iOS 8 Features for Teachers!

iOS 8 has finally arrived! But, be forewarned, all of your favorite classroom apps might not be compatible just yet! Watch out for more new app updates with iOS 8 compatibility in the next few weeks and beyond.

When you finally do update, there are some key iOS 8 features that teachers might be interested in!

A Better Spotlight Search!
AirPlay to Apple TV without Wifi!
Inter-App Communication Will Make App Smashing Easier!





A Better Spotlight Search!
The new iOS is bringing an update to the Spotlight search on the iPad. You can access the Spotlight by sliding down on the iPad screen with one finger. The update will allow Spotlight to show more search options, such as: Wikipedia results, popular websites, news articles, and apps that you haven't installed. Currently, Spotlight only shows you emails, notes, contacts, and apps on your iPad.

AirPlay to Apple TV Without Wifi!
Normally, you can AirPlay your iPad screen onto your TV with the use of an Apple TV, but both devices need to be connected to the same Wifi connection. iOS 8 will remove the need for Wifi between devices, and instead allow you to AirPlay your iPad to Apple TV offline. This is called Peer-to Peer Airplay. Learn more at: https://www.apple.com/airplay/

A New Guided Access Feature!
Guided Access is a feature that was added in iOS 7. It allows a parent or teacher to lock a child into a specific app and control which app features you want the child to use. With iOS 8, a new option will be added to Guided Access. It is the Time Limit option, which allows the teacher to determine how long you want the child to use the app. When time is up, the child will get a giant notice on the screen that says, "Time Expired".

Inter-App Communication Will Make App Smashing Easier!
Have you ever "app smashed" before? App Smashing is when you use multiple apps to complete a project. For example, creating a document in Google Docs then moving it to Notability for annotations is App Smashing! Or taking photos with the Camera app and then using the app Pic Collage to create a collage of images with borders, stickers, and text is also App Smashing! With iOS 8, apps will now be able to work within each other to make app smashing easier! With Inter-App Communication, you can use the an app like Awesome Screenshot to take screenshots in the Safari and Chrome Browser (as shown below). Other apps like Pocket, Evernote, and Pinterest insert themselves into the Safari and Chrome browser so that you can share website resources.

There are many, many, many more new features with iOS 8! If you want to learn more and explore, check out the links below!

http://jonathanwylie.hubpages.com/hub/iOS-8-Education-Whats-New-for-Schools

http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ios-8-features/

http://gizmodo.com/ios-8-the-best-hidden-features-that-apple-didnt-show-y-1586023628

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/17/6237271/best-ios-8-features-you-may-not-know-about

http://learninginhand.com/blog/2014/9/16/new-in-ios-8-for-teachers-students

https://www.apple.com/education/it/ios8/

http://www.edudemic.com/ios-8-coming-big-wins-education/

http://www.classthink.com/2014/06/08/how-will-ios-8-affect-your-school/

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2014/09/the-15-best-updates-to-ios-8.html

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/17/ios-8-notification-center-widgets/