In a year apart, Apple technology helped educators and learners stay connected

Over the last year, as bedrooms and kitchens became classrooms, teachers and students around the world adjusted their lives to remote learning. Educators met that challenge head-on, using Apple technology to help their students learn, connect, and thrive in new ways. From launching an online high school musical, to exploring history with iMovie and GarageBand, to producing a virtual graduation ceremony, educators in the US and beyond created innovative ways of teaching that will be carried forward for future generations of learners.

After 2020’s musical was cancelled because of COVID-19, drama and film teacher Anthony Stirpe decided he was going to make sure the school’s students were able to put on a show this year. He reimagined every aspect of the production, using iPhone, iPad, and Mac to shoot and edit the vignettes and songs remotely, and, when in person, socially distanced.

“The musical is based around the idea of adults looking back to high school and remembering the kid inside all of us,” says Stirpe. “A lot of the material is about loss or regret, or overcoming something, and I wanted the students to see that, yes, this is a difficult moment, but we all deal with difficult moments in our own special way. And one day, you’ll tell this story like you’re telling these people’s stories.”