Move to Mac - Philippines

Mac combines powerful performance with an experience that makes creating, learning and multitasking feel seamless. With MacBook Neo, that experience is becoming even more accessible for schools around the world.

This post provides additional resources to support the content explored in the ‘Move to Mac’ workshop.

Explore the resources below for:

👨🏻‍🏫 Educators to further their skills

👔 Leaders to strategically plan for Mac deployment, and

🧑🏽‍💻 IT teams to effectively support Mac across their organization.

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👩🏽‍🏫 Support for Educators

One of the most common questions educators ask when switching from Windows is “Can I still do what I’ve always done?” The short answer is yes - and in many cases, Mac makes those everyday workflows feel faster, simpler and more intuitive.

💻 Setup and navigate your desktop

One of the best things about Mac is how easy it is to personalize, helping your desktop feel organized, familiar and designed to work the way you do. Taking a few moments to customize your Mac can make navigating feel smoother and more efficient - helping you spend less time searching for things and more time focused on teaching, learning and creating.

In this section of the workshop, we took a tour of the Mac desktop and explored features that can help streamline everyday teaching workflows. We explored the Menu Bar and added commonly used tools like Screen Mirroring for quick access during classroom activities. We also unpacked Finder and the Dock, pinning frequently used apps and folders within this space so our important resources are always close by.

We personalized the trackpad (hello ‘right click 🙌🏻) and customized Widgets and the Control Center, building a practical “teacher toolkit” with quick access to commonly used tools and settings.

Watch the demonstrations below to revisit the key features and customization options we explored in this section.

First we looked at the Apple Menu, Trackpad setting and the App Menu.

We then explored Spotlight and how to customize Control Center and Notification Center.

We looked at how to customize our Desktop widgets.

Moving to bottom of the Desktop, we looked at the Dock and Finder.

Helpful resources:

• Use Finder on Mac
• Use Multi-Touch gestures on your Mac
• Add and customise widgets on Mac
• Use Control Center on Mac

💻 Connect to external accounts

The great thing about Mac is that it works seamlessly with the platforms and systems schools are already using every day including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for Education. Moving to Mac doesn’t mean leaving your usual workflows behind.

During the workshop, we explored how easy it is to connect Microsoft 365 on Mac including signing into accounts accessing files and working across apps like OneDrive, Word, Teams and Edge. We also discussed how Google workspace works beautifully on Mac through the web with tools like Google Drive docs slides, sheets classroom and Gmail easily accessible through your browser. 

For schools using Google workspace, Google Drive for desktop can also be installed (download from the Google website) on Mac so files can be accessed directly from Finder. These small setup steps help demonstrate how naturally Mac can fit into the systems and workflows your school is already using.

Helpful resources:

• Explore common Windows behaviours on Mac
• Transfer from PC to Mac with Migration Assistant

💻 Navigate your Mac

Once the basics are in place, Mac also includes a range of features that can help everyday tasks feel smoother and more efficient for teachers and students. Here we focused on some of the productivity workflows and ‘hidden gems’ that can save time, streamline tasks and support creativity.

We explored using Spotlight beyond a simple search - doing calculations, conversions and quick definitions. We experimented with AirDrop, Screen Mirroring, Screenshots, Screen recording and Siri - all tools that can support teaching, collaboration, content creation and classroom workflows.

Watch the demonstration below to revisit some of these amazing features! First we dove deeper into Spotlight, and AirDrop and Screen Mirror.

We then looked at options for capturing your screen and boosting productivity with Siri.

Helpful resources:

• Search with Spotlight on Mac
• Use AirDrop on Mac
• Use AirPlay and Screen Mirroring on Mac
• Take screenshots and screen recordings on Mac
• Use Siri on Mac

 👔 Support for Leaders 

For school and system leaders, how you plan and communicate the opportunity to move to Mac matters as much as the technology itself. What makes the difference in a successful deployment is how leaders approach the planning, communication and professional learning for educators.

• Refer to the Apple Education Communication Guide for guidance on planning the way you communicate the opportunity to Move to Mac for your community. 

• The Teaching with Mac Series of posts by Michelle Forrest, an Apple Professional Learning Specialist from Australia, provide a great resource to support teachers to get more out of their Mac. View Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 here.

• Encourage teachers to complete their Apple Teacher Mac Badges and document their learning in the Apple Teacher Mac Foundations Journal.

💻 Support for IT

A well-planned deployment makes the difference between a smooth transition and one that stalls. These resources help IT teams prepare, migrate and manage at scale the move to Mac.

The Get Started with Deploying Apple in Education video series focuses on the fundamentals of Apple deployment, and how to prepare your organisation for deploying and managing Apple devices. Topics are intended to help build comprehensive knowledge around all aspects of deploying Apple Devices, as well as related topics. Learn more about Mac Deployment Planning, Apple School Manager, Managed Apple Accounts, Device Enrolment and Device Management Service.

Finally, the Apple Deployment Guide for Education takes technology managers and technical administrators through the steps of deploying Apple devices successfully in your learning environment.

🌱 Continue Learning

As shared in the Move to Mac session, you'll find two more fantastic resources below to support you as you continue to explore Mac. First up is a resource designed to support Your First Week with Mac, featuring daily challenges for educators to complete as they familiarise themselves with their new Mac. The Mac Starter Guide for Education is another great resource that dives deeper into using Mac for teaching and learning.

You can also discover lessons and teaching materials designed by Filipino educators at the Apple Education Community. You can also browse the forum for lessons specific to Elementary School and High School.

I hope you enjoyed the Move to Mac session. Whether you were just getting started or already exploring what Mac can make possible in your school or system, I hope these resources support your next steps.

Attachments

Mac Starter Guide for Education.pdf

Download  (6.4 MB)

Attachments

Your First Week with Mac.pdf

Download  (1.8 MB)