8 steps to optimize your iPad
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 18, 2024) — When it comes to productivity, students are pros. Masters of multitasking, students today know how to work more efficiently than any other generation of students. Through the use of technology, they have learned to tackle any obstacle with merely the touch of a screen.
Understanding the impact technology has on student success, the University of Kentucky provides first-year students with iPad Air devices, promoting seamless productivity in and out of the classroom.
In hopes of maximizing students' iPad optimization, we have compiled a list of how students can best utilize their iPad devices.
- Download apps for success. A core set of apps and web clips come pre-configured on your iPad and are available for download in the Self-Service app on your device. Use these resources as you live and learn as part of our campus community. You may also download additional apps through the Apple Store, using your personal Apple ID.
- Personalize your iPad. Increase your productivity using widgets. Widgets are a way to view current information at a glance — today’s headlines, weather, reminders, battery levels and more. You can view widgets in Today View and add them to your Home Screen or Lock Screen to keep this information at your fingertips.
- Organize your apps. Make it easier to find your apps and categorize your apps used for school and your apps used for leisure by adding them to your dock and by creating folders. To add an app to your dock, tap and hold an app icon until it enlarges, then drag the app to the dock at the bottom of the screen. Create a new folder by clicking on an app, holding your finger down and then dragging it over another app. Let go and the two apps will now appear in a folder, allowing fast access to your favorite apps.
- Manage your storage. Filling up quicker than a laptop, iPad storage is something that should be monitored. Your iPad can help. Go to Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage > Manage Storage and you can see what is taking up space. If that still does not allow enough space, using the cloud to store files is also a great option, as well as connecting your Google Drive and OneDrive for additional storage.
- Make learning more accessible and collaborative. Take notes while reading your textbook by making the most of the split-screen layouts. To access the split-screen features, touch the right edge of the screen and swipe to the left. A menu should appear giving you the option to open various apps. Once you select your second app, you can work side by side. To change the second app, touch the top of the screen on the right, and swipe down.
- Schedule in your calendar. Time management is key in college. To help with that, schedule all appointments, social events and classes in your calendar. That way you will receive reminders to keep you on track. You can also sync canvas to your calendar to get quick access to your assignment due dates.
- Sync your UK email to your device. Stay on top of your emails by having them sent directly to your iPad, allowing you to check emails on the go.
- Use your accessories. Handwrite your notes with your Apple Pencil, type on your Smart Keyboard or prop your iPad up with your case and relax with a movie. The accessories enhance the iPad and truly make it a multifaceted piece of technology.
- Workshops and office hours. students can attend iPad workshops to learn more tips & tricks. There are also setups in Willy T. where students can bring their iPad and have access to a second screen. The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) stations are located in Core 3 and outside of the Cisco Student Computer Lab in the basement of the William T. Young Library. These BYOD stations come equipped with a 24” monitor, full size keyboard, and mouse so students have a desktop like experience with iPad. Students with the newest 5th generation iPad Air can use the BYOD stations to resize and overlap apps to multitask with Stage Manager for even more room for all your apps and assignments.
To learn more about the iPad initiative and how UK is working to become one of the country’s most innovative campuses, click here.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.