[ipad] Enabling SLT to work more effectively?

[ellisteph10]

Hi,

 

I have been tasked with lookign at the benefits of getting iPads for all of SLT to enable meetings to be better planned and prepared and the Agenda to be worked on live using Ipads.

 

We use Live@edu for our email. Anyone use an Ipad 2 with this email system?

 

Also we will start storing our documents on a cloud based service. Anyone use this?

 

The next step will be to hopefully get SIMS or possibly Serco working on them.

 

Any help or disaster stories using iPad 2 very welcome!

 

Thanks

Ellis

[enjay]

Can you clarify something - have you been told to get SLT an iPad2 each, or have you been told to look into technology which will allow SLT to "work smarter"? They're very different tasks...

[ellisteph10]

I have been asked to look at technology to make them work smarter but I believe we have the systems in place with Live@edu and simple cloud storage. They believe the iPad2 is the answer. I want to make sure it is!

[enjay]

Assuming you've got a Windows-based network, it would also be worth looking at tablet PCs which would presumably be easier for you to manage, would have a wider assortment of applications available for them and could be used instead of their office computer, thus saving you some pennies.

 

They might believe iPad2 is the answer because they're not aware of other products. It is like saying "I want an iPod because I want to play music on the go" or "I want an interactive whiteboard so I can show PowerPoints".

[featured_spectre]

Benefits - iPad 2 looks shiny, and is faster than iPad 1. iPad 1 and 2 are a status symbol.

 

Cons - Apple added a few bells and whistles in iOS 4.3, including iTunes Share and the optional restoration of an orientation lock switch, but fundamentally the iPad OS is the same. Between Android Honeycomb's widget support, the HP TouchPad's interplay with WebOS phones and the Blackberry Playbook's multitasking, the iPad is looking more like an oversized iPod Touch.

 

Battery life is 10 hours on standby, but when you use office apps and such like, the consumption increases rapidly. Using the Documents to Go or the Quick Office program the battery lasted 4 hours. This is still better than most laptops but is poor when you consider its a basic application. There is also a lack of multitasking, which is poor in comparison to the galaxy tab or Slate.

 

You're Still Tethered to iTunes - Dave Schumaker of gdgt zinged Apple with a rather terse Tweet: "'The iPad is a true post-PC device.' First thing you have to do when you turn on an iPad? Hook it up to a PC." Even if you never sync a single piece of media from a computer to an iPad, you still need iTunes on a PC or Mac to keep the tablet's software up to date. This will be a tiresome task after a while.

 

Pricey Dongles - Want to connect your iPad to a television through HDMI? That'll be £39 for the Apple Digital AV Adapter. Want to transfer photos directly to the iPad without going through iTunes? That'll be £29 for the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit. £68 for a pair of connectivity dongles seems a little unfair when other devices such as the slate and galaxy tab have no need for the dongles.

[arthur231283]

All the SLT here have Ipads.

 

They have their e-mail and calendar connected to our exchange server which works well.

We also have some software called Group Call Emerge to enable them to access sims.

[ellisteph10]

All the SLT here have Ipads.

 

They have their e-mail and calendar connected to our exchange server which works well.

We also have some software called Group Call Emerge to enable them to access sims.

 

How do they save documents? Do you just have the Wifi iPads?

[LosOjos]

The next step will be to hopefully get SIMS or possibly Serco working on them.

 

There is no SIMS app for the iPad, so that's not going to happen, unless you look at using terminal services (is that do-able on an iPad?).

 

Personally, I can't see a tablet contributing anything worthy enough of blowing the schools budget kitting out an SLT team; if they have their own, fine, but buying them seems like a total waste of budget to me, you could probably re-fit a classroom with desktops for the price of kitting out SLT with tablets

 

EDIT: I meant full SIMS access would not be possible, although GroupCall does look impressive, have to wonder again about the cost compared to benefit though

[arthur231283]

How do they save documents? Do you just have the Wifi iPads?

 

If I am honest I don't know. They were bought without me knowing and they look after them their self.

 

I think they have the WiFi only versions.

 

You could take a look at Pages which is like Word. If I was using it I would create a document then e-mail it to myself. Other than that you would need to setup an Idisk account to save to.

[CyberNerd]

We have SLT using an Ipad here. He thinks it's great and I wouldn't discourage you from going down this route.

 

SIMS is done via a Citrix plugin - works seamlessly.

Documents are done via Google Docs, as is email and Calendar - works seamlessly

[Marci]

There is no SIMS app for the iPad, so that's not going to happen, unless you look at using terminal services (is that do-able on an iPad?).

 

Yep there are plenty of RDC clients out there for iPxxx devices - RDPLite for instance.

There is also a full MS Office Compatible Suite for iPxxx devices - QuickOffice.

You can access all your network shares, so no need for cloud services - NetPortal.

ePortal already works on iOS devices via the web browser.

Calendaring and eMail can all tie into MS Exchange, or the Apple equivalents running from an OSX Server, ie: Mac Mini.

 

Personally - daft idea. There is nothing an iPad can do that a laptop can't do. You probably already have laptops. If staff aren't organised enough to handle their meeting planning etc using Outlook etc on a laptop, they're gonna be no better at it on an iPad. They're just looking for eye candy.

[mavhc]

at least iOS is easier to mass configure/lock down than android, which barely supports proxies. Apple - Support - iPhone - Enterprise iPhone Configuration Utility for Windows isn't bad, although still no support for proxies, so have to put http://wpad/wpad.dat in manually

[ozydave]

SLT and "work smarter" now there's something to think about here. Never the two shall meet!

[SimpleSi]

Wakey wakey - I think some people have fallen into a dream world

 

Manglement ALWAYS get the new toys.

 

They NEARLY ALWAYS have no need for them

 

The ipad is a lovely device, it could possibly become a great (but pricy) educational teaching tool for teachers (as a wireless remote VNC tool) or for groups of pupils instead of laptops for creative use and even for the odd bit of "office" work.

 

But its not a serious device for entering data into sims/spreadsheets/wp/powerpoint etc.

 

If you have to buy them one, at least stand up and be counted as saying they don't need them

 

regards

Simon

But they are very good at updating facebook/farming whilst on the sofa

[ellisteph10]

 

If you have to buy them one, at least stand up and be counted as saying they don't need them

 

 

But I would need one for testing for them!

 

The idea is them sat in meetings and everything be entered electronically and data being pulled out in the meeting. Calendars all being synced together so meeting requests are used and staff actually know where SLT are.

 

Theyve seen the Acer Windows Tablets but are of a similar price to iPads? Would SIMS sit on there happily.. My thoughts would be if it was SIMS core on there or SLG it would be rather unfriendly to use ona Tablet therefore an iPad with bespoke software would be better?

 

iPads cant handle proxies??

[arthur231283]

iPads cant handle proxies??

 

Ours work fine with our proxy you just need to put the details of the proxy within the wireless settings

[Marci]

iPads CAN handle proxies, you just can't lock the proxy details in via profiles using Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility. They have to be entered manually after the profile has been installed.

[enjay]

Surely SIMS would sit far more happily on an Acer Windows Tablet than on a iPad (unless you're using a web-only version of SIMS, of course, when it makes stuff-all difference). Shared calendars, meeting requests, etc aren't a feature unique to the iPad - Exchange does this, as does Google Calendar and presumably your Live@edu set-up already includes it.

 

As with any product selection, you need to take a step back from what the user wants and look at what the user needs. The interest in iPads could come because a) they're Apple fans, b) they want to appear high-tech/modern/progressive, c) they heard about another Head using an iPad so want one, d) they heard about another Head using an iPad and think it would be useful, e) something else I've not thought of. None of those are actually reasons to get the iPads. Look at what they need to do as an end-user and how best you as IT manager can deliver that to them; consider the fact that by saying "I'm not getting you iPads which I don't understand/are hard to manage, but I'll get you a Windows Tablet instead" you could actually give them a better experience than if you blindly bought the iPad. You may conclude that the iPad is actually the way to go, but I do think it is your job to investigate other options.

[enjay]

There are a couple of articles in ICT Review magazine (a PC Pro mag I seem to have gotten on the list for - Education | PC Pro) comparing different tablets and looking at how to use them in education.

[SimpleSi]

A head and the deputy came to me today and said they thought they needed ipads so I said I'd need one to enable me to support them and to evalulate for SEN use !

 

(To be fair, after about 60 seconds, I'd convinced the deputy that maybe what they needed was a new slim laptop as an IPad is like a 10 inch nettbook with the keyboard )

 

But I may still get one

 

The wife will be pleased - She'll be able to farm and watch Bargain Hunt at the same time

 

Si

[enjay]

In all seriousness, if it is your job to support and train users on all aspects of their IT equipment, then you need to be bought one if someone else is getting one. I tend to draw the line between whole-school and departmental resources, so will help with Office, SIMS, Photoshop, etc but not AQA eScience, French Big Books, etc. If I happen to know the answer, I will of course help, but I won't subsequently go looking for the answer with department-specific software.

[CESIL]

My thoughts exactly...

[daveyboy]

I was invited into an SMT meeting about this a while back. I gave all the SMT members a pen and pad and asked them to write down why they needed iPads.

They duly wrote down what, why, and where - not leaving anything out. I then tore the top sheets off, threw them away and told them that they worked far harder, smarter and agreed on things far quicker using a pen and paper.

 

My Headmaster knew what I was doing and sanctioned it beforehand.

 

Needless to say, our SMT do not ask for 'new toys' anymore........

[CyberNerd]

I was invited into an SMT meeting about this a while back. I gave all the SMT members a pen and pad and asked them to write down why they needed iPads.

 

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