Parents to confront School governors over iPads

[Simcfc73]

Absolutely ridiculous, don't these parent realise pupils cannot be educated without them. they should be thanking the school for blue sky thinking out of the box and introducing collaborative learning to the responsive thinkers.

 

Parents to confront Prince Henry's School governors over iPads (From Wharfedale Observer)

[Tesla]

I think half the problem is the fact they are being emotionally blackmailed into paying £10 a month for the free education the kids should get in state schools.

[localzuk]

Are you being sarcastic? I couldn't see through the buzzwords...

 

The idea of a device per child has yet to be shown to improve standards as far as I can see. In fact, I've seen at least one study which showed a drop in performance.

 

The questions posed are important - if they are so good for education, then why should parents have to pay extra for them? Why iPads? etc...

 

The Asus VivoTab Smart with keyboard attachment (runs Windows 8.1, has a 9 hour battery, runs normal applications etc...) comes in at around £300 at education prices, and is a better suited device as well!

Edited January 16, 2014 by localzuk

[Bompalompalomp]

When I was in High School, the school pressured all of the new parents to pay for Microsoft PDAs. They never got repaired, the classes hardly ever used them and thieves targeted the Year 7s with them. Making parents pay for a test run of tech rarely ever works out in anyone's benefit. Most of them never made it out of year 7, and they were outdated the next years.

[hardtailstar]

We had a similiar scheme for laptops,

 

I dont think it raised the education of children as they just installed games on them and broke them!

 

The school is in for a nightmare with the payments and chasing those that dont pay!

[APMerry]

I'm sick of iPads. £400 web browser.

[Tesla]

That aside though, i was recently an an ACS iPad How-to / disguised sales pitch, and through apple they were offering parents a similar scheme, but at the end, they got to keep the ipads, which sounds like a slightly better deal than forking out the money with possibly no return.

[abillybob]

That is ridiculous a state school trying to get parents to pay for an iPad to rent for a while! Don't agree with this if the school can't afford the technology don't buy it! There are so many schools out there that can give a way an iPad for use in school for free so why can't they! Plus the parents are questioning the educational benefits because giving a kid an iPad is just the same if not worse in my opinion then giving them a full functioning laptop which I'm sure the school already own!

[bladedanny]

Rough cost of iPad2 ~£280. £10 a month over three years £360. Would the parents be paying too much?

[localzuk]

Rough cost of iPad2 ~£280. £10 a month over three years £360. Would the parents be paying too much?

 

Why would it be the iPad 2 now, with that being several year old technology?

[X-13]

Rough cost of iPad2 ~£280. £10 a month over three years £360. Would the parents be paying too much?

 

You're forgetting any bulk discounts the school gets.

 

Or, they could be leased. Which would increase the price.

[bladedanny]

Why would it be the iPad 2 now, with that being several year old technology?

 

Cheaper, even if it's an iPad mini or Air I've just had quotes that came in less than £360. Obviously it depends on the model bought, but I'd say a 16GB one would suffice.

Edited January 16, 2014 by bladedanny

[GREED]

So at the end of the 3 years one would assume the family owns the iPad... at £360 over 3 years taken depreciation into account more than covers the cost... or is this in fact a money making scheme.

 

Whoever thought this was a good idea in the first place I hope is considering their position...

[Tesla]

Rough cost of iPad2 ~£280. £10 a month over three years £360. Would the parents be paying too much?

 

Same logic as paying for an expensive product monthly anyway.

[Dave_O]

When I was in High School, the school pressured all of the new parents to pay for Microsoft PDAs. They never got repaired, the classes hardly ever used them and thieves targeted the Year 7s with them. Making parents pay for a test run of tech rarely ever works out in anyone's benefit. Most of them never made it out of year 7, and they were outdated the next years.

 

When I were a lad, we had a pen and some paper if you were lucky! Any you try and tell the young people of today that.. and they won' believe you.

[localzuk]

Cheaper, even if it's an iPad mini or Air I've just had quotes that came in less than £360.

 

You don't choose technology based on its price for schemes like this. You base it on functionality, availability and suitability. The iPad 2 is old tech, and therefore means it won't run 'new' apps designed for the higher resolution screens of newer models etc... Plus, the scheme they are using may not offer that model.

 

Next, there's spec. The 16GB iPad Air comes in at £320 base price. 16GB is pretty much useless, space wise - some apps are several gigabytes! So, you want at least 32GB, and that is another £150, base price.

 

Also, take into account extended warranty and insurance.

[Quackers]

I dont understand why they need parents to pay for them? The school has a budget if it cannot fit them in, the school cannot afford them. We have had 1:1 ratio of ICT in Years 9,10 and 11 since 2009, it works really well and nobody in the school wants to go back to laptop trolleys and booking ICT rooms.

[GREED]

some apps are several gigabytes!

 

Such as?

[GREED]

if it cannot fit them in, the school cannot afford them.

 

I have a suspicion this was the point.

[bladedanny]

You don't choose technology based on its price for schemes like this. You base it on functionality, availability and suitability. The iPad 2 is old tech, and therefore means it won't run 'new' apps designed for the higher resolution screens of newer models etc... Plus, the scheme they are using may not offer that model.

 

Next, there's spec. The 16GB iPad Air comes in at £320 base price. 16GB is pretty much useless, space wise - some apps are several gigabytes! So, you want at least 32GB, and that is another £150, base price.

 

Also, take into account extended warranty and insurance.

 

Fair points, I guess I should have worded it 'Could the parents be paying too much' depending on what specs they get.

[localzuk]

 

Such as?

 

OK. I'm referring to games... but still, if a mobile game can hit that size, there's no reason other apps can't! Tapped Out hits 1GB on my phone. The guidelines allow for apps to be up to 2GB in size.

 

If you look at programs that 'sync' videos or the like over, those can eat space in minutes.

[X-13]

 

Such as?

 

Mostly GPS apps with maps. There's a 2GB limit on iOS apps [unless it changed].

[bladedanny]

OK. I'm referring to games... but still, if a mobile game can hit that size, there's no reason other apps can't! Tapped Out hits 1GB on my phone. The guidelines allow for apps to be up to 2GB in size.

 

If you look at programs that 'sync' videos or the like over, those can eat space in minutes.

 

Referring to games might not be that daft though. If it is their iPad, surely they can put whatever games they like on it.

[GREED]

Mostly GPS apps with maps. There's a 2GB limit on iOS apps [unless it changed].

 

In that case I wish Google maps would follow suit... when I am out and about and need a map and wait an eternity to download the next section via 2G...

[rad]

And the little darlings won't be able to write their names soon if they only know a qwerty keyboard.

 

My handwriting is poor thanks to the lack of time spent writing with a pen