Jamf Blog
March 19, 2020 by Daniel Weber

How to facilitate remote learning: Part 1 — Setting expectations

To best keep students and educators safe — schools are re-evaluating their teaching practices and learning environments to accommodate an at-home, virtual learning experience. In part one of our five-part blog series, we show you how to set remote learning expectations for students and teachers.

Teach and learn from anywhere.

In today’s education environment, technology and learning go hand in hand. iPad, Mac and Apple TV have transformed the classroom from a static environment of a teacher standing in front of sitting students, to spontaneous collaboration and personalized learning.

And with digital technology, learning is no longer confined to the classroom or traditional classroom hours.

In the wake of a health crisis — and to best keep students and educators safe — schools are re-evaluating their teaching practices and learning environments to accommodate an at-home, virtual learning experience.

The ability to make this fully functional and efficient falls squarely on IT. But, with the right tools in place, remote learning can be as simple and intuitive as in-person.

In our five-part blog series, we identify five ways you can best serve students and teachers when you move learning online. We cover how to:

Part 1: Set expectations for students and teachers

Part 2: Facilitate engaging discussions daily

Part 3: Promote peer-to-peer interaction

Part 4: Offer active learning through projects and breakout groups

Part 5: Leverage apps and games

Set expectations for students and teachers

Moving the classroom to home isn’t an excuse for a student’s studies to suffer or for a teacher to not be able to present a lesson plan. Instead, it’s an opportunity to offer the same in-class experience to a remote audience.

To accomplish, IT needs to set expectations with teachers, students and parents that it is education as usual. Participation is still required, assignments still turned in and tests still taken.

Once expectations are communicated, the next step is to share how education will continue and what tools are available.

For starters, schools with digital technology are likely leveraging a device management solution. And those with Apple hardware are likely leveraging Jamf.

Jamf School is accessible management for IT, teachers and parents. Similar to how devices are managed in the classroom, IT can:

  • Keep track of managed devices, users and apps so they can take immediate action on any issues that arise
  • Manage individual or entire classroom/grade devices to simply deploy required apps, content or restrictions
  • Institute location support to empower students and teachers with the right device access at only the right times

Jamf School management also pairs with the Jamf Teacher, Jamf Parent and Jamf Student apps.

Jamf Teacher gives teachers the tools to manage their class and keep students focused on their education — regardless of where they are learning. This includes restricting websites, apps and the camera, plus locking all student devices at once.

Jamf Student gives students restricted permissions over their own device, allowing them to focus on their education and eliminate distractions.

Jamf Parent gives parents the ability to limit apps and device functionality on their student’s device; again, eliminating potential distractions from learning.

For more robust device management, Jamf Pro — the standard for Apple management — is purpose-built for career IT professionals. With Jamf Pro, IT can:

  • Deploy Apple devices with zero IT interaction
  • Gather and manage deep inventory data across the entire education environment
  • Tailor device behavior through restrictions, app whitelisting and more
  • Leverage Smart Groups to automatically manage devices in real time
  • Empower users with Self Service, a curated catalog of apps and educational resources

It’s also imperative that students have the resources they need to keep learning going. With Jamf Connect and cloud-identity providers such as Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure Active Directory, school IT administrators are able to provision students’ Macs so they have access to the apps they need, ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted learning experience for students at home.

Additionally, because Jamf Connect requires a cloud-identity username and password, IT administrators are able to monitor what Mac is being accessed, from where and by whom. This is a powerful security measure to keep devices and the student information on those devices secure, no matter where students are learning from.

Be prepared for all learning environments

Facilitating remote learning is only going to be more commonplace — with or without health scares. With a plan in place and the right tools at the ready, transitioning from in-class to online learning can be as easy as reciting the ABCs.

If you’re ready to deliver the best learning experience to every student regardless of location, we’re ready to help. Get started with a free trial of our education solutions. And once a customer, take advantage of over 130 free online training modules on how to best leverage Jamf Pro to empower your educators and students.

Be on the lookout for part two of our blog series on ways to facilitate engaging discussions. In the meantime, sign up for our April 2 webinar for additional ways to support remote learning.

Photo of Daniel Weber
Daniel Weber
Jamf
Subscribe to the Jamf Blog

Have market trends, Apple updates and Jamf news delivered directly to your inbox.

To learn more about how we collect, use, disclose, transfer, and store your information, please visit our Privacy Policy.