Art Teaching with a touch of Technology

I am often asked how to get their iPad or iPhone to do something.  Often when these devices are not playing nicely, there are some simple steps to fix it. Here are some tips on getting that Apple iOS device to play nicely.

WIFI is a great thing.  iPads, iPhones and iPods all love WIFI.  But, these devices will often stray from your WIFI.  I live in an apartment building, and most of my neighbors have unprotected WIFI.  My iPod Touch will often connect to their network, and I need to switch to my network. Most computers will allow you to set a preference as to which WIFI to connect to first, second, third and so forth.  But in iOS, not so much.  Unfortunately, this cannot be done on the device.  Here are some quick tips as to how to set up a preference for this on an iOS device. What do you need? A Mac or PC iPhone Configuration Utility for that computer ( MAC , PC ) iPad / iPhone / iPod cable for your device. All of these steps are done in iPhone Configuration Utility.  Other applications that support this procedure include Apple Configurator and Jamf's Casper Suite.  The other applications may look a bit different, but essentially are the same...

Siri maybe an overlooked piece of technology on the iPad. She is quirky, and doesn't always understand you, but the more you use her, the better it gets. In my life, I've used Siri to help my seven year old to have limits with his iPad. This has also helped him manage his time, and to remind him to do his chores, and get organized for the next day. I use Siri to check the weather, schedule appointments, and do some dictation when I cannot be bothered tapping it out. But you may wish to know all of her voice controls. Why not just ask her? Open Siri (hold the home button for a second) and say, "Siri, what can you do?" And she will tell you. Sources: http://www.apple.com/au/ios/siri/siri-faq/ http://osxdaily.com/2013/02/05/list-siri-commands/