Digital teaching expertise – Getting to grips with the iPad

Stadt Schorndorf – Digital teaching expertise – Getting to grips with the iPad.

Located on the banks of the River Rems some 30 km east of Stuttgart, the historic town of Schorndorf is known for being the birthplace of Gottlieb Daimler, its picturesque lanes and idyllic location. Just under 42,000 people call the town home, including 4,500 pupils attending its 16 schools. As part of various education initiatives, the schools have been using iPads since the 2021/22 academic year, and to support their use in the classroom, the teaching staff received training from Apple specialists all thanks to Bechtle.

Project details.

Services

Modern Workplace

Industry

Public sector

Manufacturer

Apple

Company size

250 – 1,500 employees

Challenge.

As the home of the likes of Gottlieb Daimler, and Barbara Künkelin and her brave Schorndorfer Weiber, Schorndorf oozes history. Located in the beautiful Rems valley, the town’s residents enjoy an excellent quality of life thanks to the diverse leisure activities, and an excellent infrastructure with plentiful nurseries and schools. 4,500 pupils attend the 16 state-run schools, including primary and high schools and vocational colleges, guided by some 360 teaching staff. The town of Schorndorf was quick to invest in digital education and equip its schools with iPads, but that didn’t go far enough for the pupils and at a meeting at the beginning of 2024 attended by them and the town’s mayors, they expressed their wish for students in Years 8 and up to be given iPads to allow them to access learning materials more easily. The teachers were also in favour of the idea as it would allow them to better convey their lessons. While the teaching staff already had the technical skills required, in order to fully exploit the potential offered by iPads in the classroom, there needed to be some structured practical training.

The training in how to use the iPad in the classroom was a complete success. Our teaching staff learned a lot and are now well-equipped to use the tablets effectively during their lessons. This is something we’d like to offer into the future and we will find the budget to be able to do so as it’s essential for our teachers to develop their skills going forward.

Claudiu Zenn, Head of IT, Stadt Schorndorf

Solution.

The town of Schorndorf was more than grateful to accept Bechtle’s offer for its teachers to be trained by Apple-certified specialists. As an Apple Authorised Education Specialist, Bechtle has connections with Apple Professional Learning Specialists (APLS), who were perfectly placed to expand on the Schorndorf teachers’ existing knowledge with information about how to use the iPad in the classroom. Once the content of the initial training sessions on using iPads in the classroom, teaching with Keynote and iMovie had been defined, the courses could begin. Three online workshops took place in parallel one afternoon giving interested parties the opportunity to take part in breakout sessions without having to cancel their classes. A link to the Webex courses was sent out to the town’s schools and 25 teachers signed up and Apple coordinated four Apple Professional Learning Specialists and ensured the technical requirements were met so that participants could dial in to the course of their choice. They could choose between a general introduction to the iPad’s features and how the could be used in the classroom as well as teaching ideas that could be brought to life using the Keynote presentation software that is pre-installed on all iPads. The third breakout session covered video editing using the iPad-standard iMovie app as well ideas for integrating the software in general teaching. Within just four hours, the participants had discovered various ways of utilising the iPad in their lessons as well as teaching ideas, most of which they could put into use straight away or adapt to their lessons with the help of the APLS trainers.

Business benefits.

Bechtle’s Apple Professional Learning Specialist (APLS) programme has given 25 Schorndorf teachers practical tips for their lessons. The online courses have increased their confidence when it comes to using iPads and they are now more frequently used in the classroom. The success of the initial run of training courses means the town is eager to continue the programme with a focus on the iPad’s basic features. The positive feedback received from the town’s teaching staff demonstrates how the Apple training programme has not only put them in a position to use the iPads effectively, but also means they receive tips and ideas for how to get the best out of them in the classroom.