Ipod Touch in Classroom? admin? advice?

[johnnyreb]

Hi,
I'm going to buy a few ipod touchs for children to use in school. Has anyone experience of managing these devices? I presume that i can control the installation of apps and make other restrictions. There seems to be a configuration tool available from apple for network management. Also, would you need to sync all the devices from one computer?
Any advice on this or any other aspect of ipod touchs appreciated.
thanks,
john.

[FN-GM]

You can get some software to configure them but it cant be done over the network. You can make basic restrictions out of the box using the built in parental controls. You do need a computer to sync them with.

[Abaddon]

You can use iTunes in activation mode to activate many devices without configuring accounts if you want the kids to have their own accounts. The devices can be locked down and some configuration done with the iPhone Configuration Utility (which is done via a USB connection), and there is in fact a network config tool of sorts based around SCEP and Mobile Device Manager (MDM)... your mileage may vary with this though.

[MDM]

We have just bought 20 odd of these and a Parasync Docking Station. The dock is expensive (around £1K) but it charges them all and connects up to itunes to sync them all simultaneously

I'm using itunes and iphone config util, it works but it's a lot of pain cancelling pop ups etc in itunes
and I haven't found a way to remove default apps yet, (or bulk re arrange screens) so they are all just shoved in a folder and put on another screen out of the way
setting up a profile in iphone config util restricts most things

If you're using a PC not a mac if find that itunes / config util locks up after I have more than 14 connected at a time - told it's to do with USB hardware

Also the PC version of itunes does not allow you to choose to sync all at once. it does however sync automatically when you plug them in tho
(You can choose what gets synced when they are plugged in on first set up)

Our school did not want to attach a credit card to an itunes account for apps so we got a gift card. There is a way to set up an itunes account without a credit card as long as you try to buy a free app first before you have an account, search the apple website for the guide

I think it would be worth trying setting one up first and then cloning all others from this one...
You can restore ipods from backups made automatically by itunes. On first set up you get the option to choose to restore it from a backup you specify
I haven't tried this yet but it makes more sense to me considering the management tools are hardly what i would call 'enterprise'

Another consideration is security marking... they are small and polished, the standard ink kit rubbed straight off, I had to get an engraver and scratch it in with a stencil. There is a tracking service you can sign up to, I haven't got that far yet and suspect it's very personalised which is not ideal for a school. Still if you could sign into a website and say 'there's our missing ipod' call the cops and i'll put the kettle on it would be worth it lol

All in they are a lot of work to set up and I haven't been able to restrict them as much as i would like, but obviously we hope they will have a really big impact
Would like to know how you get on and what you do with them we are starting out with maths apps and reinforcement of basic skills, but looking forward to doing more intereting stuff.

Cheers!

L

[moriartythemundane]

We have just bought 20 odd of these and a Parasync Docking Station. The dock is expensive (around £1K) but it charges them all and connects up to itunes to sync them all simultaneously

I'm using itunes and iphone config util, it works but it's a lot of pain cancelling pop ups etc in itunes
and I haven't found a way to remove default apps yet, (or bulk re arrange screens) so they are all just shoved in a folder and put on another screen out of the way
setting up a profile in iphone config util restricts most things

If you're using a PC not a mac if find that itunes / config util locks up after I have more than 14 connected at a time - told it's to do with USB hardware

Also the PC version of itunes does not allow you to choose to sync all at once. it does however sync automatically when you plug them in tho
(You can choose what gets synced when they are plugged in on first set up)

Our school did not want to attach a credit card to an itunes account for apps so we got a gift card. There is a way to set up an itunes account without a credit card as long as you try to buy a free app first before you have an account, search the apple website for the guide

I think it would be worth trying setting one up first and then cloning all others from this one...
You can restore ipods from backups made automatically by itunes. On first set up you get the option to choose to restore it from a backup you specify
I haven't tried this yet but it makes more sense to me considering the management tools are hardly what i would call 'enterprise'

Another consideration is security marking... they are small and polished, the standard ink kit rubbed straight off, I had to get an engraver and scratch it in with a stencil. There is a tracking service you can sign up to, I haven't got that far yet and suspect it's very personalised which is not ideal for a school. Still if you could sign into a website and say 'there's our missing ipod' call the cops and i'll put the kettle on it would be worth it lol

All in they are a lot of work to set up and I haven't been able to restrict them as much as i would like, but obviously we hope they will have a really big impact
Would like to know how you get on and what you do with them we are starting out with maths apps and reinforcement of basic skills, but looking forward to doing more intereting stuff.

Cheers!

L

We have bought around a hundred of these I pod touches and a few ipads over this last school year and they have been used predominately in Geography. They are about to start using them in English and Maths. Geog has had a massive success using them as the teachers involved are young and that way inclined. Syncing them with parasyncs is good but slow.
My problem is getting work off the ipods into a students workspace on ourCC3 network. We have been advised to look at web dav but its not something I have used and I feel its akin to the same problems as usb sticks when it comes to viruses!
What have you/others done to get around this problem?
Cheers
Moriarty...

[MDM]

Sorry late replying to this!

My problem is getting work off the ipods into a students workspace on ourCC3 network. We have been advised to look at web dav but its not something I have used and I feel its akin to the same problems as usb sticks when it comes to viruses!
What have you/others done to get around this problem?

I haven't got this far yet but we are in a similar situation (RM CC4 network)
It's pretty obvious we are all going to want network drive access and printing before long for any hand held device

The avenue I will looking down is an app like Estrongs File Explorer for android
I can browse all network shares on my CC4 network from my android phone wirelessly, it's pretty impressive the first time you pick up a doc from the network and open it on your phone

It uses SMB server which enables Unix devices to see windows shares (MAC OSX is unix based - they actaully ripped freeBSD) and i'm waiting to see if iOS is similarly unix based or not

In other words, there should be an app available soon if not already for iOS devices that enables them to access network drives. If there isn't then I'm going to suggest it to a few software developers

We are all going to want to do this soon

If you have any progress please keep me updated

Many thanks!

L

[moriartythemundane]

Thanks for the reply I will look up this app and see what its like! We have numerous staff members with android phones so this could be good news...I will of course keep you posted on anything we come up with. Sadly, or should that be hopefully/thankfully, Sept 2012 we will have a new network under Bsf and hand held devices are very much catered for...
Keep in touch!