Waffle Bytes

If you have used Meraki as the MDM to manage your iPads for the past several years, you - like me - have moved through the transition of being told it would "always be free" to them implementing a paid model but maintaining a legacy version of the Systems Manager for those of certain criteria.  (If that sentence was confusing, you didn't experience the joys of the transition I would guess...) So, how can you tell which version of the Meraki Systems Manager you are using?  How can you tell if you can update for free?  What does updating - if you are able to - do for you? First of all let's review the possible situations you are currently in: You have over 100 devices on Meraki and you have paid for a license You have over 100 devices on Meraki and you have never paid for a license You have fewer than 100 devices on Meraki Now, go check your License Information - click on Organization and then select License Info: If you fall under case #1 you are on the...

Here are the steps to connect Meraki to the Apple Deployment site. (Prerequisites for this activity: Your district already enrolled in Apple Deployment Your Meraki server initially setup) Start in Meraki -  Go to the side - click on MDM setting under Organization Scroll down the area headed Apple Device Enrollment Program Click to download the Public Key  Go to the Apple Deployment website ( http://deploy.apple.com ) Click on Manage Servers under Device Enrollment Program  Click on the server you added for Meraki. (You will need to Add MDM Server if you have not previously added the server.) Under Server Details, click on Add Key  Find and select the key you downloaded A server token will show up - click to download & save that Click Done Go back to Meraki -  Click on Choose File to upload your server token Make sure to Save Changes at the bottom of the page Here is a video if you prefer that format:  ...

Here is a graphical overview of setting up for iOS device management with Meraki - Some lessons learned- This process is not linear! You have to touch every iOS device You must log into an Apple ID on every device Some settings conflict - figuring out what can be time consuming BETA is...well...BETA - expect some glitches Note - this is just all the setup!  It doesn't get you into the management of apps at all, just through the steps of getting your devices listed and managed in Meraki. Over the next couple weeks I'll be adding video support for each of the steps via YouTube.  They will also be added to iTunesU under Michigan's MI Learning, with a few companion documents.

Yesterday morning I had to take an approximately 100 page PDF document and divide it into 56 individual documents.  I had a way to do this previously, but it involved selecting the to print and saving as PDF - more steps than I wanted to do for as many as I was dividing into this morning.  So, in the search and trial to changing my process to being more efficient, I discovered a neat trick with Apple's Preview. Make sure your Sidebar tray is showing thumbnails (here's the icon to turn it on if it is not): Select (highlight) your selection in the Sidebar tray (tricks for multiple pages - 1. if they are consecutive you can click the first, hold down shift & click the last to select the range; 2. if they are NOT consecutive you can hold the command key while selecting the pages you want) Copy (here's the menu selection, you can also command+C) You will note in the File Menu that the choice for New has changed to New From Clipboard - select that to create ...

The vast majority of my morning has been spent "playing" with iPads on Meraki.  This is only my fifth time I have blocked out some hours to work with it, and finally I am feeling like I've made some headway! It's been quite an involved process, and if you are wondering if you should go this route for your MDM solution for iPads there are some pointers I think worth sharing that may help you decide. Items to keep in mind when troubleshooting: It is a multi-faceted process - you have to deal with Apple's DEP and Apple's VPP, in addition to the tools within Meraki;  There are many ways to do similar functions - for instance, you can create & add profiles from within Meraki, or you can create them in iPhone Configuration Utility Tool and upload them, or you can create them in Configurator... you get the picture. Meraki has a definite delay in the data that displays - sometimes you just have to sit and be patient, or even walk away These all contribut...

Mark Coppin has put together a resource  for educators and parents as an iTunesU course to help identify both uses and a list of suggested apps for those working with autistic students.  A stated purpose of this course is to "assist in determining what app features to look for when selecting apps." I highly recommend reading/watching the provided material BEFORE looking at the app list. The resource is free, and the current price of the suggested apps listed are posted.  This being Autism Awareness Month, there are many that are currently on sale or temporarily free. https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/apps-for-students-autism-spectrum/id631357037

Common Sense Media has been around for awhile.  Many people don't know that they provide many resources to help address Digital Literacy.  They have resources in the form of: iBooks Textbooks Apps iTunes U Courses Not only are they excellent resources, but they are FREE .  I would highly recommend checking them out at:  https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewMultiRoom?fcId=806514490&v0=itunes.com%2Fcommonsensemedia

(Part 2 - Deploying Mobile Devices) In my last post, I talked about the fact we should be talking about what our stakeholder needs are when discussing which device(s) should be considered for purchase.  Another piece that needs to be considered in a school setting is that of device management.  We often forget we are still dealing with several technologies that are new.  This means management techniques for these devices is still developing and changing. There are two key components to consider when making decisions about management.  We need to identify who is going to manage the devices, and how managed they are going to be. Some thoughts on these two components: Who Manages the Devices: Because we are dealing with an evolving technology, it is not just about teaching someone how to “change the lightbulb in the projector.” Rather, there must be a commitment to learning - and even relearning - skills necessary in managing devices.  Additionally...

Seven Ways to Display Your iPad This lovely resource comes from Tony Vincent's Learning in Hand website. (If you have never checked it out, you need to!) Tony has put together a comparison chart for the various methods of displaying an iPad's screen onto a projector.  This is one of the most frequently asked questions for me when I am doing iPad training, so I figure there may be others out there than have a need to know. To see the full resolution chart, go to his blog posting .

MyScript Calculator Basics:  MyScript Calculator allows you to handwrite the equations and then it converts it to type text while solving it.  This eliminates the back & forth movement from selecting numbers and mathematical symbols from a selection screen.  It handles fractions, factorials, exponentials, trigonometry, logarithms in addition to basic math operations. Drawbacks :  Be careful if you are doing equations - you cannot use an "x" as it reads that as a multiplication symbol.  However, you can use other variable symbols. Current Costs:   currently FREE! Link to iTunes Store:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/ app/myscript-calculator/ id578979413?mt=8

Tellagami Review Basics: "T ellagami is a mobile app that lets you create and share a quick animated message called a Gami."  Think PSA! The user can set a male or female character's characteristics (including emotion), adds a background then records the message.  Upon playback, the character is animated - with some emotion added to the hand gestures.  It can then be shared. Drawbacks :  There is a 30 second time limit to your recordings - this could be a drawback or a benefit. Current Costs:   currently FREE! Link to iTunes Store:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tellagami/id572737805?mt=8

One of the questions I am beginning to be asked is "What can I still do on an iPad 1??"  We have several districts that purchased the devices in their first iteration and are unable to update them as they are no longer supported.  But, they are still usable educational tools... Here is a collaborative document I ran across that may help you out with that - " What Can I Still Do with An iPad - First Generation " by Naomi Harm Not only look for ideas, but feel free to add some of the activities you are still able to do

MyScript Memo   Basics: Today's app review is a handwriting to text converter! You can now take handwritten notes on your iOS device, and either send the picture of them OR have it convert the writing to text and send the text Drawbacks :  The screen size on a phone is somewhat a hindrance, but on the iPad it works great. Current Costs:  currently FREE! Link to iTunes Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/myscript-memo/id446368116?mt=8#

There are many changes that come with updating to iOS 7 on your iOS devices.  I have found that some take some getting used to (like the brightness of the new icons!), and others are welcome changes.  Here are a few items you might want to look for or know about at first blush: Updates to the Notification Center - there are some nice additions to this, if it is something you use.  I find it more useful now than I did before because I can "highlight" those need to know items. Updated Siri - Siri's better in many ways: you know if the mic is working by the wave motion; the voice is a little more natural sounding; the interpretations are better; and you can pick a male voice now. Ability to close more than one app at a time - this is a huge plus for me.  I can close 3 apps at a time on my iPad, and 2 on my iPhone (if you don't know how yet, double-click the home button then swipe the windows up to close the app) Appearance - I'm still ad...

Drawp by Moondrop Entertainment LLC Basics : Make drawings, add audio and share them easily   Educational Uses : The app is made to use with young children, but could also be easily used with students that have special needs.  A difference with this app - the parent (teacher) sets up how the drawings are shared, and the kid simply swipes the drawing onto a picture to share it.   Current Cost : currently free!   Link to iTunes Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drawp-drawing-families-closer/id571816406?mt=8

Dink  - "Become a Master Animator" Basics : Dink is an app for creating animations.  The user creates the animation using stop frame (or stop motion) animation, allowing the user to customize on a frame by frame basis.  Creativity is only limited by the user, as the user creates all the content. Educational Uses:   If you are looking for an app for animation that is easy for students to pick up and learn very quickly, this app may be the one.  I was able to create a simple 15 frame animation - with layers - in under 15 minutes.  That was without looking at any tutorials or examples.  Very easy to learn and use.  Overall, very powerful....however, you might want to read the drawbacks before purchasing for your classroom set of devices. Drawbacks in Education:  The link to MyDink.net within the app is a serious concern - not the site itself, but that it connects to animations created by others and many of these are not appropriate fo...

How to Enable Mobile Secure Browser Using Configurator The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium provides directions for how to access the secure testing environment on individual devices. They even provide a pdf document specifically " About the Secure Browsers for iPad and Android Tablets ."   But what about if you manage your devices using Apple Configurator? Here are the directions for setting it up using Configurator - and the beauty is you don't have to touch each device individually! First, the device must be supervised for this to work.  If it isn’t, you will first need to supervise it.   Please remember - that when you supervise a device it is completely wiped to factory settings. Setting up: Download AIRSecure Test https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/airsecuretest/id607002517?mt=8 Add AIRSecure Test to your apps list in Configurator Select the device(s) or the group(s) of devices Add AIRSecure Test as one of the apps on the device ...

Let me begin by saying I am not a lawyer, nor am I speaking as a representative of Apple.  However, in my job I am consistently having to educate teachers on the how the terms and conditions apply in these situations: how their personal Apple Accounts work with devices they own versus how their personal Apple Accounts work with devices supplied by a school how a device is used personally versus how it is used in a school setting the different rules concerning where apps can be downloaded, and how many devices a singly purchased app can be used on I've color coded the information so that green text is a direct copy/paste from the Terms and Conditions.  That is followed by my interpretation of the it, why it is important and how it might impact a teacher. If you see any inaccuracies, please feel free to let me know as this is certainly a work in progress. (Terms & Conditions Version - updated December 3, 2012) APP STORE PRODUCT USAGE RULES: “ (iii) You s...

Haiku Deck App - "Set Your Story Free" Basics : Haiku Deck is a FREE app for creating presentations very quickly and easily.   While only 5 of the themes are provided (others can be in-app purchased), they are very modern looking.  The app is very intuitive to use, offering easy to change layouts.  There are fewer choices than many other presentation creators, meaning the user stays more focused on the content.  Also, text space is limited forcing the user to focus in on the main ideas of their presentation. You can either add your own photos or use the app to search a photo service where you can select a word/phrase from your slide and have it find  pictures that are tagged as such.  Some of the built in messages are quirky, funny or annoying depending on your sense of humor (such as: "Patience grasshopper downloading a large file"). Educational Uses:   This is a great free alternative to other paid presentation apps (such as Keynote). Link...

Aurasma App  - "See and Interact with the World in a New Way!" (Currently free in the iTunes Store) Basics : From their site: "Thanks to Aurasma, every image, object and even place can have its own Aura. Auras can be as simple as a video and a link to a web page or as complex as a lifelike 3D animation. Use the Aurasma app to unlock Auras and share the experience with friends. Or get experimenting and use the simple tools within the app to create and share your own Auras." Educational Uses : Aurasma is a great introduction to using augmented reality as you can make simple "auras" for any object - whether a student piece of work or everyday object.  Some examples: student work can connect to an audio file that has them reading the piece or explaining their work in their own words (Thank you to  @bcteacher  for introducing this type of project to me!) teacher instruction can connect to a website, audio file or other resource that may be used ...