Hi,
Hopefully i can answer your questions here.
1. Can you manage iPads via OSX server wirelessly e.g. Meaning i don't have to keep bringing them up to the office? Can i deploy apps wirelessly. E.g. Teacher wants an app on an ipad i login and allocate the app and it is installed on the ipads without the need for entering a password or any involvement
ipad side?
Answer: Yes is the short answer and this can be done in many different ways. You could use an MDM solution i.e Meraki, Lightspeed, Airwatch etc or you could just use Profile Manager which can be downloaded free from the App store on the dedicated Mac that you have chosen to manage the iPads. You should also be using Apple Configurator to do the build that will install the profile that you create in Apple Profile Manager.
2. Would a third party mdm be better?
Answer: All MDM are built around Apples own Profile Manager and basically have different ways of performing the same tasks. However Meraki is free so worth a download and trial run to see if it lives upto your expectations.
3. The dreaded file storage issue. What options are there for student use? Is there anything that would allow them to access their own my documents? How are schools that have deployed a lot of ipads (not 1:1) managing files with the devices being used by multiple students. Options i can think of are below:
Dropbox - Individual studnet accounts or a 100GB centralised account?
Skydrive? Anyone been updated to the new office 365? Tried skydrive Pro on it? wiht the skydrive app.
Any way to get them to use an app to access network shares? I have tried file browser but they can move back up the file structure which i don't want them to do.
Answer: There is a simple way that this should be set up. You can setup WebDav on your windows server, open a few ports and download WebDav Navigator app on the iPads and you should be able to put the server path to your shared folders or Active Directory and connect securely to your already existing file server. This should free the space on the iPads for App storage only as all the work should be saved back onto your windows server. You might also want to install an IOS Print server program i.e Printopia or Fingerprint (around £20) and this will let you print from the iPads to your already existing printers.
Another great tip: download the app called 'Puffin' this is a free education browser that will let you access all your flash content i.e education city, Mathletics, MyMaths etc....
Hope this helps you out. Give me a shout if you need any more help.
I am in school every day advising on these issues so happy to help.
