Using Apple Classroom

Apple's Classroom app is a classroom management tool that allows you to facilitate classroom activities through your iPad. The content below will focus primarily on faculty use of the Classroom app, but staff may find the Classroom app helpful to use for the facilitation of meetings and other sessions. 

Please Note: There is a known bug that prevents instructors from sending Notability files to entire classes via the Classroom app. The workaround for this is to change the file format to PDF before you send and that should work to send to the entire class. 

What's New: Classroom now includes an Agenda tool that allows you to create lesson plans that incorporate into your classes. Learn more here. 

Using Apple Classroom Topics Covered

Privacy Policy

This policy is a starting point for you to use in your syllabus and share with your class/es. The language discusses how the Classroom is, how it will be used, and how it won't be used. The Classroom app allows you to see students' screens during your class time. It helps to have a conversation with students and provide them with the policy so they are aware of how you plan to use the app. 

Policy (can be customized for your use of the app and your class/es)

The Classroom app will be used in this course. The use of the Classroom app allows instructors to view the screens of students in the classroom and manage the devices for specific classroom activities. With Classroom, student iPad devices can be managed only during an active class session and no data is stored after a class session ends. The instructor cannot manage or view student devices outside of class. To ensure transparency when Screen View is active for a student’s screen in class, a notification at the top of your screen indicates that the screen is being viewed. You may access details of the specific instructor viewing your screen in Settings on your iPad. You must also approve of access to your dvice either once for the first entry to a class, or every time you enter the class, whichever options you prefer. Please be aware that this level of visibility will be possible during class time, so make sure you are using your iPad for on-task activities related to the course.  

Setting Up Your Instructor Profile

Add a photo of yourself and the name you want students to see or use.

Screenshot of Apple Classroom. There is a white background. In the top left, there is a circle with a blue outline and a blue silhouette of a person. To the right, there is text that says Emma. That is outlined with a pink box and a pink arrow. In the top right, there are two options: Edit and a plus icon. Both are in blue. Below that, to the left, there is bolded and larger text that says Classes. Below that there are two rows of squares with rounded corners. The first row has five items and they are each a different color with white text in the top left and a white icon in the bottom right. The first square is orange, the text reads Test, and the icon is an open book; the second square is blue, has text that says 2.0 9am: Meets at this time, and a globe icon; the third icon has a gray background, text that says 2.0 10am, and a stylus icon; the fourth square has a green background, with text that says 2.0 11am, and a microscope icon; and the fifth square has an orange background with text that reads Test, and a globe icon. The second row, first square has a red background, text that reads Test 719, and an open book icon; the second square in the second row has an orange background, text that reads 2.0 722, and a globe icon. The last square on this row has a white background with a blue plus icon in the center.
Screenshot of Apple Classroom. There is a white background with colorful squares in the background. In the top left, there is a gray silhouette of an icon. To the top right, there is text that says Edit and a plus icon. There is a dialog box open below. In the top left of the box, there is blue text that says Cancel. To the right, in the center, there is bolded text that says Teacher Information. To the right of that, there is grayed out text that says Done. Below that, there is a horizontal line. Below that, to the left, there is a circle with a gray silhouette of a person. In the bottom part of the Circle, there is a black bar and the words Edit on top of it. To the right, there is text that reads Emma. Below that, there is a thin horizontal line. Below the line, there is text that says This is the name and photo your students will see when they join your classes, share files with you, and when you are assisting them.

Creating Your Class/es

At the start of each semester, you’ll need to manually create a class for each class you’re using Classroom with. 

Screenshot of Apple Classroom. There is a white background. In the top left, there is a circle with a blue outline and a blue silhouette of a person. To the right, there is text that says Emma. In the top right, there are two options: Edit and a plus icon. Both are in blue. There is a square with a pink outline around the plus icon and a pink arrow pointing to it. Below that, to the left, there is bolded and larger text that says Classes. Below that there are two rows of squares with rounded corners. The first row has five items and they are each a different color with white text in the top left and a white icon in the bottom right. The first square is orange, the text reads Test, and the icon is an open book; the second square is blue, has text that says 2.0 9am: Meets at this time, and a globe icon; the third icon has a gray background, text that says 2.0 10am, and a stylus icon; the fourth square has a green background, with text that says 2.0 11am, and a microscope icon; and the fifth square has an orange background with text that reads Test, and a globe icon. The second row, first square has a red background, text that reads Test 719, and an open book icon; the second square in the second row has an orange background, text that reads 2.0 722, and a globe icon. The last square on this row has a white background with a blue plus icon in the center. There is a square around the plus icon and a pink arrow pointing to it.

Inviting Students

On the first day of class, you’ll need to invite students to join the class. After that, any time you open the class on the Classroom app, they should join automatically or be asked if they want to join the class, depending on their settings. 

Screenshot of Apple Classroom. There is a white background. In the top left, there are three grayed out icons. The first one is a series of squares as an icon. The second one looks like a compass. The third one looks like a dropbox. To the right, there are three items. The first is an icon that shows four circles. To the right, there is a circle with three dots inside it. The last is grayed out text that says Select. Below that, there is bolded headline text that says All Students.
Screenshot of the Apple Classroom invite settings. There is a white background. Centered in the top is a gray silhouette of a person in a circle with a gray circle and a white plus icon. Below that, there is blue text to the left that says Cancel. To the right of that, centered, there is text that says Invite 1 Student. To the right of that is blue text that says Add. There is a square in pink around that text. Below that, there is a circle with a thumbnail of a dog. On top of the circle, there is a blue circle with a white checkmark. Below that is black text that says Emma. At the bottom of the screenshot, there is a horizontal line. Below the line, there is text: 6403 that is larger and in gray. Below that, in body text, is text that says Ask your students to go to Classroom in Settings or System Preferencecs and enter the code to join this classroom. Below that is a horizontal line. Below the line is blue text that says AirPlay Class Code. To the left of the text, there is a blue monitor icon.

Starting Class

With all of your students in the class, you can use the features of Classroom and go to any app and use AirDrop via the Sharrow icon. I.e. You can go to Safari, then use the Sharrow icon to send students to a website.

Screenshot of Apple Classroom. There is a white background. In the left of the screenshot, there are two icons. The first has a series of overlapping squares and is outlined in pink. There is a pink arrow pointing to it with red text that says Pushes all students to an app. The second icon looks like a compass. There is a blue square around it. There is a blue arrow pointing to it and blue text that says Push all students to a bookmark in Safari or a book within Apple Books. To the right of that, there is an icon with four circles. There is a pink box around it and text that says Change view of student iPads. To the right of that, there is a circle icon with three dots. To the right, there is text that says Select. Below all of that, to the left, is bolded headline text that says All Students. Below that, there is a circle with a thumbnail. Below that, there is text that says Emma and grayed out text that says 10 apps. All of that has a black square around it. There is a black arrow pointing to the square and text below it that says Tap an individual student icon to open options for individual students.

Ending Class

Screenshot of Apple Classroom. Background is gray. There are three icons. The first is in orange and is four circles. The second is a grayed out icon of a circle with three dots in it. There is a pink square around it. Below it, there are six menu options open. They are: Invite students (with a circle with a silhouette of a person and a black circle with a white plus icon); Remove Students (with a black circle with a silhouette inside and a black circle with a thin white line inside of it); Lock (with a lock icon); Hide (with an icon of an eye with a slash through it); Mute (with an icon of a horn with a slash through it); and End Class with a red circle with a red "x" inside of it. The last option has a red square around it. The third item in the top right menu is Select.
Screenshot of Apple Classroom app. Across the top, there is a gray bar. In the top right, there is blue text that says Done. Below the gray bar, there is an area in white. In the top left of that area is text that reads App Usage 1 app: tap on an app to see which students opened it during clastime. Below that is circle icon wiuth red, green, and yellow segments as well as a blue center. Below that there is text that reads Google Chrome: All Students. Below that, there is bolded text that reads Students: All students joined. Below that is text that says, tap on a student to see which apps they opened during class. Below that is a circle with a thumbnail of a dog. Below the circle, there is text that says Emma: 1 app. There is then a menu that is open that has a gray bar in it. To the left in the gray bar is the same circle icon as above (red, yellow, and green segments with a blue center) and the text, Google Chrome: 1 student. To the right of that, there is a dark gray line. A portion of the line (on the right side) is filled in blue.
 When using educational technology tools, be FERPA aware. To learn more, visit the Registrar's FERPA Guidelines site.