iPad in schools

[tommccann]

Anyone going down this route? seems very costly for what they are but there attractive and on tv so naturally people want these. Anyone know of any education resellers and rough prices??

I love the way the starting price on apple is £429, and education price is £429 very helpfull apple!!

[Sean-OC04]

The prices you see are correct for both commercial and education. There is so little margin in this product for resellers and Apple alike that you are unlikely to see any price lower than this, unless you are looking at buying 1,000 of them.

[Guest theeldergeek]

Anyone going down this route?

 

I don't care if they cost £100 or £1000, I hope we don't ever entertain these 'gadgets'.

 

Thankfully, our students don't even have laptops (bar a few in our Learning Support unit), and I hope we never go down the tablet route either.

 

Kids don't respect the bolted down, padlocked, reinforced, policy edited 'up to the eyeballs' computers they get in their classrooms now - heaven forbid we ever let them loose with something they can drop!

[Dos_Box]

My guess is that they would be ideal for linking into your Flash embedded Java scripted ELP, CMS and MIS system.

Oh, hang on.........

[GrumbleDook]

I wonder what is going to happen to a lot of people on the day they are told to start planning for students bringing their own devices into the school and they *have* to connect them to the internet. Oh, look ... it already happens and people have adapted. I'm *really* looking forward to the HandHeld Learning conference later in the year. Plenty of examples of good stuff going on. It might not work in your school ... but you never know until you try it.

[mrbios]

We had a trial one given to us to use for a month, gave it to a teacher to play with, he put it in his cupboard......it got stolen from the cupboard. not amused.

[powdarrmonkey]

They're not coming anywhere near until this is fixed:

 

iPad/iPhone OS 3.2 Stops Renewing DHCP Lease, Keeps Using IP Address

[Guest theeldergeek]

I wonder what is going to happen to a lot of people on the day they are told to start planning for students bringing their own devices into the school and they *have* to connect them to the internet. Oh, look ... it already happens and people have adapted. I'm *really* looking forward to the HandHeld Learning conference later in the year. Plenty of examples of good stuff going on. It might not work in your school ... but you never know until you try it.

 

When we have to do it, we'll undoubtedly do it, until then, as a technical team, we could do it tomorrow, no fear of that.

 

It's not that I don't have any desire to embrace the technology, far from it, but in a school, I live with the reality of vandalism, theft, disrespect of property and technophobic end user who has this sort of thing forced upon them by people who say "oh, everyone else is doing it, so must you".

 

I actually don't mind being "left behind" just a little. Retaining the ability to actually look straight ahead when I am walking the street instead of down into my 'smartphone' screen is something I'm rather proud of. I like signing a traditional delivery note instead of some electronic gadgetry that is so far removed from my own signature, Bill Gates himself could have scribbled it.

 

I like technology, but I like it at a speed which lets me do what I need to do, not expect me to move on up to the next version because I really ought to, you know, to "keep up".

 

But, by the same token, I don't mind you, or anyone else racing ahead to gadget oblivion either. Someone has to make the move, and so will I, when I am ready. And when I finally just have to, I'll be properly ready to do so.

 

As for the conference, I'm sure it will be fun - 'gadgets' galore with policy and decision makers awash with new 'must have' technology and highly paid marketing companies telling them why we need "21st century technology for 21st century learning". Nice to see some big names involved too.

 

Capitalism is alive and kicking in handheld Utopia?

Edited May 10, 2010 by theeldergeek

[GrumbleDook]

This is one of the things that puzzles me. You get groups of geeks who beta test, are early adopters on the technical side of things in their personal and professional life (Hands up who paid for the beta of OS X) and when the kids do it, changing how they do things, then it is often looked down on.

 

Commercially available products are possibly going to end up being a major factor in the years to come. The problem about them not being so used now is the fact that many teachers don't know how to make the most of them (this is the bit I am interested at the conference btw ... not the 'gadgets' as I'll explain in a bit), there is a technical block in schools about anything that is not prescribed by the school (often with a good reason, but with a lack of explanation or the chance of compromise) or the school needs to seriously change how the view technology anyway so there are other, far bigger, priorities (the transformation bit in BSF with the buildings and centralised IT ... the education bit in fact).

 

I have seen far too much condescending talk on here about gadgets as if they are something new and spangly. We aren't talking about that. We are talking about what do you do if the only IT access at home a kid has is his phone. We are talking about using mobiles to record voxpox and video clips because the school is getting all their lovely new flip cameras pinched. It is more about what is already available and purchased than forcing upgrades or getting new kit. Then again, it is not about ditching stuff you already have either ... it is often about thinking of new ways to make use of it.

 

Then again ... perhaps we should stick to the 19th century, Victorian values of education ... and ignore the fact that we are *10* years into the 21st century ... even if we go to the end of the 20th century ... let's keep those lovely 533MHz PIII chips instead of moving to something a bit newer.

 

Ok ... fair point about marketing, but there are times it is good to get the big names in and show then that what they develop gets used for things they didn't expect. I would rather have them where I can see them and get a heads-up rather than get surprised. You never know, some of them might even listen when you tell them they are mucking things up.

[jamesb]

Then again ... perhaps we should stick to the 19th century, Victorian values of education ... and ignore the fact that we are *10* years into the 21st century ... even if we go to the end of the 20th century ... let's keep those lovely 533MHz PIII chips instead of moving to something a bit newer.

 

Couldn't agree more. I find it scandalous how many ladies are showing their ankles these days with no regard for public decence! And the number of men walking around with bare arms, it's enough to make me want to hit the laudanum.

 

However the Victorians, in terms of technology, were very progressive so perhaps are not the best example in this case.

 

I think the biggest problem with technology in schools and moving forward is to do with personnel. The more you use technology, the more resources you need to support and implement it. There is simply a limit to what you can do while still providing a reasonable standard of support to everyone else. As such any new development is seen as a resource drain rather than an opportunity - which is often the case when it is implemented.

 

In schools I've seen where technology is pushed forward everyone is involved in driving that push, not just technical staff but also management, educators and even students. If not everyone is on board the extra workload can scupper any project, no matter how great the opportunity it offers.

 

A middle road is needed, possibly with a group of schools working together. Each takes an implementation of technology to investigate, and takes on the risk for that implementation. If it fails, it fails, if it succeeds then they pass on the expertise and knowledge gained to others. Maybe an internet community could be set up to help with this, so that schools on the cutting edge can post details of what they are doing to others who can use those experiences to decide when is the right time for them to put technology in place. We could call it School Geek, or Educational Techies or something.

[enjay]

I think that iPads should be adopted in the same way as projectors, whiteboards, VLEs, netbooks, iPods Touches, Nintendo DS and so on - if the school can see a benefit of them, and can do something which they couldn't previously, they should definitely look at ways to adopt them. If, however, they're getting them because they're new, because some marketing guy or conference speaker told them to, or because $neighbouring_school uses them, perhaps they shouldn't bother.

[enjay]

A middle road is needed, possibly with a group of schools working together. Each takes an implementation of technology to investigate, and takes on the risk for that implementation. If it fails, it fails, if it succeeds then they pass on the expertise and knowledge gained to others.

 

That pre-supposes that what fails for you will also fail for us, or that what works for you will also benefit us.

[jamesb]

That pre-supposes that what fails for you will also fail for us, or that what works for you will also benefit us.

 

True on the first point - if I put in a significant amount of effort to a project and it fails, then I would feel justified in sharing the resulting knowledge.

 

If on the other hand it succeeds, then sharing the results of that success, the procedure that was gone through and so on, and the effect it has had could be very useful for you when you're choosing which of fifty different projects to move on to next.

 

It was more of an idea to address the resourcing problem for new projects - which I know not all schools have as an issue. It just happens that this was the main issue I came across when I was working in schools and trying to push projects forward.

[enjay]

If on the other hand it succeeds, then sharing the results of that success, the procedure that was gone through and so on, and the effect it has had could be very useful for you when you're choosing which of fifty different projects to move on to next.

 

You're still assuming that something which you could get to work would be appropriate for my school, or vice versa, i.e. that there are universally good projects. You might have a brilliant way of using iPads in class, which for a myriad of reasons, wouldn't fly here.

[Guest theeldergeek]

Then again ... perhaps we should stick to the 19th century, Victorian values of education ... and ignore the fact that we are *10* years into the 21st century ... even if we go to the end of the 20th century ... let's keep those lovely 533MHz PIII chips instead of moving to something a bit newer.

 

Why do we need to change something that works? Victorian values aren't a bad thing, why do we need to move on from them? It's OK for people to say "we really must move on", but they don't say why. Progress or progress for progress sake? I'm always willing to accept change, just as long as it isn't change for the sake of change. If that change will result in a better way of doing things, then I'm all for it.

 

I'm not convinced (yet) that the introduction of portable learning devices into schools is a better way of doing things.

[jamesb]

You're still assuming that something which you could get to work would be appropriate for my school, or vice versa, i.e. that there are universally good projects. You might have a brilliant way of using iPads in class, which for a myriad of reasons, wouldn't fly here.

 

Not really - I'm just providing you with the information about how it worked here, and what happened. You'd then decide whether that's worth doing for your school, and whether to investigate it as a pilot project, go straight into a full implementation, or other.

 

I'm not sure why you're so desperate to assume that I think school's should be dictating projects to one another when all I'm suggesting is a bit of information sharing. Just because I give you a case study of how something works for me doesn't mean I'm insisting you implement it yourself.

[Jamo]

Am I reading this thread correctly? That people are ACTUALLY thinking of spending money on gimmicky gadgets for use in schools?

[jamesb]

Am I reading this thread correctly? That people are ACTUALLY thinking of spending money on gimmicky gadgets for use in schools?

 

IWBs?

 

Some schools will really make use of new technology, others prefer to stick with more traditional methods. It's all to do with individual school environment and budgeting.

[apeo]

As gadgets go, arent there better products on the market then the iPad. I sometimes think that Apple products are just fashionable and thats why they get away with the price. Dont get me wrong, some of the stuff they come out with is pretty cool but in this case i think they have some real competition.

[neon]

seems to be already happening First U.S. High School to buy iPads for their students. I think they are just fashion products but so many people are using them!

[enjay]

Not really - I'm just providing you with the information about how it worked here, and what happened. You'd then decide whether that's worth doing for your school, and whether to investigate it as a pilot project, go straight into a full implementation, or other.

Okay, I'd misunderstood your post - I fully agree with the above model, where schools share best practice.

[enjay]

Am I reading this thread correctly? That people are ACTUALLY thinking of spending money on gimmicky gadgets for use in schools?

 

No, we're discussing ways in which a new technology might be able to enhance the teaching in our schools. Much like the first school to buy IWBs, or start video editing, or podcasting, or any number of other "gimmicks".

[tommccann]

Thanks for all the replies guys, i am dreading these gadgets hitting my school and i am putting off as much as i can but with the head extremely impressed with our new mac suite hes edging that way. maybe its time the mac suite had a major network crash and caused unfixable problems for a few days to put him off!! lol

[broc]

It really depends upon your approach to technology; Are you technology or solution led? By this I mean do you see a piece of technology & buy it & see how it fits, or do you identify a problem or requirement & look for a solution that may or may not be solved by technology? If you have the luxury of unlimited funds (or can attract sponsorship) then being technology led can be great for innovation. However most schools can only afford to be solution led....

[tommccann]

like most schools we are solution led, but our head likes us to stand out and is renouned for testing rubbish out for the local LEA, making my job fun! so it wouldnt suprise me to see these next year