BYOD Solutions - Edugate

[mattianuk]

If your school has the average intake then yes. If your school took only from the poorest 10% they it would be 57% of pupils wouldn't it?

 

it depends entirely on the intake, maybe you should re-read my post, where I said 40%- 50% of our intake is from that poorest 10%. Some schools probably have 1-2% from the poorest 10%.

 

But then your pupil premium will obviously increase based on those figures. Also, why just pupil premium to fund it? Parents can find the lower monthly payments suitable. Many fund things like this through finance anyway - so the prohibitive costs are no longer there which enables many to take advantage.

 

Also, the Frog research - internet via a computer - does that include tablets? Laptops? our RD can be accessed by tablet over 3G - I have known schools to fund 3G dongles for pupils.

[Garacesh]

Doesn't something-gate usually imply a scandal these days?

[Joanne]

If your school has the average intake then yes. If your school took only from the poorest 10% they it would be 57% of pupils wouldn't it?

 

it depends entirely on the intake, maybe you should re-read my post, where I said 40%- 50% of our intake is from that poorest 10%. Some schools probably have 1-2% from the poorest 10%.

 

My school has 74% Pupil premium...

 

ON TOPIC: looks like a good idea. I might suggest this to my other school where the parents are a bit more well off!!

Edited October 20, 2014 by Joanne

[Millgate]

My school has 74% Pupil premium...

 

ON TOPIC: looks like a good idea. I might suggest this to my other school where the parents are a bit more well off!!

 

Thanks Joanne

 

We've had interest from people from all walks of life. If I'm being honest, the people who seem to be the most enthusiastic are the people you would consider to be not "well off"

 

Any questions though, just say

[VeryPC_Colin_M]

My 2 pence worth as this thread has moved away from the benefits of this brilliant scheme;

 

I've spoken to parents, staff and pupils in the planning stages, roll out and deployment of this scheme and the response from those parents who you'd consider to be "less well-off" is overwhelming - effectively they can provide their kids with up to date and insured devices for a pretty small monthly fee without having to worry about what'll happen if it gets broken, or if it's compatible with the schools network etc

 

They're also keen on the fact that the devices will be fused into the curriculum to engage learning using technology. So the parents are pretty cool with it no matter what the background. After all they can keep the devices at the end.

 

The Edugate team are brilliant at removing brand snobbery from the equation too as devices are selected according to the ICT and SLT terms, mobile device management and deployment is covered in the planning stages of the scheme in order to select the most appropriate Windows / Android / Apple devices, network requirements etc - brilliant way to convince higher ups that it isn't all about iPads too..

 

Also any scheme that takes the burden of payment collection away from the school is a bonus, and this is one such project. Any scheme that can free up the ICT budget and put the onnus onto community led and parent funded digital learning is also a dream come true right?!

[Lonix]

Where shall I start, FYI I am speaking from experience with the below of many years. I won’t go in to too much detail but I just hope this is useful, my current Tablet report is 6 pages long and not even finished.

 

Topic 1 the EduGate Scheme.

 

Have to say this is a good scheme to use, we have recently started on this and although it has been a nightmare 90% of this is not down to EduGate.

I am currently working at a School which is now in its multiple Year of running a Mobile Device Scheme and I call it that, not a BYOD Scheme mainly for the reasons that implies users should bring their own ones in.

 

The positives of the Scheme provided by EduGate:

 

• 3 Year Insurance and 3 Year Extended Warranty.
  
• Allows the Parent to contact the Portal for Warranty/Insurance and Payment methods.
  
• Doesn't completely remove the School participation, we sign up on behalf of the very few Parents who don't have internet/PC access.
  
• You gain access to the Portal to see details about the what Parent has what device, warranty and insurance claims plus the Parent username and password to the Portal. This allows at least some Support if you want to.
  
• EduGate will accommodate the devices you want but always best to confirm with them.
  
• The two guys at EduGate that I have primarily dealt with have been great, sorry guys I am naming you Luke and Ant.
  
• Any questions you have for the guys and they are very useful.
  

 

There is some negatives but again most of this was out of their and my teams power:

 

• Shipments, you are relying on Manufacturers to get a large amount of devices to EduGate then to you.
  
• Get Parents signed up by Mid-June latest.
  
• Provide accurate information to exactly what the Warranty/Insurance covers. We have Parents who seem to think Warranty covers cases which have obviously suffered abuse.
  

 

Still got plenty of time to go before I really can evaluate it though but good positives so far.

 

Topic 2 - The Pro's and Cons of the Mobile Device Scheme or BYOD

 

This bit is going to hurt:

The sheer arrogance with som comments I have witnessed over the years is similar to the Pro Apple arguments I have had from Music Departments. The lack of experience and knowledge really does show.

Do apologize if that insults anyone but the biggest gripe I have with some BYOD Schemes is the lack of actual facts and ignorance to the negatives. Sometimes I have had backdoor conversations with Staff from other Schools to learn the facts because people have been afraid of their jobs or being "political" over their Schemes. The BYOD/Mobile device Scheme is not a magic bean to create a positive impact on education. Some of the articles I have read through feel more about defending their decision for the Scheme instead of showing its positive impact on education and our children.

 

Now that little piece is out of the way, here is some useful bits:

To make it truly work you will need the backing of everyone, in our case we have had to back SLT who made the decision for this Scheme. Me and my team have gone beyond the "call of duty" for the job to make this work. Doing your homework is your best friend, visit plenty of Schools, talk to Staff and not just those advertising the Scheme.

 

Remember you are dealing with Parents and Children. I do believe the Scheme can work but it is not simple, easy and there is a high chance it will not benefit your School as much as some think. It is still IT and it can break, fail and cause 10 out of 30 Students to lose valuable learning time just from a single class. There is also cost implications even though some Schools have claimed it will save them money I have seen otherwise. Doesn’t take long to work out the full cost of the Scheme.

 

The positives:

I do believe having Internet access or software access any time of the day is a real benefit of the Scheme. The biggest benefit is time saving and hassle, instead of going to the library to get a book or on to their home device (PC, Mac etc) they already have their own one. The Student is able to pull it out of their bag, load it up and gain access to the internet or their files. And with Wi-Fi being pretty much anywhere these days and still growing they have a high chance of Internet access. They also don’t carry around 5-10 books all day and take visits to their lockers every lesson.

As a result of having the device, they gain access to their email which can be used instead of printing. They gain access to your online services, homework, timetables, courses, videos, work areas, calendars – You name it.

 

Also for the Myth that not many Parents have internet access at home, I have to ask - have you actually done a survey for your new intake? Did you ask them Internet access and/or Wi-Fi access (some even have dongles).

Our recent intake of 260 Students had around 2-3% that had no Internet Access/PC device at home. Those Students will be looked after by my team directly in regards to the Scheme. Also it is important to be clear what you are asking when doing the survey. I have witnessed Students and Parents not knowing the what Wi-Fi and Internet Access is. Some Parents thought the Internet was something that PCs had and Wi-Fi was Tablets and mobile phones.

 

Cost saving

Free School Meal Students and Pupil Premium are provided with a device. This is by no means a cost saving method if you have a high amount of Students that require PP and FSM, this added up to around 25% of our intake. It doesn’t take long to work out how much this all costs. You will need insurance/warranty and a case. Have you also considered a Keyboard case, a good portion of the screen is lost due to the on screen keyboard.

 

Work loads: Most Schools have kept their PC/original systems in place due to the availability of software on Tablets. It is still another 5 years away from being up to scratch for education and business’s. As a result some Schools have even employed additional IT Staff to cope with the Schemes. Some have even used Support/Teaching Assistants to assist in the Scheme.

 

In January I will be producing a report on the current Tablet Scheme we are providing. Having already done one for the previous years. I say how it is in the report regardless if mistakes have happened even within my team.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I do think it can work and be a benefit but I have rarely seen the enhancement that some claim. If anyone wants to PM me you are more than welcome.

[pcstru]

@Lonix, a fantastic detailed, considered contribution. Thank you.

[Millgate]

Thanks for that @Lonix. As pcstru said, an excellent post

[Millgate]

Worth having a read through this. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Edugeekers get a pizza when they request an appointment with the Edugate guys so make sure they know who you are

 

Edugate Secondary School.pdf

[DrCheese]

@Lonix - Did you write that report in the end? If so is there any chance of getting hold of a copy?

@Millgate - Do you do this scheme for more than just iPads? I'm becoming more and more excited about the Windows 10 range of tablets & would potentially look at going down this route for our BYOD scheme should we start one here. It's all very pie in the sky at the moment but we're reaching a point where we're wondering if it's worth carrying on equipping full on IT suites when students could be given a 1:1 device instead.

I completely disagreed with iPads as they offered very little in the way of management but I think tech's reaching a point now where it's doable.

[Millgate]

@Lonix - Did you write that report in the end? If so is there any chance of getting hold of a copy?

@Millgate - Do you do this scheme for more than just iPads? I'm becoming more and more excited about the Windows 10 range of tablets & would potentially look at going down this route for our BYOD scheme should we start one here. It's all very pie in the sky at the moment but we're reaching a point where we're wondering if it's worth carrying on equipping full on IT suites when students could be given a 1:1 device instead.

I completely disagreed with iPads as they offered very little in the way of management but I think tech's reaching a point now where it's doable.

 

Hey @DrCheese,

 

The scheme can be tailored to fit any schools needs. It doesnt have to be Apple. That is the most popular choice but we've done schemes for Android and Windows too

 

Feel free to drop me an email and I'll send you more info across. Also, we can come out to see you if you wish?

 

Luke

[Lonix]

@Lonix - Did you write that report in the end? If so is there any chance of getting hold of a copy?

@Millgate - Do you do this scheme for more than just iPads? I'm becoming more and more excited about the Windows 10 range of tablets & would potentially look at going down this route for our BYOD scheme should we start one here. It's all very pie in the sky at the moment but we're reaching a point where we're wondering if it's worth carrying on equipping full on IT suites when students could be given a 1:1 device instead.

I completely disagreed with iPads as they offered very little in the way of management but I think tech's reaching a point now where it's doable.

 

Completed at the time yes but it does need some serious altering and updating. PM me if you want it and I will send it to you.