Blog from PC Pro

[teky]

A blog post from PC Pro that I believe would be relevant on here: The school that swapped its laptops for iPads… and wants to switch back | PC Pro blog

[Max_Power]

Quite interesting. Wonder what school that is

[TechMonkey]

Looks like a not quite thought through project though. If you are changing to iPads but staff are clinging to old word documents there are going to be issues. Then to solve this by using a remote app to use word is ingenious but completely inappropriate.

 

Not having thought about storage or sharing files seems a huge oversight too. & the reason for iTvs over a cheap cable is because the iTv allows them to be cable free, not having to work with a foot long tether.

 

I'd say it is a cautionary tale but not necessarily of not going to iPads

[pete]

So the story is "teacher reports that poorly planned projects fail miserably"?

 

News at 11.

[LosOjos]

Yeah, clearly not well thought out.

 

Love this comment though on that page:

 

So it’s really a software issue and not the iPad itself.

 

Yeah, it's software. iOS.

 

Many of the problems mentioned could be solved by Android tablets (full support for word, easy drag and drop file management from a desktop, USB sticks [albeit with an adapter]) but I think the point is that tablets are not at a stage yet where they can replace a laptop/desktop PC for anything more than casual use.

[SYNACK]

Got to love how they had to replace all of them to figure out it was a stupid idea, how these people end up managing schools...

 

Two words, companion device. If you do real work it is not the best tool for the job in 90% of the cases.

Edited September 11, 2012 by SYNACK

[kernewek-sam]

Let's hope they don't blame the IT staff if it was a

“image-conscious” headmaster

that pushed it through. The cynic in me wondered how long it would last when I heard it on the news, it felt a bit of a fad.

[Guest Guest]

tablets are not at a stage yet where they can replace a laptop/desktop PC for anything more than casual use.

 

They never will be a full replacement. How long have laptops been around and they are still not a full replacement for desktops. All these different devices compliment each other. Tablets are great for mobile web and email. Desktops for intensive work. Laptops somewhere in between.

 

Until we find a better way to interface with a computer tablets simply cannot replace a laptop/desktop due to lack of keyboard. Yes there are keyboard docks but you either have to carry it around with you making it hardly any different to a laptop, or you put docks everywhere which atm just isn't feasible due to compatibility/theft/batteries.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Guest

[GrumbleDook]

I have to agree with the comment about poorly planned projects. I have seen similar reports when people have gone from RM CC 2.4 to 3, CC3 to 4, CCx to Vanilla, CCx/CSE/Vanilla to Open Source, anything to Apple, Apple to anything ... and there were the same about IWBs, NOF training, broadband in schools, VLEs ...

 

I know how difficult it is for the ICT co-ordinator to be public about things like this (and everyone wants to know the name of the school) and I doubt if the IT Support team are going to be willing to state on EG that it is their school, but there is still a bridge to build between schools and SLT wanting (needing?) to push what they do with tech and planning it properly.

 

The difference between schools going down the Apple route, open source route and windows routes seem to be that folk going down the Apple route are at risk of hype overload ... but if it wasn't Apple it would probably be something else. If someone goes down the Open Source route it is usually down to the drive of a few evangelists and risks losing that impetus if people move on. I tend to see the Microsoft put a lot more effort into helping a smooth transition ... and this is what annoys me. Any half decent person should be able to take the concepts of how MS help you plan for new tech and adapt it to other situations.

 

Planning is technology agnostic.

[SHimmer45]

Got to love how they had to replace all of them to figure out it was a stupid idea, how these people end up managing schools...

 

Two words, companion device. If you do real work it is not the best tool for the job in 90% of the cases.

 

very much this imo, however some schools are so in love with the tablet replace everything that they forget a gradual and planned approach to see who actually would use and need one. We had a school give a talk about involving BOYD into a school from idea to actually being fully used along with the existing hardware/software was around 18months if that makes sense

[Ergo]

I have to agree with the comment about poorly planned projects. I have seen similar reports when people have gone from RM CC 2.4 to 3, CC3 to 4, CCx to Vanilla, CCx/CSE/Vanilla to Open Source, anything to Apple, Apple to anything ... and there were the same about IWBs, NOF training, broadband in schools, VLEs ...

Any project which involves major change can have unexpected consequences and should be planned, tested, planned some more, tested some more, trialed and tested some more before a full implementation. Real users are the final test of anything, and what they do will regularly surprise you

 

I know how difficult it is for the ICT co-ordinator to be public about things like this (and everyone wants to know the name of the school) and I doubt if the IT Support team are going to be willing to state on EG that it is their school, but there is still a bridge to build between schools and SLT wanting (needing?) to push what they do with tech and planning it properly.

 

The difference between schools going down the Apple route, open source route and windows routes seem to be that folk going down the Apple route are at risk of hype overload ... but if it wasn't Apple it would probably be something else. If someone goes down the Open Source route it is usually down to the drive of a few evangelists and risks losing that impetus if people move on. I tend to see the Microsoft put a lot more effort into helping a smooth transition ... and this is what annoys me. Any half decent person should be able to take the concepts of how MS help you plan for new tech and adapt it to other situations.

 

Planning is technology agnostic.

 

I could not have said that better myself.