To commemorate World Teachers’ Day, Apple has introduced a suite of free education resources designed to foster creativity in teaching and learning. The company is also honoring educators through special collections and offerings across its various services. As part of its commitment to education, Apple has announced a significant expansion of its groundbreaking education grant program to reach 100 new schools and communities across six continents. This initiative provides free grant-funded STEAM programming to students and teachers worldwide. For over four decades, Apple has been a dedicated advocate for education. The company has shared its innovative technology and professional learning resources with millions of students and educators, empowering them to explore new possibilities, connect meaningfully, and prepare for future careers. To showcase the impact of its educational efforts, Apple is releasing its inaugural Education Impact Report. This comprehensive report provides a snapshot of the company’s work in supporting teachers and learners globally. “At Apple, we have always believed in the power of education to open new doors and give people the tools they need to build a better, more equitable world,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, in a statement. “We’re blown away to see how tomorrow’s coders, creators, innovators, and leaders are using Apple technology and resources to make their impact known today — and we’re thrilled to expand our education work into even more communities.” “We’re inspired by the incredible work coming out of classrooms and communities across the globe, and the myriad of ways Apple products like Mac and iPad empower learners to create and build on their passions,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Education and Enterprise Marketing, in a statement. “Our new Creative Activities for early learners and students make learning easy and fun, and most importantly, give educators quick tools to engage learners of all ages.” Supporting Teachers and Community Educators with New Tools Over the course of Apple’s long history in education, professional learning and educator resources have always been key parts of the company’s approach, as the effective use of technology can help unlock the potential of all learners. Today, Apple is launching new Everyone Can Create resources for teachers. Creative Activities are a collection of quick, interactive, and fun lesson ideas that empower educators to sprinkle imagination and originality into their learning plans. Creative Activities for Early Learners (ages 4 to 8) and Creative Activities for Students (ages 8 and up) enable teachers to engage their students without increasing their workload. Each activity strengthens essential skills and gets students creating quickly with templates and shareable links. New Creative Activities include: • Drawing: Reveal a Constellation The new Creative Activities are now available in the Apple Education Community, a professional learning hub with more than 1 million members where educators can find inspiration, share resources, and connect with peers. This week, the Apple Education Community is expanding its Forum collaboration features to 16 additional countries and regions, enabling participation from even more educators around the world. In addition, Apple continues to expand Apple Learning Coach, a free professional learning program that helps educators coach teachers on how to get the most out of Apple products. With new lessons and the ability to register and participate at any time, Apple Learning Coach is now available in eight languages across 15 countries and regions.2 To date, more than 4,000 certified Apple Learning Coaches have guided nearly 100,000 teachers, impacting 2.4 million students. Reaching Students and Teachers on Six Continents Through Grant Programs Apple works with schools and nonprofit organizations around the world to provide grants and other hands-on programming designed to expand access to technology, along with educational and workforce opportunities. To date, the company has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars in technology, tools, and resources to more than 200 education and community partners. In the last year alone, Apple has expanded its support to nearly 40 new education partners across Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This work is largely connected to Apple’s Community Education Initiative, through which the company provides hardware, scholarships, financial support, educator resources, and access to Apple experts to schools and organizations in under-resourced communities. Apple collaborates with each partner organization to customize and enhance programming to support the community’s specific goals and transform students’ in-school and extracurricular experiences. Apple’s extensive education initiatives also include Apple Developer Academies and the Apple Foundation Program, which bring coding education and skills training to developers and entrepreneurs around the world, along with free resources like Everyone Can Code, Develop in Swift Tutorials, Everyone Can Create, Challenge for Change, and Today at Apple sessions at all Apple Store locations. As detailed in the newly released Education Impact Report, in the past five years, more than 10,000 teachers have received professional learning opportunities through Apple grants. Over that same time frame, 500,000 students in close to 2,000 schools and communities around the world have engaged in the company’s grant programs. Apple currently supports more than 200 schools and nonprofit organizations — a number that continues to increase. Forging New Partnerships and Deepening Existing Work CodeDoor, one of Apple’s newer partners, provides coding and workforce preparedness training for migrants throughout Germany. Apple supports the organization’s Creators program, which uses Everyone Can Code resources and Swift Playgrounds to give participants the tools to design and pitch apps as solutions to community challenges. Through a hybrid experience that takes place over the course of eight months, participants acquire valuable skills, including coding with Swift and presentation techniques. Apple is also deepening its work with existing community partners. Since 2020, the company has collaborated with the New York Public Library to expand access to technology through in-person and virtual training classes for learners of all ages and skill levels, with a focus on helping adults develop confidence in their computer skills and grow more comfortable in today’s digital world. “The world is evolving so fast. One of the ways that we can help shape and ensure the future of libraries is to create spaces that are designed for collaborative, interactive learning,” said Brandy McNeil, Ph.D., the New York Public Library’s deputy director of Branch Programs & Services, in a statement. “With the tools and resources only Apple can provide, we’ve been able to expand both our programming and our reach to better serve our community, helping many more people harness the power of technology to learn and grow.” Celebrating World Teachers’ Day Across Apple In honor of World Teachers’ Day, Apple is celebrating educators around the world through special collections and offerings across its services. The Great Tools for Teachers collection in the App Store highlights classroom and lesson-planning essentials that educators can use to support their work. On Apple Music, users can listen to a collection of learning-based albums and playlists highlighted throughout the Kids and Family categories; on Apple Books, readers can explore a collection of nonfiction and kids’ books about inspiring educators; and in Podcasts, listeners can find featured shows focusing on conversations by and for educators alongside narratives about education. Additionally, the Apple TV app features a collection of movies and shows that highlight the importance of teachers in the lives of pupils. Across the world, teachers can use Group Reservations to book a Today at Apple session for their students at their local Apple Store, selecting from more than 20 topics great for educators and their students to learn how to code, create, and get the most out of Apple products. Learn more and request a session at apple.com/today/groups. We are currently about 1/5th of the way to being sustainable with Substack subscriptions. Not a bad start! 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Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Apple launches new resources for teachers, expands education grant program
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