iPad Tips and Tricks
iPad Tips and Tricks
iPad Tips and Tricks
Whether you’re new to the iPad or a longtime user, here are some great tips to help you get the most out of the device. A few of these are intended for using on the new iPad, but most of them will be relevant to all iPad models of all ages.
Switch the Mute Button to Orientation Lock
Tap on Settings > General > Use Side Switch to: Lock Orientation. The side switch defaults to mute, but with volume buttons right underneath it this makes no sense, and there’s nothing more annoying than an iPad screen that’s constantly rotating if you’re reading in bed.
Double-Tap Home Button to Access Brightness
The iPad screen is extraordinarily bright, this is wonderful for daytime use but give your eyes some rest in dimmer environments and at night time by manually adjusting the brightness, just double-tap the Home button and swipe right until you see the brightness indicator, and adjust manually as the lighting fits.
Use the Split Keyboard
Typing while holding the iPad is made much easier by using the split keyboard. Just pull apart the keyboard by swiping with both thumbs from the center outward, or tap the little keyboard icon in the lower right corner and pull it up, the keyboard will split in two and be much easier to type on using your thumbs while holding the device.
Use Speech Dictation
Speaking of typing, why type when you don’t have to? The dictation feature works really well, just tap the little microphone icon and speak, tap it again when you’re finished for your words to be translated into text.
Remember the Multitasking Gestures
You have three basic multitasking gestures which are enabled by default, remember these and use them. Arguably the most useful is the four-fingered app switcher, but learn them all.
- Four finger swipe to return to Home screen
- Four finger swipe up to reveal multitasking bar
- Four finger swipe left or right to switch between open apps
Add 6 Items to the Dock
By default the dock contains four items, but it can hold up to six on the iPad. Just tap an hold on an icon until it jiggles, then drag a couple more apps, folders, or website that you use frequently into the dock.
Move Unused Apps into a Folder
Everyone has a handful of default apps they don’t use at all but that can’t be deleted, for me that’s Game Center, iTunes, YouTube, Contacts, and iBooks. Move them all into a folder and put it on another screen to get them out of the way. Unfortunately you can’t move Newsstand into another folder, so just throw that onto a second page if you don’t use it.
Bookmark Favorite Websites to Home Screen
While in Safari, load up your favorite websites (like this one) and tap on the box with an arrow in it, alongside the URL Bar. Select “Add to Home Screen” and give each site a short name so it doesn’t abbreviate itself. Better yet, make a whole folder full of your favorite websites bookmarks.
Don’t Use Black or Dark Wallpaper
The darker the wallpaper, the more you’ll see screen smudges and glare. Try to use a lighter wallpaper image and you won’t see all the oils and fingerprints nearly as much
Disable In-App Purchases
This is mostly for those who share an iPad with other people or with kids, but the last thing you want is someone accidentally charging up your iTunes account with nonsensical or accidental in-app purchases. Disable these easily by tapping on Settings > General > Restrictions > Enable Restrictions, then scroll down to “Allowed Content” and swipe In-App Purchases to OFF.
Take Screen Shots
Want to show off your iPad home screen or a cool app? Take a screen shot! Hold down the Home button and tap the Power button briefly, you’ll hear the familiar screenshot sound and the screen flashes white. Screen shots are stored within the Photos library, and can be messaged, emailed, or just preserved for posterity.
Set Up Mail and iMessage
The iPad makes a great communication device, be sure to set up iMessage and Mail so you can talk to people easily and for free.
Use iCloud
iCloud syncs messages, mail, reminders, bookmarks, enables Find My iPad, and provides for the most painless backup solution there is. It’s easy to configure and free, here is how to set it up if you haven’t done so already
Enable Find My iPad
Find My iPad lets you locate your iPad (or iPhone, Mac, or iPod touch) on a map, allowing you to see exactly where it is, and even letting you send messages and remotely wipe your data. This goes along with setting up iCloud, but if you don’t have it enabled you can turn it on after configuring iCloud by tapping on Settings > iCloud > Find My iPad > ON. Hopefully you won’t need this, if you ever lose your iPad you’ll be happy to have it enabled.
Originally Posted by: Paul Horowitz – Mar 20, 2012
Use iPad as an External Monitor with Air Display Free
Air Display is a great iOS app that turns an iPad into an external display for just about any Mac or Windows PC. It’s been around a while, but now there’s a new free version available that lets you try out a full featured ad-supported version before buying the regular version, offering an excellent way to see if AirDisplay fits into your workflow. Though the screen size makes it best for iPad, Air Display Free technically works with iPhones and the iPod touch too, and there’s no shortage of helpful ways to use it on whatever device you run it on.
You’ll need two small downloads to get going, the iOS app and a simple menubar utility for OS X or Windows that switches it on and off:
Install the menubar utility on the computer and launch the app and you’ll find some quick easy instructions on setting it up. You’ll be up and running in no time and able to enjoy the extended desktop that Air Display provides. The free versions ads aren’t terribly intrusive which makes it more than adequate for trying the app out and for occasional use, though if you’re happy with it you’ll probably want to shell out for the full version to get rid of the ads.
Performance varies a bit based on the computer in use and the iPad model. Retina iPads have the benefit of being able to function as an external HiDPI display for the Mac, but some older Mac models may struggle with HIDPI video output leading to CPU spikes and undesirable performance. For older computers, it’s probably best to run in lower resolution mode on retina iPads, but that’s a nonissue for iPad 2 and iPad Mini, and most any modern Mac or PC should be able to push the higher resolutions without incident.
All in all, Air Display is a great app, and with the new free version there’s little reason to not try it out on you iPad, iPhone, or iPod.
Picture from a past Mac Setups post, the iPad stand shown is the Mophie Powerstand
Originally Posted by: Paul Horowitz
Great Article Paul
Nov 27, 2012
Enable “Kid Mode” in iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch with Guided Access in iOS
The iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone make excellent toys and learning tools for kids, but if you’ve seen a youngin’ with an iOS device you know it’s only a matter of time before the inquisitive mind of a child escapes the current application and ends up elsewhere. That inevitable sequence can be stopped in its tracks thanks to Guided Access, a great new feature brought to iOS in 6.0 that basically functions as “Kid Mode”, whereby any iOS device can be locked into an application with the hardware buttons disabled. This is one of those must-have features for teachers and parents, and using it is easy.
Enabling “Kid Mode” in iOS with Guided Access
As mentioned already, you will need iOS 6 or later to have this feature.
- Open “Settings” and tap on “General”
- Navigate to “Accessibility” and under the Learning section tap on “Guided Access”
- Flip the switch to ON, then tap “Set Passcode” to set a password you’ll use to escape out of Guided Access mode
- Choose whether or not to Enable Screen Sleep, turning it ON will help sustain battery life when the iPad, iPod, or iPhone is left inactive
Now that Guided Access is configured, you can use it to lock the iOS device into any app you want.
Using Guided Access to Lock Into an App
- Launch any app as usual, then triple-click the Home button to summon the Accessibility menu
- Tap “Guided Access” from the menu
- Set the Guided Access rules and swipe areas on the thumbnailed screen to disable certain areas of the screen, choose whether touch input is on or off, and whether motion works
- Tap “Next” to enter Guided Access mode
The iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch is now effectively locked into the current application, and pressing the Home button will no longer leave the app. Sooner or later you’ll surely want to escape out of this mode though, but only those with the passcode set earlier can do so.
Escaping Guided Access in iOS
- Triple-click the Home button and enter the passcode chosen during setup of Guided Access to unlock the device
You’ll now be back to the usual behavior of iOS.
If you’d like to turn off Guided Access completely, just go back to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access > and flip the setting to OFF. You’ll need to enter the passcode again to do so.
With Many thanks for this article Paul.
Originally Posted by: Paul Horowitz – Sep 25, 2012
100+ Great iPad apps
It is always daunting when looking for apps for children and teens. Here is a little help for you.
Mathematics
- Angle
- Boing: Savane
- Cube Construct
- Educreations
- Minecraft PE
- Number
- Sketchpad Explorer
- ShowMe
Writing
Text, images/photo’s and Voice recordings
- Evernote
- PaperDesk
Text only
- Lino
- Notes
- Verses Poetry Creator
Reading
- iFPoems
- Miss Spider: FR
- Chèvres Billy
Vocabulary Building – Primary
- Boing: Ocèan
- Boing: Pingouins
- Doode Buddy
- French Wizard (L’escapadou)
- French Words (L’escapadou)
- Jeu de mots
- Le Qi de l’enfant
- Mini-TFO
Vocabulary Building – Junior/Intermediate
- 7 mots
- Boggle
- Dictionary
- La Cible
- Whirly Word
Digital Storytelling Tools – Writing
- Bookabit
- Comic Life
- My Story
- Scribble Press
- Story Creator
- Story Lines for Schools
- Strip Design
- Toontastic
- Visual Poet
Digital Storytelling Tools – Performing (Oral)
- PuppetPals HD (Directors Cut)
- Sock Puppets
Science and Technology – Structures
- Bridge Constructor Playground
- Bridge FREE
Social Studies – Ancient Civilizations
- Empire Story
Social Studies – General Interest
- Google Earth
Social Studies – Medieval Times
- The SIMS Medieval
Social Studies – Rural and Urban Communities
- SimCity Deluxe HD
General Knowledge
- La Cible
- Wonderopolis
Graphic Organizers
- Idea Sketch
- Inkflow
- MindMeister
- Popplet
- Skitch
Music
- Beatwave
- FreeMusic
- GarageBand
Photo Editing
- Camera Bag
- Phoster
- Photo Booth
- Photobucket
- Photoshop Express
Presentation Tools – Posters
- Felt Board
- Holler Gram
- Pic Collage
- Visualize
Presentation Tools – Slide Shows
- Haiku Deck
- Prezi
- SMART Notebook
Video – Libraries
- Educreations
- ShowMe
- TED
Video – Production
- Animoto
- Camera
- iMovie
- ReelDirector
Video – Stop Motion
- iMotion HD
- NFB Pixstop
Miscellaneous – Networking
- Edmodo
- Kidblog
- Skype
Miscellaneous – Clouding
- Dropbox
Miscellaneous – Readers
- Adobe Reader
- iRover
- Scan
Voice Recording Tools – Voice Only
- Audioboo
- SoundCloud
Voice Recording Tools – Voice and Text
- Dragon Dictation
Voice Recording Tools – Voice, Text and Images
- Educreations
- ScreenChamp
- ShowMe
- VoiceThread
I would like to thank Mme Altcheh at Mazo de le Roche for this comprehensive list and her fantastic development with ICT.
Who has heard of Squag?
Today I was introduced to Squag and wanted to share it with you. Here are two posts I liked. They are not long or detailed but gives us all a little something to share.
“SquagTM [skwag] is a curated, online experience for kids on the autism spectrum (and their siblings!) that allows them to initiate, explore, and self-discover. Our SquagpadsTM give parents an opportunity to learn about their kids and give kids a new way to learn about themselves, making screen time more meaningful.”
Communication and Friendship
written by Chloe Rothschild on December 30, 2012 –
Something you should know before you read this post:
I communicate better through typing.
Imagine living life, knowing that some people may never know how much you really know, or how smart you really are, because when they talk to you, all you usually say is ‘I don’t know’. But – if you talk to that person on Facebook, Instant Message, e-mail, or texting then you have so much more to say!
There are some people in this world that I may never have the chance to type with on Facebook, e-mail or text. And then those people may not get to have those in depth conversations with me and see how much I really do know, and they may not get a chance to see that I really can be a very good friend.
I may have Autism, but I consider this so much a part of me – just as important as all of the other characteristics that make me who I am.
I am creative, smart, kind, caring, loving, helpful, and so much more. Having autism may make things a little difficult for me sometimes, but it is a big part of who I am.
Chloe Rothschild. is a 20 year-old, self-advocate who is passionate about educating others about autism. She is a young leader for the Autistic Global Initiative, a program through the Autism Research Institute. She writes about sensory issues and differences, communication difficulties, meltdowns and debunking autism myths. In her free time she enjoys drawing and painting monsters, both on paper, and on the computer.
To see the original article click here.
Wireless Keyboard for iPad
Logitech came out with this ridiculously cool keyboard for ipads everywhere. Love that the ten-digit typing (when done properly) promotes inter-hemispheric integration in the brain, making us more regulated and mindful as we type instead of swipe.
To see original article click here.
iPads in education
I saw this interesting article and from Education Drive and wanted to share it with you.
iPads in education: Education Dive’s ultimate guide
The iPad is already an education phenomenon, and Apple will be pushing even more education features when iOS 7 launches later this year. Here at Education Dive, we see more case studies and reports every week about who is using or developing for the iPad, and schools have become battlegrounds where the device is winning some wars—as well as contracts.
So what do you need to know before deciding if your university or school district should buy one (or 11,000)? Education Dive assembled all of our resources and recent news reports in one handy list to fill you in. Take a look at these features, and you’ll be an iPad education expert in no time.
1. APPLE’S IPAD IS AN EDUCATION POWER TOOL
Before we get to the pros and cons, let’s establish what the iPad is—an extremely portable tablet with formidable tool belt of intuitive design features and apps that can help out administrators, instructors and students. Check out our feature about 18 iPad uses in classrooms to see what schools are doing with it, from creating more connected and collaborative classrooms to setting up virtual field trips.
2. THERE ARE LOTS OF ACCESSORIES
Apple’s tablet can do a lot on its own, but Apple and many third-party providers make adapters, styluses and protective products that can help schools get the most of their tech investments. Look no further than Education Dive’s rundown of classroom-appropriate iPad accessories to see what options are out there.
(Image credit: Flickr user Tokyo Times)
3. SCHOOLS AROUND THE WORLD ARE USING THEM
While evaluating how schools are using iPads in 2013, we found plenty of schools in the U.S. finding ways to put the devices to use. The tablets have captured international interest as well, though, with a rural Swedish community using them to give students access to better teachers and Turkey looking into a $4.5 billion initiative that would purchase 15 million iPads.
4. UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY ALONE WANTED 11,000 IPADS
One of the largest announced single-school purchases for the year turned out to be in the Land Down Under. The University of Western Sydney unveiled an11,000-iPad agreement that would distribute Apple’s machines among all of its students and faculty.
5. THAT BUSINESS IS WORTH A LOT TO APPLE
You don’t need to look to Turkey to see how much money there is in the school tablet market. Los Angeles alone is spending $30 million on iPads. At $678 per unit, they’re going to be expensive, but the Los Angeles Unified School District will be getting them pre-loaded with special software.
(Image credit: Flickr user flickeringbrad)
6. APPLE’S OWNS A LOT OF GROUND IN EDUCATION
Education Dive recently performed a survey that looked at how popular Apple’s mobile devices are among university CIOs and higher ed tech institutions in general. According to the CIOs we spoke with, 72% of them useiPads for work. The same number of respondents indicated that their schools had chosen iPads for campus tech needs, and our results in general painted a picture of Apple’s foothold above Android in the education space right now.
7. THE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND USES THEM FOR PORTABILITY AND COLLABORATION
Matthew Trevett-Smith, an academic technology consultant who also teaches at the University of Richmond, explained his school’s iPad initiative to Education Dive last year. Faculty members came up with a range of reasons for integrating iPads into their learning environments. Simplifying course delivery and facilitating easier collaboration were just a couple of their goals.
8. LYNN UNIVERSITY REQUIRES THEM
Thanks to wireless infrastructure updates when the school hosted a presidential debate in 2012, Lynn University pushed forward with curriculum updates that now require incoming students to purchase iPad minis. The move played out as part of long-term plan and is expected to save the school as much as 50% of what it had been spending on course readings.
9. SCHOOLS HAVE PLENTY OF NON-IPAD CHOICES
From tablets with other capabilities to cross-platform curriculum options that prioritize accessibility on multiple devices, the iPad has lots of competition in schools. We recently looked at a wide range of iPad alternatives in schoolsand why they are worth considering when budgets and learning experiences enter the decision-making process.
10. IPADS INTRODUCE CHALLENGES, AS WELL AS POTENTIAL REWARDS
In the end, every university or school district that wants to optimize its technology plan needs to think about what it wants to gain or give up. We picked apart a few of the risks and benefits iPads bring to classrooms earlier this month. As with any technology purchase, no one device is best suited for every institution—but any serious tablet competitor right now needs to distinguish itself from Apple’s app store and touchscreens.
June 27, 2013
iPad Typing
The biggest hurdle in making the iPad a true replacement for a laptop is having the right keyboard.
What options do I have when Touch Typing on my iPad?
It is impossible to Touch Type using the touch screen keyboards on the iPad. Using just a few fingers (hunting and pecking) leads to inefficiency when inputting data and incorrect posture. There are other solutions now available.
Any numbers of manufacturers sell cases that have Bluetooth connected keyboards but watch out which one you choose. The problem with some cases is that by essentially attaching the keyboard to the iPad, it eliminates the ability to adjust the keyboard’s distance/placement with respect to the iPad. This makes for wildly bad ergonomics, and leads to inefficient/uncomfortable typing. Compound this with the fact that most of the keyboards that are connected to these cases lack the necessary tactile responsiveness, and you end up feeling like you’re typing on a toy.
Always look for a keyboard that is comfortable to the touch and that can be detached from the case.
Here are some options:
Use a Bluetooth Keyboard – If you’re planning on typing anything of length on an iPad, do yourself a favour and just connect an external Bluetooth keyboard to the iPad. It’s very easy to do, turn on Bluetooth and find the keyboard:
- Open Settings and tap “General” then “Bluetooth”
- Select the keyboard to pair
Use a Mac Keyboard – Don’t have a Bluetooth keyboard to spare? No problem, you can use a Mac keyboard to type on the iPad itself with the help of an app called Type2Phone. Type2Phone costs $4.99 on the Mac App Store, which is about $45 less than the cost of a new Bluetooth keyboard, not a bad deal when you consider that. You can copy and paste from a Mac directly to the iPad.
Trust in Auto-Correct – Auto correct can be a source of frustration, but it’s actually very smart, and learning to trust it a bit can really speed up typing on the iPad. While you’re typing and you see a disaster of letters that isn’t even close to what you intended to write, just keep typing, chances are good that it’ll auto correct to the proper word. Make sure auto correct is enabled:
- Open Settings and tap on “General” then tap “Keyboard”
- Swipe “Auto-Correction” to ON
For more information go to www.touchtyping4life.com or contact Zoe Clements
Qwertynomics 