 8 Votes
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SmugMaverick
9 months ago
So they're copying Google's classroom support app and charging the same for the price of two chrome books...

Oh dear Tim, maybe look at public school kids and not private school.
Rating: 3 Votes
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WAM2
9 months ago

I wish “profiles” on iPads weren’t only for schools.


They aren't just for schools..
Rating: 2 Votes
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harriska2
9 months ago

They aren't just for schools..

Can you expand?
Rating: 2 Votes
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kemal
9 months ago
Apple are doing it to sell iPads, etc. Google are doing it to sell ads to the K-12 students once they turn 18. Ads based on those data collected over the previous 12 years.

I choose Apple.
Rating: 2 Votes
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pubb
9 months ago

Beta in June, just in time for most schools in North America to be let out. I guess ready for the fall, assuming you have beta testers in teachers willing to work over the summer.

But with the iPad still costing schools the price of two Chromebooks, don't see Apple gaining much ground just becuase of a couple apps and pencil support.


Teachers willing to work over the summer? It will never happen. We stop doing anything at the end of June and only start back on the first day of school. Oh wait, no. I and every other teacher I have ever met spends ********s of time prepping for September.

As for the technology, Chromebooks can't print when on my school's networks. iPads can.

Also, my school's networks block (either intentionally or not) Bonjour. So for example, I cannot sync my iPhone and personal laptop on the school's network. I don't see the teacher app getting around that, but I might be pleasantly surprised.
Rating: 2 Votes
Avatar
britboyj
9 months ago

This is all well and nice, but there isn't any real incentive to draw educators to this platform considering its cost (even with discounts).


Have you seen how much eLearning and Blackboard charge?

Also, those are TERRIBLE experiences. Like, they're ATROCIOUS. No educator I've ever spoken to disagrees. If this works half as well as those systems, it will get A LOT of pickup.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
harriska2
9 months ago

Have you seen how much eLearning and Blackboard charge?

Also, those are TERRIBLE experiences. Like, they're ATROCIOUS. No educator I've ever spoken to disagrees. If this works half as well as those systems, it will get A LOT of pickup.

Never used either. Our local community college uses Moodle. It has worked super well for my son over the past 3 years - at least if the teachers use it.
Rating: 1 Votes
Avatar
I am Sampson
9 months ago

('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/03/27/apple-classroom-app-schoolwork/')


Apple during its education-focused event in Chicago today announced that its existing iOS "Classroom" app will be making the move to Mac, beginning with a beta this June.



At the same time, the company revealed a new "cloud-based" app called Schoolwork that lets teachers assign handouts and track progress of their students. Educators will be able to make handouts that include PDFs, links, and other documents, as well as check in on the progress of every student for a specific assignment.

Apps will be able to integrate with Schoolwork using Apple's ClassKit API, and Schoolwork will be available for teachers in June.

There will also be a new "Apple Teacher" professional learning program available online, aimed at helping teachers build skills, chart their progress, and get inspired to launch new lesson plans. The program will allow teachers to earn badges shaped like gold stars, encouraging them to continue using the program and evolve their classroom.

Article Link: Apple Announces 'Classroom' Coming to Mac, Reveals New 'Schoolwork' App for Educators ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/03/27/apple-classroom-app-schoolwork/')

[doublepost=1522166506][/doublepost]I didn’t watch the keynote, so forgive my ignorance, but the Apple teacher thing has been around for some time. I’ve had all their awards for ages. What’s changed? New content? Or are they just making something that has existed for some time more public and known?
Rating: 1 Votes

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