Are you an Apple Watch owner? I am a BELIEVER in the amazing Apple Watch, especially for special educators. I am not a classroom teacher currently, and I cannot even believe how much easier my life would have been when I was if I had an Apple Watch. There are so many incredible and simple features that take guess work and extra gadgets out of the equation. Here are 3 uses for the Apple Watch specifically for special educators!
Timer and Stopwatch
Data is a huge part of the life of a special educator. The amount of time I have spent over the years fiddling with timers and adding new batteries to them is unmeasurable. The timer and stopwatch functions on this watch are worth every penny ALONE. To time assessments, latency, length of a behavior… right there on your watch! You can have timers go off silently with a vibration on your wrist or you can have it make sound. For me, this feature is one of the best Apple Watch uses for special educators!
Alarm
Once I finally got a smart phone, I began using alarms regularly in my classroom. This is how I could be ready for students to transition to PE, when I knew speech group was starting, when to administer medication, and that I knew it was 10 minutes before busses were arriving. In special education classroom, our students are constantly transitioning from therapies, centers, and classes. Having alarms I can set and rely on directly from my watch is SO CONVENIENT!
Weather
Outdoor time (and recess!) was a coveted time in my classroom, and could be spoiled pretty quickly due to the unpredictable weather of the midwest. Having a reliable weather report directly on my watch helped judge if PE would be outside, if we could have playground recess, or if a student’s outdoor walking break could go as planned.
Watch bands
The Apple Watch band that arrived with my watch (which I bought refurbished from Amazon!) is great, but I found over time that it really bothered my skin. After wearing this watch CONSTANTLY I learned that having a band that allows for that consistent wear is essential for me. I was gifted this super cute, versatile, and sensitive-skin friendly Apple Watch band from ShopAndi. I am SO grateful for it! After months of wear, I have no complaints. It has even gotten wet multiple times (my watch is waterproof!) and after simply letting it air dry, it’s totally back to normal.
If you want to snag this Jade Hexagon Scrunchie watch band (or check out their endless options of cute bands!), you can get 15% off using the code ALLIE15.
While you’re at it… check out their scrunchies. They also sent me this oversized sweater scrunchie and it’s the only thing I have been using in my ponytails and messy buns since I got it! Most scrunchies get really loose and hard to keep in your hair after a few wears (anyone else?). This scrunchie is made of really quality, soft, thick material and even in my unruly hair, it holds up perfectly.
What would you add as your favorite Apple Watch uses for special educators? Share your hacks and tips with us in the comments!
