NOTE:This post is being updated for today’s classroom (May 25, 2019)
Jul 12, 2017 Step One: Create a User Account for Assigned Access Rather than turn your entire computer into a locked-down kiosk system, Assigned Access allows you to create a separate user account that can only launch a single app. Next, press the home button to return to the home screen. Mac app photo strip. Open up your chosen app and once loaded, triple click the home button so that the Guided Access screen appears. Guided Access mode will begin, and your device will be locked down into one app.
Back in April 2013 when I first wrote this post, there were lots of great iPad apps for use in the classroom, but not all of us had access to school iPads. I knew quite a few teachers who had their own iPads (or iPad minis) so, of course, some teachers opted to use our own personal devices to bridge the gap.
Flash forward to May 2019, we have a world with divergent views on classroom technology, and mobile device use.
Of course, I’m biased. I highly approve of tech use in the classroom. There are pros and cons, absolutely. But, for me, the pros mostly outweigh the cons.
With Apple devices, iOS allow you to (kind of) lock down the device to a specific app. I say “kind of” because there are ways around it. More on that later…
There are lots of teachers out there who would never hand over their personal smartphone or tablet to a student. You’re just asking for trouble. The problem, of course, is that our iPads contain a lot of personal information that you don’t want your students rifling through: your contacts, emails, photos… Heck, you probably don’t want them flipping through your recently viewed movies on Netflix.
But there are lots of great reasons to use an iPad in the classroom: make a movie, create a stop motion animation, access accessibility features like voice over, or use a voice recording app so the student can demonstrate their understanding while drawing on the iPad. Some of us are brave (or crazy) enough to hand over our own personal devices to our students to use in the classroom.
Locking Down A Mac To Only Run One App Windows 10Why would you want to know how to lock your iPad screen to one app?
Unfortunately, Apple iOS doesn’t allow us to have multiple user accounts which means there’s one single user account on your iPad for teachers, family members, students, etc. https://stcutri.weebly.com/blog/my-mac-takes-forever-to-run-apps.
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This is one of the biggest downsides to having iPads in the classroom – multi-user management doesn’t really exist which means if you’re a teacher and you’re letting a student in your class use your own personal device, you run the risk of having students mess around with your stuff.
But, there is a way to lock your iPad screen to one app
There is a buried feature in iOS 6 that lets you lock your iPad and use only a specific app. You can disable all of the hardware buttons, the home button, and even parts of the touch screen so that a student can only use a specific app and not access your personal stuff.
How to return purchased mac app. A friend of mine recently showed me this trick at school, and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to find it. (How long has it been since iOS 6 came out?)
Guided Access lets you lock down your iPad so a student can only access one app. I believe it was originally designed to help students with disabilities (i.e. students on the autism spectrum) remain on task and focused on content.
In reality, Guided Access is something that every teacher who uses an iPad in the classroom should know about.
Let’s be honest. Most students (and adults) get distracted when we’re working, and want to flip to a more interesting app (or text our friends.) Using Guided Access helps us lock the iPad screen to a single app. (Although, there is a way around this. Read on.)
How to Lock your iPad Screen on one app: PART 1. Set up Guided Access
Although Guided Access does restrict you to one app, there are ways around it… and that’s a good thing. (Apparently there is a bug that sometimes locks you into guided access.)
Every time you enter the wrong password, your iPad will increase the amount of time you have to wait before you can try again. Guessing the password through brute force probably won’t work.
Holding down the power button (sleep / wake button) to reset the iPad won’t work either. You don’t get the little red slider button to shut down your iPad.
Here’s how to get out of an iPad locked with Guided access:
Locking Down A Mac To Only Run One Appropriate
(I’ve never had a problem getting out of Guided Access mode by using a hard reset, but apparently a few people have. Here’s another way using Find My iPhone.)
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