iPad advantages?

[dobbyit]

I have been asked to look into getting 2 banks of iPads for a primary school. They have iPad mini 2s at present but becoming extinct.

What are the advantages of getting 2 banks of new iPads these days?

[Danp]

It all depends on what they are needed for. Have you been asked to look into iPad because they are shiny iPads or do they actually need portal devices?

 

I know our pre-school have iPads because the Tapestry app was only on iOS but when they become EoL I'll look at possible alternatives.

[tmoon-mint]

A few things but really I suppose its down to personal preference. Having Apple School Manager and a decent MDM is a must.

 

Apple Classroom: Classroom_2.3_Guide_Education.pages (apple.com)

 

SchoolWork: Getting Started with Schoolwork 2.0 (apple.com)

 

Free resources on the Apple Teacher learning center: Apple Teacher Learning Center

[dobbyit]

We currently have Apple school manager for management of apps only, not set it up for users yet as the mini 2 don’t support classroom. Would love to use the Apple classroom if they go for the iPad 5s

 

At moment they are quick research devices, golden time toys and some times they get used for google earth, movie making and may be early years playing on them. Seems a lot of money to buy / lease two banks for browsing like they are at moment.

 

One teacher said current iPads are out of date and need replacing

[tmoon-mint]

For that use I would have to agree. Sounds like you would be better off with some cheaper Android tablets.

[Brimstone]

For that use I would have to agree. Sounds like you would be better off with some cheaper Android tablets.

Yeah let’s use technology in schools for zero innovation and just browsing the web...At the very least the kids will learn how to do online shopping

 

How about some AR projects, Green Screen animations, Creating music and sampling sounds in GarageBand, Coding Projects and BT robot challenges. Every project described uses free applications, they just need an enthusiastic teacher with some decent CPD support.

 

https://www.apple.com/uk/education/k12/everyone-can-create/

 

https://www.apple.com/uk/education/k12/teaching-code/

 

https://www.apple.com/uk/education/docs/ar-in-edu-lesson-ideas.pdf

Edited March 10, 2021 by Brimstone

[paulkerton]

A few things but really I suppose its down to personal preference. Having Apple School Manager and a decent MDM is a must.

Yes, and you'll be surprised how some schools I've worked with have actively fought me against having MDMs purely due to the yearly cost. There seems to be a "I don't see why we'd need that" attitude around them. Chrome licensing was the same.

 

Sounds like someone had just gone "iPads - easy answer" when they could use Android tablets or Chromebooks for what they're looking at.

[dmj]

Yeah let’s use technology in schools for zero innovation and just browsing the web...At the very least the kids will learn how to do online shopping

 

How about some AR projects, Green Screen animations, Creating music and sampling sounds in GarageBand, Coding Projects and BT robot challenges. Every project described uses free applications, they just need an enthusiastic teacher with some decent CPD support.

 

https://www.apple.com/uk/education/k12/everyone-can-create/

 

https://www.apple.com/uk/education/k12/teaching-code/

 

https://www.apple.com/uk/education/docs/ar-in-edu-lesson-ideas.pdf

 

To me, that sounds like "buy ipad because apple has a better marketing department".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally I'd go with touch enabled Chromebooks, which can also run Android or even Linux and has an MDM 'built into' google workspace

[Jayellcee]

First let me say I am not an apple fan.

Our school bought 68 ipads in 2015 and the main thing that I have been impressed with is reliability.

I am going to say 'touch wood' first but.....

All 68 are still in constant use and except for replacing 2 batteries, absolutely nothing has gone wrong with them in all that time.

[Brimstone]

To me, that sounds like "buy ipad because apple has a better marketing department".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personally I'd go with touch enabled Chromebooks, which can also run Android or even Linux and has an MDM 'built into' google workspace

You've obviously not bothered to look properly at the links.

 

They are not marketing material they are complete lesson guides and teaching materials for teachers to use, trying reading some.

[Brimstone]

All 68 are still in constant use

 

Constant use... for what exactly...? A 6 year old iPad it's likely to be just web browsing.

 

The number of schools I go into that have hundreds of iPads, when I ask "what are you doing with them" teachers say "the students really love using them" but what for..?

 

Buying any mobile device for just browsing the web and taking photo's on is an utter waste of money, and we wonder why schools have so little money?

[jmak]

I'd agree with@brimstone that it's a massive lost opportunity if ICT equipment is used as a glorified web browser and camera. However, I've watched that happen and even with good intentions and a strategy, it takes a huge amount of energy from teaching staff and leadership to deliver on that. When you look at the other curriculum pressures and demands on teachers currently, I would understand if that continues to be how they're used. Teachers are having to provide both in classroom and online lessons or resources at the minute and it's clear that even if schools fully open, they'll be under huge pressure to provide catch up learning, which is (rightly or wrongly) likely to focus on literacy and numeracy. That will inevitably reduce the amount of energy available for developing innovative ICT usage.

 

I'd be choosing hardware purchases with that in mind and spend the next three years helping the curriculum team to develop a strategy that would make better use of more advanced equipment next time around. That doesn't rule out iPads, but it's not unrealistic to think that whatever you buy might be used as a glorified web browser.

[LeMarchand]

We've recently had a load of iPads. I'd add great battery life to the list.

 

Other than that, they really need a staff member who is going to use them to their potential and enthuse the other staff with what can be done. Unfortunately ours seem to have been bought "because the other schools have them and they're cool" .

[HTCPCP]

Far from an apple fan here, but as long as they are used properly, then they can be brilliant!

 

The positives we saw were:

Apps - a good range of apps available for free

Battery life - didn't really need charging all day, unless they were getting used for loads of video work

Management - Device Enrollment is really nice, and once set up, pushing apps out is really easy (and central purchasing of apps too!). On top of that, unless things have changed a lot, you can lock them down a lot more

Cases - great choice of good quality and durable cases. Depending on the ages, we had some some robust case with handles on all sides for the foundation, and griffin survivors for the older ones.

Software updates - iPads seem to get a lot longer period of updates than android tablets

 

Downside - when one inevitably gets broken, costs a lot more to repair

 

But as others have said, make sure you are getting them for the right reason - not just because everyone else has them. It's so much better if they are getting used properly than sitting there gathering dust.

[dmj]

You've obviously not bothered to look properly at the links.

 

They are not marketing material they are complete lesson guides and teaching materials for teachers to use, trying reading some.

 

Hey, try not to be so patronising. It doesn't come across well.

I did look at those links, but I failed to see anything that fundamentally couldn't be done in with a android/chromebook. I mean programming using an ipad is a bit niche.

[paulkerton]

Other than that, they really need a staff member who is going to use them to their potential and enthuse the other staff with what can be done. Unfortunately ours seem to have been bought "because the other schools have them and they're cool" .

 

And this is the problem I have with iPad.

You can't just buy them and put them into a school, they need to be supported by continuous training and an enthusiastic staff, otherwise they become a glorified web browser or distraction tool. You can't do that with ANY platform, but iPad is certainly the most expensive for support and hardware. Even the first iPad 1:1 school in the country ditched them in the end. Learning from other's experience is crucial.

 

https://speirs.org/archive/2019/2019-07-27-on-switching-from-ipad-to-chromebook-in-school.html

They're horrible to manage from a support point of view in 1:1 or shared environments and they don't do anything you can't do on other platforms for a lower cost and combining it with web based tools that work across platforms, rather than trapped into a single ecosystem.

And to add to it all, you still need a Microsoft or Google cloud solution for a VLE and documents and storage because iCloud is woefully inadequate for the purpose.

Edited March 11, 2021 by paulkerton

[JATSO]

A great consumer device for the home user, but in schools I wouldn't have them, but its not my choice and when it goes pear shaped I say I told you so.

[3s-gtech]

I bought one recently, as a department asked for one. They then asked for more, and as we’re still on Profile Manager (most of our iPads are ancient) I recommended Chromebooks instead. I have some work to do preparing our Workspace for them, but they should do much of what the iPad would but at lower cost and with easier management.

 

Of course, if a specific set of apps and a committed push to iOS as a platform is needed, they can work well. Depends on scale, costs and need.

[Brimstone]

Teachers are having to provide both in classroom and online lessons or resources at the minute and it's clear that even if schools fully open, they'll be under huge pressure to provide catch up learning, which is (rightly or wrongly) likely to focus on literacy and numeracy. That will inevitably reduce the amount of energy available for developing innovative ICT usage.

 

I really despair, why on earth do you believe a focus on literacy and numeracy does not involve the usage of iPads or computers?... Schools that are excelling with iPads in these subjects areas use them most of the time.

[jmak]

I really despair, why on earth do you believe a focus on literacy and numeracy does not involve the usage of iPads or computers?... Schools that are excelling with iPads in these subjects areas use them most of the time.

I believe you can deliver brilliant and innovative lessons on any subject and make them more engaging with ICT.

 

I also think that one to one devices in school is at least 15 years overdue and use of ICT should be embedded in every part of education, like it is in the real world, but that doesn't mean buying iPads and telling teachers they must use them will progress anything

 

My point is that if you're going to change the way people work, it takes a huge amount of energy, drive and leadership. If you ignore the way teachers and other staff feel and the other demands that are being made of them, you will inevitably fail. Right now, I see a lot of hard working, tired, over stretched teachers and even if you give them a tool to help them do their job, it's one more thing to deal with.

 

If your aim is to be right, just go ahead and do what you know is best. If your aim is to facilitate sustainable change and get best value from your teachers and hardware, sometimes a bit of compromise is useful.

[TwistedHelixis]

I look after 4 different schools, one is now a Chromebook school, one is now an iPad school, the other two are a mix of laptops and Androids. As you can see I don't have any issues getting the school what they want rather than what I want, they all have there place.

 

That being said my order of prefence at the moment is Chromebook, Laptop, iPad, Android.

 

EDITED

Edited March 11, 2021 by TwistedHelixis

[scarytechie97]

We have been using a bank of 18 Samsung Tab A7's at one of our schools. Managed via Esper.io as they provide up to 100 devices for free on the one account. You can use managed Google play store to deploy apps. Only grudge is that the Managed Google Play does not support paid apps anymore due to licensing abuse. But we have had no problems with these tablets and if you shop around, can easily find them at half the price of a new iPad.

Device is also built very well, metal on back glass up front so pretty much like an iPad. Definitely worth the money!

[FN-GM]

I really don’t see the issue with iPads. We manage a fleet of them across the country. Once they are setup you don’t really need to do anything with them. Updates, apps, settings etc can all pushed centrally.

[paulkerton]

I really don’t see the issue with iPads. We manage a fleet of them across the country. Once they are setup you don’t really need to do anything with them. Updates, apps, settings etc can all pushed centrally.

There were many settings and functions you couldn't control with iPads until recently and I'm not sure that all the things you'd want to are allowed yet (not managed them for a few years now). They've always very much felt like a consumer device being crowbarred into an education setting (especially if you're not 1:1, their shared device setup is atrociously bad).

 

For me, the biggest problems with iPads in schools is generally not the devices themselves, but the strategy around them. They're often purchased without a plan, without a budget for apps after the device is purchased and they're purchased because they're iPads not because there is a specific purpose and reason to use iPads above Windows, Chrome OS or Android. They're also absolutely lousy when it comes to cloud platforms. Apple's strategy around cloud and not having their own 365/Workspace alternative has been a huge blind spot for them. If you're already taking on 365 or Workspace, it seems to be more to manage for not a great amount of benefit, to me.

[FN-GM]

They're also absolutely lousy when it comes to cloud platforms. Apple's strategy around cloud and not having their own 365/Workspace alternative has been a huge blind spot for them. If you're already taking on 365 or Workspace, it seems to be more to manage for not a great amount of benefit, to me.

 

I don’t really get what you mean? They work fine with both G Suite and Office 365.