Which mobile device for students?

[witch]

It's happened - the HT has asked me to look into tablets/netbooks/hybrids etc This is all very well but a bit unfair on my suppliers as they have to do a load of research and give me loads of quotes.

 

Initially he wanted a windows tablet/hybrid and I am looking at a couple, including VeryPC's offerings.

 

Personally I think they will need a keyboard but he didn't seem to think so - probably because he has an ipad.

 

He did say he didn't really want ipads but I think this was cost really - I pointed out that I know absolutely nothing about them, have no idea how to manage them and on three hours a day it might be a bit tough - but train me and I will give it a go!

 

So..and yes, I know this question has been asked many times - which way do I go? Should I look at ipads? What is the cost implication versus Windows 8 tablets?

 

I feel that I cannot be held responsible for this (again) but he is looking at me to come up with a solution - as I have many times before.

 

He wants something to replace our old Samsung NB30 netbooks which are now so slow as to be almost unusable. They were bought as a sort of portable IT suite which is why I think a replacement could really do with a keyboard as the children WILL be using Word etc. So probably not as basic as Chromebooks...

 

Sinking here - help

[mjk]

So probably not as basic as Chromebooks...

 

There is a windows version of these for double the price.

ThinkPad Yoga 11e Chromebook | Lenovo Â| Lenovo UK

[Sagima]

We replaced our primary school classroom-use netbooks with iPads - half in 2013 and half in 2014. They are almost universally loved by teachers and students as a classroom tool - we made the error of not getting in an MDM to sort them out but I'm intending to rectify that over the summer so we can start using paid apps on them. they are much preferred over the netbooks. No keyboards but we did buy some bright cases for them.

The High School still uses mostly fixed IT suites but most teachers allow students in years 10+ to use byod in normal lessons if they find it helps them and doesn't distract. Individual teachers decide on a per lesson basis as it was felt they were best placed to know the effect.

Teacher's laptops got replaced last year with either an iPad with a keyboard or a Lenovo Miix2/Surface Pro for those who wanted to do actual work on their device (about 30% iPad, 70% windows takeup). This year we are thinking of a Lenovo Yoga or Flex.

 

Software costs aren't huge and as long as I get a free mdm that should be fine. There were slightly more expensive than the netbooks but they are used an awful lot more as well.

Edited June 4, 2015 by Sagima

[witch]

We replaced our primary school classroom-use netbooks with iPads - half in 2013 and half in 2014. They are almost universally loved by teachers and students as a classroom tool - we made the error of not getting in an MDM to sort them out but I'm intending to rectify that over the summer so we can start using paid apps on them. they are much preferred over the netbooks. No keyboards but we did buy some bright cases for them.

The High School still uses mostly fixed IT suites but most teachers allow students in years 10+ to use byod in normal lessons if they find it helps them and doesn't distract. Individual teachers decide on a per lesson basis as it was felt they were best placed to know the effect.

Teacher's laptops got replaced last year with either an iPad with a keyboard or a Lenovo Miix2/Surface Pro for those who wanted to do actual work on their device (about 30% iPad, 70% windows takeup). This year we are thinking of a Lenovo Yoga or Flex.

 

Software costs aren't huge and as long as I get a free mdm that should be fine. There were slightly more expensive than the netbooks but they are used an awful lot more as well.

 

That could be the problem for me - I am term time only and 3 hours a day - I'm sure I could manage them once they were sorted but I don't have the time or expertise to set it all up myself.

So were the staff just using the apps that came with the ipads then? Are they standalones? What about saving work?

I love the Yogas we have in my other school but they aren't cheap!

[Sagima]

They have just been using free apps so far. We take them in each half term and restore an updated backup to each (we have just over 50) containing the apps they want to use and the latest version of iOS.

With both purchases we managed to get an apple training day for the teachers which was run as a day-long drop in session with the trainer showing how they could be used to deliver lessons.

They print their work via the papercut app. We don't have anything to do with them outside of the half-termly updates. They never bother us with problems with them. Although I was dubious before they are much less of a burden than the netbooks were (especially as the apprentice does the updating)

I don't know if they save things anywhere - we've certainly not told them or helped them with that and whenever we've asked we've been told it is fine t wipe them - there's nothing that needs to be kept.

They are used in years 3-6. Full-sized iPads - the minis were too small (I didn't argue)

[witch]

Thanks for the info

This school is years 5-8 so I don't know if that means KS3 are more likely to want to save things

I shall enquire!

No papercut or similar here

[ICT_GUY]

Thanks for the info

This school is years 5-8 so I don't know if that means KS3 are more likely to want to save things

I shall enquire!

No papercut or similar here

 

I am going through this at the moment.

 

We have the direct internet connection to SWGFL by passing county. We have two vlans, and three SIDs. We had to invest heavily in our wireless infrastructure as that greatly affects user experience. I know first hand how dire the internet connections are in Dorset. Plus you were one of the more vocal people at the broadband meeting I seem to remember.

 

As for devices. We have Ipads. It is a headache. Lots of hoops to jump through and they cost a lot to buy. Near vertical learning curve and very little seems to make sense at first. It is rumored that things are in for a major shake up next year.

 

Biggest hurdle for me is managing SMT / Teacher expectations. But I am 90% there, I hope.

 

If I had to make a choice at the moment. I would go with windows tablets. In an ideal world I would have chrome books but they are not as desirable as ishinny devices.

[NB9457]

To be fair, iPads aren't as hell like as people make out, if you set them up right.

 

The best system to manage iPads is to buy a Mac Mini, do the base setup through that, then pair the Mini up with Meraki creating on overall powerful tool. With them both combined, you can trace down iPads, erase them, restrict them, update them and silently roll out and credit where it's due, being Apple, it is fairly easy to set up, you could go in blind and work it out in a short time!

[localzuk]

You can't really decide upon a technology unless you know what they want them for. Are they just going to be a "browse and research" device? Or are they intended for content creation and saving of work etc...?

 

If the prior, any tablet will do pretty much, iPad, Surface 3, Android tablet etc... They can all do it.

 

If you want the latter, then it depends how you implement it. If you want to just be able to install directly to your existing network without a learning curve, then Windows 8 tablets are the way forward - but bear in mind that actual "touch" apps are still pretty limited on Windows 8. iPads can do saving, but will require some work to figure out how - either via a specific app that integrates, or via your VLE etc... Same with Android.

 

iPads appear to be a little more "controllable" at the moment, MDM-wise, than Android. So, they might be easier to manage overall, but they cost a significant amount more.

[ICT_GUY]

being Apple, it is fairly easy to set up, you could go in blind and work it out in a short time!

 

Once you have it worked out. Getting your head around it is the hard part. They whole system at the moment is a giant kludge. Ipads are stand alone devices and have been shoehorned into an environment they have not been designed for. It is not intuitive and there does not seem to be a definitive guide. (things are changing too fast) Meraki does make it easier.

[foofighterjim]

Once you have it worked out. Getting your head around it is the hard part. They whole system at the moment is a giant kludge. Ipads are stand alone devices and have been shoehorned into an environment they have not been designed for. It is not intuitive and there does not seem to be a definitive guide. (things are changing too fast) Meraki does make it easier.

 

Haven't Meraki set a limit on the number of devices you can enrol for free now though? Or is my mind making things up again.

[NB9457]

Haven't Meraki set a limit on the number of devices you can enrol for free now though? Or is my mind making things up again.

 

It's 100 I think.

[Chipie]

I was asked the same question a while ago, and like yourself I was limited on time. The school has a couple of ICT suites, teachers have a mixture of PC's, windows Laptops and iPads. Our school ranges from Reception all the way through to sixth form so you can imagine the headache. To make it easier I didn't want multiple devices, I was after 1 device fits all.

 

I discovered in my school that the younger children are better off using a touchscreen, while as they worked their way through the school a keyboard became a necessity, especially when using word etc. I was surprised at how young most the children prefer to use keyboards. We found a combination of keyboard and touchscreen increased workflow and meant they were asking for less help using the equipment. I would say a vast majority of the children at the school have been bought up on Apple devices, but they have surprised us with how quick they hVe picked them up.

 

We are using Terra Pad 1060 with keyboard cover, I believe these are the same of similar to VeryPCs. Cost wise, they came with Windows 8.1 with Bing, our Microsoft Volume License covered us so we installed Windows 8.1 Enterprise and Microsoft Office. As long as we have a license for all full time staff, this covers the Microsoft products to be installed on all equipment on site. They are 32GB so each person who uses one has their personal drive mapped to a specific drive letter meaning they aren't limited to storage and ALL their work is backed up.

 

The great thing about sticking with the Microsoft infrastructure is that we can still use GP on all the equipment making it easy to administer. We built the image and copied it onto each making it very quick to build them all. Charging is via a 10 port fast USB charger, meaning teachers can easily move groups of these tablets around and always have them charged. Although running a full windows system on a tablet does zap the battery, they don't last as long as iPads, but we haven't had a problem with them dying, everyone has been surprisingly good at charging them when not in use.

 

Multi USB port chargers can be quite expensive, but if you look around and do your research you can get a bargain.

 

This might not be the right path for everyone, but it means whoever in the school picks up a tablet, reception class, year 7, sixth former or teacher, they instantly know where to go and how to use it. If they struggle, other teachers and pupils can help.

[unixman_again]

We're trialling these amongst students and staff, which I've listed in order of popularity :

• Hisense Sero 8-inch Tablet
  
• HP 8 G2
  
• Hannspree HannsPad 10.1 inch Tablet
  
• hudl 2
  
• Linx 8 inch Tablet
  

The HP's look good but the HiSense have better battery life. The Linx are proving to be very unpopular - they are very slow and Outlook cannot be connected to our email system - I can't remember why, but I think it has to do with proxys. All of our students have Office 365, which seems to work OK on all of the tablets. Of course, none of these are as popular as the iPads which some staff have. We have a class set of iPads too. We're looking to roll out tablets to all students next year, as I suspect we'll be going a mix of the first two.

[jmak]

Have a look at the Acer travelmate - touchscreen windows notebook and the Acer switch 11. Could be a good option if you want a half decent keyboard and touch screen for sensible money. I suspect that the lenovo 11e yoga devices are better, but they cost a lot more - I think elsiegee40 bought some...

[witch]

@jmak No, it was me - my other school has 70 yogas and they are lovely - but too expensive for this school, sadly

@ICT_GUY We have also left the county broadband and get ours direct - sitting at around 35 this morning but has been as high as 70!

 

I have emailed the HT to ask if he can narrow down what he wants to do with these devices. In some ways, stand-alone iPads would be the easiest for me! It is the keyboard question that is the most important one.

[jmak]

@jmak No, it was me - my other school has 70 yogas and they are lovely - but too expensive for this school, sadly

 

Sorry - that was rude. I didn't check and assumed that as it was you asking, it hadn't been you....

 

The Acers are about half the price - I couldn't afford the yogas either.

[mjk]

@jmak No, it was me - my other school has 70 yogas and they are lovely - but too expensive for this school, sadly

 

The Chromebook yoga's cost us less than ipads. If you are considering Android/ios then Chromebook runs a lot of android apps now, has keyboard and has much better management tools.

[MMPS]

If you are going down the Android route, have a look at LearnPad tablets. The devices themselves are nothing special, about on par with most mid range android tablets. But the LearnPad software that comes with them is fantastic, it includes a custom UI designed for children, and online device management and monitoring software that allows you to view and remotely control the devices from a web browser. The accessories for them, like wireless charging trolleys and Bluetooth keyboard covers, are pretty good too.

[witch]

HT doesn't want Learnpads

i think he wants something to integrate into our current Windows network, otherwise he will go for iPads

[GeekyPete]

STOP! Don't go any further until you have a list of requirements in writing.

 

I could sit here and go on about defining the need, success criteria, etc but I don't have the time or the will.

 

You are just shooting in the dark unless you know what he wants. The trouble is he probably doesn't know... and he's too lazy to but some thought in to it. With out a clear list of requirements what ever you choose will be wrong (at least for someone) and you are set up to take the blame.

 

Define the need (using a Change Advisory board), research options, score the options for suitability. Propose the two highest scoring options to the CAB with pro's and cons and let the people with the budget and authority choose.

[Brimstone]

First questions to ask your head would be...

 

What impact on the teaching and learning do you want to make with this investment?

 

Which areas in the school improvement plan are you looking to focus this new investment with?

[witch]

Define the need (using a Change Advisory board), research options, score the options for suitability. Propose the two highest scoring options to the CAB with pro's and cons and let the people with the budget and authority choose.

 

I don't know what a Change Advisory board is. Life here is not quite so businesslike, sadly.

[witch]

First questions to ask your head would be...

 

What impact on the teaching and learning do you want to make with this investment?

 

Which areas in the school improvement plan are you looking to focus this new investment with?

 

Yes, I have asked these questions and I am currently awaiting an answer

[MMPS]

HT doesn't want Learnpads

i think he wants something to integrate into our current Windows network, otherwise he will go for iPads

 

That's understandable, LearnPads are more of a self contained, complete solution. When we looked at tablet options they were designed to compliment our existing netbooks rather than replace them, so integration with our existing system was not essential.

 

Our brief was that the netbooks were under used because teachers thought getting them out and logged in was too time consuming for everyday lessons, so they became a tool specifically for ICT lessons. The goal of the tablets were to have something that's always on and readily available to access educational games, web searches and online resources like education city, while the netbooks were still available for your general Word/PowerPoint/animation work (no matter how much tablet supporters try to tell you that they can be as good as a laptop for "productive" work, it's simply not true. So if that's the case for your requirement then hybrids, or at least a Bluetooth keyboard is essential.)

 

Our assistant head initially went out, without any consultation whatsoever, and purchased 10 iPads with her budget. They didn't fulfil the criteria at all, and as such after some initial buzz have become 'novelty' items that rarely get any use.