Class set of tablets - aarggghh!!

[mdrabble]

Just been sent an email to look into getting a couple of class set of tablets! - No other information given!!!!! 

 

Why do people think get a tablet and everything will be fine!!

 

I have told them numerous times about the management and filtering side of things, not to mention how work is saved -  they choose to ignore this and carry on regardless, leaving me with a headache!

 

So - back to my question........

 

Tablet - prefer android due to cost but not ruling out ipad. - Which one would you choose?

 

Will Intune lock the tablets down tight to stop any and all messing? - Is there a way to get work saved automatically to OneDrive?

 

Anyone using Intune and tablets able to offer advise etc?

 

Cheers

Edited July 14, 2025 by mdrabble

[DalekSec]

Apple and Intune is not fun, ok for business not for education, i'd suggest looking into Mosyle if you do go with iPads 

 

 

[mdrabble]

now been told android and starting with Art Dept.

 

I've pointed out tablets are one to one devices and not meant for class usage, due to work being saved - especially if the camera app being used.

 

So, I am going to keep copies of everything mentioned by SLT and when it goes FUBAR I can shrug my shoulders when they ask how to get them to work how they want.

[DalekSec]

1 minute ago, mdrabble said:

now been told android and starting with Art Dept.

 

I've pointed out tablets are one to one devices and not meant for class usage, due to work being saved - especially if the camera app being used.

 

So, I am going to keep copies of everything mentioned by SLT and when it goes FUBAR I can shrug my shoulders when they ask how to get them to work how they want.

 

Only ever done iPads but you should be able to do shared mode on Android also i'd imagine

[TheHyperTechie]

Take a look at this article, courtesy of Liam - https://liam-robinson.co.uk/how-to-enrol-and-manage-android-shared-devices-in-microsoft-intune/ & this one - https://liam-robinson.co.uk/configuring-managed-home-screen-sign-in-for-android-tablets-a-step-by-step-guide/

 

I believe it is very doable now, and they can be locked down heavily. 

Edited July 14, 2025 by HyperTech

[paulkerton]

4 minutes ago, mdrabble said:

So, I am going to keep copies of everything mentioned by SLT and when it goes FUBAR I can shrug my shoulders when they ask how to get them to work how they want.

I shall predict SLT will respond with not wanting to hear "I told you so" and expecting you to still get it working. 🤣

[Aprice]

Take a look at the DFE standards for filtering and monitoring:

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-digital-and-technology-standards-in-schools-and-colleges/filtering-and-monitoring-standards-for-schools-and-colleges

 

Make sure that:

users are identifiable to the school or college, so concerns can be traced back to an individual, including guest accounts where possible

If mobile or app technologies are used then you should apply a technical monitoring system to the devices, as your filtering system might not pick up mobile or app content. 

 

Essentially you need a plan in place so that the users can be identified on the devices should an incident occur, it's been a thing for ages but technically problematic with shared devices like android tablets. All the captive portal type solutions are a bit flawed by stale sessions, and are just very clunky.

[Olliedawg]

I would go with iPads, and look at an MDM solution. The popular ones are JamF, Mosyle & Intune.

 

You can setup iPads in "shared" mode, where they sign in with their apple account ( from apple school manager ). You can also setup SSO for this with a Microsoft/Google account

[JazzFlute]

Maybe

 

Give them a 2in1 alternative example below but others on market so they have the benifits of a tablet and Windows devcie which will allow you to manage them as normal and will fit in with current systems and will not require a lot of set up and maybe extra money for MDM, filtering, monitoring and so forth.

 

[JazzFlute]

2 hours ago, HyperTech said:

Take a look at this article, courtesy of Liam - https://liam-robinson.co.uk/how-to-enrol-and-manage-android-shared-devices-in-microsoft-intune/ & this one - https://liam-robinson.co.uk/configuring-managed-home-screen-sign-in-for-android-tablets-a-step-by-step-guide/

 

I believe it is very doable now, and they can be locked down heavily. 

Was just looking at the article and went through the steps  and top of admin page says "Intune ending support for Android device administrator on devices with GMS in December 2024"

 

Intune ending support for Android device administrator on devices with GMS in December 2024 | Microsoft Community Hub

[Alis_Klar]

What about a ChromeOS Tablet?  Only issue is a Teacher might expect iPad apps to be available.  However Android tablet apps can be installed and there is talk of ChromeOS and Android kernels being merged so hopefully a Android tablet could be managed like Chrome OS in future.  No MDM required as Google Workspace has you covered.

 

https://chromeunboxed.com/5-things-chromeos-tablets-could-learn-from-the-pixel-tablet-video/

 

https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/p/laptops/lenovo/lenovo-edu-chromebooks/ideapad-duet-3-chromebook-(11-inch-qlc)/len101i0034

[5nowman]

Personally.. and depending on what kinda school this is for.. you need to bounce this back and find out what they want to teach on it... what apps etc and then based on that decide what is the best device.

[mdrabble]

I've managed to push this back for now to a back burner.

 

Art wanted them to take photos of portfolios and use them to look on Pintrest!

 

My argument was they have digital cameras - use those for taking photos.

Pinterest, either use the desktops in the classroom (5 in each art room) or students can wait!

 

They will not all be taking photos or looking at Pinterest at the same time.

 

Seems to be taken on board for now.... but it will only be a matter of time before they come back with the same request