This year has seen schools come face to face with an entirely new scenario: educating in a pandemic. Whilst remote learning is by no means new, most of the teaching in schools happens on-site in the classroom. In this article, we look at how schools have navigated the impact of COVID-19 and how technology such as iPads has helped them facilitate the hurdles that distance learning presents.
How coronavirus has changed education
COVID-19 caused schools around the globe to close their gates, with countries locked-down and parents home schooling their children. The education and technology sectors responded to the crisis by introducing innovative new tools and methods to support online learning.
In China, for example, the government instructed a quarter of a billion students to resume their studies using online platforms. A staggering 730,000 (over 80%) students chose to attend classes via the Tencent K-12 Online School in Wuhan following the government order!
Several online platforms and organisations also began to offer free access to learning services and resources. These included organisations like the BBC, with its Bitesize Daily Service, Twinkl with its home-learning hub, and Rosetta Stone’s offer of free language learning.
The role of technology in remote learning
Without technology, such a response to coronavirus by the education community would have been impossible. The use of iPads and laptops have enabled students to continue their studies in the face of significant disruption to their usual routines.
Companies such as Apple have expanded their products to support distance learning further, introducing remote learning resource sites and providing software such as Schoolwork 2.0 for iPads which allows teachers to manage class assignments and handouts. Apple has also updated Schoolwork with some useful features. These include the ability to simultaneously launch the same app on multiple iPads. Teachers can also instant message students or call them using FaceTime.
The benefits of iPads in education
iPads are flexible and engaging learning devices inside or outside of the classroom. Students can use them in school, at home, individually or share them in bubbles.
They give teachers access to an amazing array of apps and resources to integrate in their lessons. Their immersive displays, user-friendly design, portability and good battery life make them both convenient and highly versatile options.
There are many versions of iPad to choose from, including the iPad Air, the iPad Pro and the iPad mini – depending on your needs and priorities. Mobile device management (MDM) also means that teachers and/or the school IT team can manage, monitor and maintain multiple devices in a hassle-free way.
If your school would like to discuss the benefits of iPads in remote learning, or indeed in the classroom, get in touch today.
iPads for Education from Utility Rentals helps schools, acadamies, colleges and universities across the UK to acquire Apple iPads through affordable and tailor made rental solutions.
Our team of tablet wizards are fully in tune with the requirements of the education sector and will work in partnership with you to make the process of getting and maintaining iPads for your pupils and staff refreshingly straightforward.
