Windows/Android sub £200 tablets + apps

[LeMarchand]

One of my sites wants tablets "to transform learning" and are unable to decide between Windows and Android. I lean towards the former (easier life for me!) while one of the teachers is a vocal proponent of Android (because Apps, though as they can't currently download/buy whatever they want I'm not sure this is a valid argument). Junior school with no current use of Google infrastructure.

 

1: Can anyone recommend good sub £200 Windows or Android tablets? We've looked at Linx (jury is out) and Hudls (I'm not impressed).

2: Can anyone list any Android or Windows Educational APPS (the closer to free, the better) that they actually see used in KS2?

3: Is app availability relevant as surely there is a lot of web-based stuff?

[LeMarchand]

[MMPS]

We just got these Windows Pro 2-in-1 tablet - Prowise for £199 each with a keyboard dock. The quality seems good so far, as does the battery life, I haven't had a chance to fully test them yet. If you want to look at Android tablets, LearnPad - Simple Classroom Tablet Solutions are the best by far in my opinion. Again their 10 inch models are £199 each. The best thing about them is the LearnPad software, which is excellent for managing devices, deploying Apps and monitoring their use in the classroom (you'll need to pay an extra £500 for the ClassConnect license to be able to remotely view and control them). They also have their own store which allows you to purchase site licenses for apps as well as individual licences, and also allows you to pay via a school purchase order and receive an invoice for them, something that we've always had a problem with google play and Apple store.

 

In terms of productive apps, you can find good quality free Apps on Windows store. Zoetrope is a simple, free animation App. ArcSoft Showbiz or Movie Edit touch 2 are decent video editing apps. Crayola Photo Mix & Match and Adobe Photoshop Express are good for photo editing (though they have in-app purchases, which can be disabled by group policy). And of course you can't exclude the advantage of having a full version of MS Office on windows tablets.

 

There are some good educational apps on the windows store, like the iTooch maths and English apps, but not as many as there are on Android and IOS. But we have online subscriptions for all sorts of things, Education City, PurpleMash etc. They all work fine on windows tablets. I don't see the point installing an app for something like practicing times tables when we have online resources like SumDog that does the job so much better. The majority of educational apps on iPads are no different than what you would find on flash games sites a few years ago.

[LeMarchand]

Thanks.

 

Took a look at the Learnpads, and if we have to go Android they seem the best solution. Let us all know how you find the Prowise!

 

That's what I was thinking about Apps. Surely a lot of them are going to be covered by sites/services like those you mention and it's not as if staff currently have carte blanche to install whatever takes their fancy anyway.