Introducing Mac books\ipads to a primary school?

[TechSupp]

Just found out the head is very interested in getting the teachers mac books for laptops and possibly introducing ipads for some ofthe kids. We have a vanilla 2003 server network running AD, DHCP etc with XP clients (workstations and netbooks). We dont have a wireless sytem at the moment but have been quoted for a Ruckus system.

The question is now I know about this what implications are there for printing to network printers, file access to our server, anti virus (the school currently uses Sophos), we currently use office 2003 so would that prove a problem with file formats etc. File format diferences of files already created on a PC etc.

Any others in Primary's run a mixed system, whats your view?

 

As you may tell I'm a total newby on mac's and didnt particularily want to go down this route but mine is to do and obey and not to question why. Please dont let this end up in a why macs are good or not, thats not the question.

[pinemarten]

here we go again - head sees $Apple_kit , loves it to bits , gotta have some in- and we all run around trying to make it work..

 

considered training for support staff, mr. headteacher? - nah, thought not.

[TechSupp]

Ha, my thoughts exactly..but need more arguments or things I/he needs to be aware of before going ahead with it (although he has already set up an account from what I've heard!)

[FN-GM]

for macbooks

The printers will be fine 99.9% will provide mac drivers.

File formats are the same as windows, you just need the right software to open them. For example .doc will need word or openoffice or something.

you can get to windows network shares easy.

Sophos will provide a mac version of AV for you.

 

Ipads are another tale.

Limited printers are supported

You cant browse to network shares etc.

Do you have a terminal server? Ipads would be good for connecting into one of those.

[TechSupp]

Thanks, as its a networked photocopier/printer bet its the 0.1%! Will have to check that. Just involves more setting up when I thought we had a stable working system. The mac air books are actually not for the kids but to replace the teacher laptops! Dont start me off..please!

[FN-GM]

How many are you looking at getting?

[vikpaw]

Office 2011 for Mac is awesome. Comes with outlook and easy link to exchange. Remote Desktop also included as standard. I think it's using docx file format.

Everything else is fine.

Browsing networks is okay, and drives can be mapped, but it's not in the same way as on a PC, so you'll have a slight learning curve.

We have a mac lab and the music room is mac. My colleague knows all the ins and outs.

Generally, in the lab, they log in locally as 'user' and then have all the connections required.

You can use vmware fusion on a mac to give you a virtual PC for those jobs that just must have a PC. You can also use Parallels and they do dual-boot now too

[Exos]

Don't forget the back end infrastructure. If your only getting a few you will be fine and can use things like deploystudio and/or carboncopy. If you looking a suites then you need to invest in an XServe and associated licensing (As of End Jan Apple no longer sell directly, but they do still support their product.)

 

Alternatively can can use a cumbersome Mac Pro (not rack mountable) or look at ActiveStorage's alternative the ActiveSAN.

 

Active Storage | Solutions for Apple Creative Environments

[Arthur]

A RackMac mini might be another option (along with one or two Mac mini's).

 

http://www.sonnettech.com/product/images/rackmacmini.jpg

 

Alternatively can can use a cumbersome Mac Pro (not rack mountable) or look at ActiveStorage's alternative the ActiveSAN.

The ActiveSAN is an xSAN MDC which runs Linux and StorNext FS - so definitely not an xServe replacement.

[Exos]

The ActiveSAN is an xSAN MDC which runs Linux and StorNext FS - so definitely not an xServe replacement.

 

Ahh balls, i read the sales blurb when it was first launched and obviously didn't take it all in, just got all excited that someone had the initiative to replace it.

[SYNACK]

Yack, large network managment features are 5-10 years behind Windows, have you tried showing the head a Windows 7 and Office 2010 pc as the comparison between a brand new mac and Windows and Office dinosaur edition is always going to end up on the side of the much newer Mac.

[CyberNerd]

It sort of depends on how you want to manage it as to how much of an issue things will be.

Our entire strategy (actually backed by SLT!!!) is to create a wireless and network infrastructure that is platform neutral and enables a mixed economy of student/staff owned digital mobile devices to be hooked into it (laptops, netbooks, handhelds, iPads, iPhone, Android etc.) It is entirely do-able if your happy to stick to a web-based infrastructure - eg move all your documents to cloud (google/ live@edu perhaps?), make the VLE the focus of Teaching and learning.

If you want to stick to a 'traditional' SIMS and 'locked' Active Directory managed environment then things will be more tricky. Embrace the cloud.

[TechSupp]

Probably only loking at about 20 for teachers so most wont see the school after a while. If we get the wireless network then they can jump on that and he probably will want documents keeping on the VLE so access to files would not be a probl;em as its web based. If they are mac book air, then no CD\DVD drive which may come as a shock to some of them. We have kingston datatraveller encryped memory sticks now for data so dont think they will work (may be wrong) and transfer of data between mac and school PC was an issue some teachers mentioned. Got office 2003 on school PC's so would have to install compatibility pack or upgrade to 2010 (which would need licences for all PC's whch hes probably not planned for).

[rbelson]

If you still have questions, we have a few schools that are using iPads in primary and secondary schools. PM me if you would like contact info for them

[torledo]

Embrace the cloud.

 

i'd definitely go with that as far as the ipad concerned. It requires a different approach to any other device that people have previously tried to integrate their infrastructure.

 

think, how to integrate a big web enabled smartphone into your network, as far as approaching a tablet like the ipad. I can't even see how terminal services can be all that usable given the sticking point of not being able to use a mouse, and anyway it's trying to apply an old way of working to a device that demands a different way of being productive.

[Arthur]

I can't even see how terminal services can be all that usable given the sticking point of not being able to use a mouse

Would a stylus work? e.g.

 

http://db.tt/euDE80E

[Robbocop]

Macbook Airs: You can certainly look at OpenOffice as a good compatible Mac application for your Office 2003 files. Apple Pages is really good at reading all Office files too but you have to remember to EXPORT as Word if you want your file to open on a PC. Macs will bind to AD fine but setting up permissions and policies is something you need a solution for. I would buy a Mac Mini server to handle that, given the relatively small Mac count, but not for file storage. See threads elsewhere on "AD/OD integration" and the "Golden Triangle" for more info. You can use it for image deployment and storage as well. I'm not sure about the encrypted datastick question but I can try to find out if you're stuck. I would buy just one Macbook Air Superdrive that you can just plug in via USB if you need to. Keep it yourself rather than giving it to a teacher. I can sympathise with the extra workload this will mean for you, but it won't be so bad! People keep trying to use iPads as laptops, and that's kind of not the point. It can be done though, and yes they make pretty good terminals. But really they work best as a stand alone consumption or interaction device, as a reader, player or browser, and interacting with cloud based services. If you try to use them to create documents for storage on the network you'll quickly think of them as a poor substitute for a netbook Here's a nice blog about mobile learning using iPads and iPods: Digital Roadtrip