Synchronicity....

According to Merriam-Webster, synchronicity is defined as:

Well, my iPads were not experiencing the full effect of synchronicity.  There have been a few inconsistencies that I want to document and then talk about how we have solved (piecemeal, at times) these issues presently.

When the IT Director set up our iPads, he downloaded the apps that we felt were a necessity for our students to use:  Keynote, Pages, and iMovie. (Thank you again, Dr. Iman, for investing in these!)  As I began to customize our iPads for my students instructional needs, I discovered that there were some iPads that would not sync wirelessly.  I assumed, at first, that the problem was the District iBoss filter.  However, after ensuring that each iPad was logged into the iBoss feature, there was still no syncing.  Boo.

So, Labor Day weekend, I met the IT Director (who may eventually contribute to this blog, but I will allow him to introduce himself) in my classroom to see if we could troubleshoot the iPads that wouldn't sync.  We did have to enter the App Store and enter the password.  Under the "purchased" tab, the apps that had been "purchased" (for free) had a little cloud beside them showing that they had previously been selected but had not been downloaded to THAT iPad.   The cute little clouds look like this, but first a warning....these are not the apps on my school iPads, this is an image that I found to use from the internet.  Lest anyone think that I am downloading Epic Fail and GameFly to my students' iPads.    :)

We simply had to click each cloud and the app wirelessly synced on each device.   Fixed?  Yes.  Tedious?  Yes.  The best solution?  Probably not, but this is a learning process and this is what we have learned, thus far.

In summary, if an app is failing to sync to some or all of your devices:
1.  Check to be sure that the device is logged into iBoss.
2.  Be sure that iTunes is open on your MacBook and that your MacBook is also logged into iBoss.
3.  Open the App Store and enter the password for the iTunes account.
4.  Finally, click on "purchased" and click the cloud icon beside the app that is not syncing.
5.  Sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

However, I will admit this doesn't always work.  I have had a few apps that get caught in the vortex of "installing" for no identifiable reason.  Don't worry there is a fix for that, too!

It will be included in my next post that addresses the trials and tribulations of attempting to sync Music that I have uploaded, rather than downloaded.

Additionally, I will try to be far more regular about posting as the school year has settled into a comfortable routine.
I am also looking forward to hearing from my colleagues as they contribute posts to this endeavor.