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Hello All

We’re currently reviewing our strategy on network access and mobile devices. There seems to be a lot of discussion in education about tablets etc, but i’ve yet to come across anyone in our students age range that can actually say what they are using them for that a standard laptop or netbook wouldn’t handle? Can anyone suggest any good examples?

Stuart

10 Spice ups
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Well I would say the obvious difference is with the multi-tap nature of a tablet touch screen - things like pinching and stretching to zoom is becoming a very effective visual demonstration method and you see it more often now with on-location News broadcasts and Sports Tactical analysis etc.

Where Laptops/Netbooks win out over Tablets is accurate typing for any length, as touch screen typing can be tiresome.

Tablets are far more accessible when on the move than Laptops, and even a little more mobile than Netbooks and the smaller range can fit into pockets these days and most can be used as phones.

Another thing that comes to mind is I know some photographers who take an iPad on vacation so they can view their digital pics (and synch them to their iTunes over all their Apple devices such as iPhone etc) - I imagine Android devices can do something similar, not sure.

1 Spice up
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They aren’t about doing “more” than laptops. It is about being able to carry more easily, turn on faster, cost less, easier to use, longer battery life, etc. iPads aren’t high end devices, these are about making things easier.

Same reason I use one at home. It might not be worth the effort of firing up my laptop to look something up, but just grab my tablet and do it in a second is well worth it. It lowers the “cost of entry” to having data and tools at your finger tips.

3 Spice ups
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Tablets are quicker and more convenient to bring into action, but functionality-wise, everything they do can be handled by a laptop/netbook.

As for the multi-touch controls, both Apple and HP have those integrated into the touchpads on their notebook computers. I don’t find it as intuitive as pinch-to-zoom on a tablet, but it does exist on some non-tablet devices. The tablet has the edge here.

Keyboard folios can always be added to iPads to make them more suitable for taking notes. Though I don’t know if that would make an iPad suitable for a writing assignment. I’d give the laptop/netbook the edge on this point.

Ultimately, I’d want to find out what the textbook companies are leaning towards. Are they developing companion apps for tablets or for Windows/Mac laptops?

Your mileage may vary.

1 Spice up
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I’ve had a difficult time with this in our school and talking to tech people at other schools around us. Most schools seem to have no clear plan on how they’re using tablets or how they will enhance the educational experience. Off the top of my head the biggest bonus’s I see compared to a laptop are the extra features that do not come with laptops, because yes the posts above are right in general they don’t do more than a laptop. But, with that said tablets come standard with things you rarely if ever find in laptops such as GPS, Magnetometer, Accelerometer, Gyroscope etc.

These extra features could certainly be used for education in ways that laptops can’t. You could do Geo caching or all types of things with the GPS. These sensors are what give tablets and phones all kinds of unique apps compared to PC’s (compass’s, levels’, etc).

2 Spice ups
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Didn’t even think about those aspects of the tablet.

I apparently need more caffeine.

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Me too Adam!

Thanks for the replies folks, yes there is a lot to consider in this one, particularly the fact that senior managers here think the ipads in particular are ‘beautiful’ but have no idea how we would integrate them into the curriculum, seems like that’s my job.

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We use them in our alternative schools. Our approach to any type of device is to think of them as tools. There is no one size fits all. You wouldn’t use a spoon to dig a ditch would you? There are different tools for different tasks. We do not have the capability to provide one to one technology to our students, but we can provide a smaller number of different devices to be used for different purposes, each student can be working at their own pace on separate devices.

iPads are good for browsing the web, and reading -which is much of what the students of that age bracket needs to do. The apps are good at supporting the core standards we need the students to meet. The students seem to have a more enjoyable practice session, over a pencil/paper or online question answer forum.

If you are thinking of this, roll them out in test groups, of 5 or 10. Remember that these are personal devices - they are stand alone. Networking is not an option. That’s the real downside for any large district. They are labor intensive to set up and you have minimal control over the device.

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This question is getting asked a lot on eduction forums (including a thread on Spiceworks somewhere), and there aren’t many answers kicking about yet. I personally think they’d be good for interactive apps rather than banging out a word document- but there needs to be more apps developed first.

I think SLT saying ‘tablets are the way forward, make it work’ is completely backwards. If they are the way forward, you should know how to use them to bring education forward, not slap them on the techies desk and not know what you expect of them.

The question is ‘what educational needs do we have, and how can we meet them?’, and if the tablet meets these needs then great, go buy some! Let us figure out how to lock them down and back up the data.

Two of our departments trailed an iPad but couldn’t think how to use it in the classroom.

There were lots of charging solutions at BETT in January, but not a lot of apps or management solutions.

For schools, I would take something like this over an iPad: http://learnpad.co/

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The big challenge with tablets is that they are primarily consumption devices, whereas laptops and chromebooks are also creation devices. As we are attending the MassCUE conference, we are talking with many schools that have started with iPads and other tablets, realizing that even with 1:1 programs, students still have a need for laptops.

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I think Tablets are just now getting to the point where they can handle day to day work from a student view point. Keep in mind that they are living in the mobile sphere, and really have no idea of the world before they were here i.e Windows XP, Office 2003. So I think a tablet just comes more natural to them. If you add the fact that they are generally cheaper, easier to maintain, harder to break, Apple’s Volume Purchase Program is awesome, and Microsoft and Google also will have strong tablet choices it just seems like a no-brainer. The hard part will be getting the teachers on board.

Good Luck!

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Attending the MassCUE (computer using educators) conference this week, I see that educators are much more open to innovation and experimentation than many of the businesses we work with.

As tablets mature, they will become better creation devices and, yes, students are more adaptable to the form factor, lack of keyboard, etc. on most tablets.

What we did learn is that tablets - and in particular iPads - have some “hidden” costs that districts much overcome before or during major rollouts. These costs are not insurmountable, but many educators expressed a “wish we knew this before we made the decision” sentiment.

  • Security, particularly FERPA and CIPA compliance. Schools worry that tablets are “swipe and see all” devices, and the security systems are not quite there yet.
  • Content management: The only way to get data off an iPad is to either email/upload it, or sync. Schools were surprised at the cost and admin overhead of managing sync servers for classroom cart deployments. 1:1 deployments pose other challenges with respect to sync and content management.
  • Device management: Warranty management, repair/replacement, and financing are all concerns.
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Thanks to everyone who contributed here, much to think about.

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These devices seem to require the budget to implement them in a manner consistent with their design intent, manage them in a school environment, and have other plans for situations where tablets or other devices may bot be the ebst answer.

I can certainly see the convenience and speed benefits (in terms of getting online) of these devices.

In a perfect world I’d have the budget to have them for research, and more traditional hardware for actually creating papers and reports.

The management of either type of device is a purchase issue for the most part - the products are there.

It is a matter of planning and commitment. We (most of education) are still in the planning stages, I believe.

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Notice how no-one has actually given any examples of how they are used yet (e.g: we use xyz hardware using xyz software and xyz management server.) They are still very much blue sky thinking, no one really knows how to best implement them.

The most notable use I can think of was a thread I saw on Spcieworks about a private school replacing textbooks with iPads. Still not seen any examples where they are used as creation devices.

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Well, I did say to remember that these are personal devices. Management is minimal. We use profile manager as our mdm with a mac mini.

We use these with both our special ed students and our regular ed students.

We add software via the volume purchasing program. Devices are deployed to students with a BigGrip case to minimize damage.

We use a personalized learning approach. We do not have a standard software load. It will depend on what is the best fit for a student.

I have approximately 50 in the field at time.

Students are responding well. Those who are unable to type or even use a mouse respond the the touch screen. Those who would not sit at the computer to read. Will sit with an iPad and read. The portability factor of the device enables teams to get together for project based assignments. Each student will be researching different parts of their project and one will be taking notes or filling in the answers for the assignment. It has been great to see the students performance escalate.

These devices do not endear themselves to the traditional network/management setup. We have to modify our setups and thinking to use them. I personally think it is worth the effort.

Judy

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This case study on our website shows how the New Providence School District used our solution (MaaS360) to manage 500 iPads – giving IT any easy way to set device and app policy and allowing teachers to shift their focus towards other things: mobile learning and e-textbooks.

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While I agree that iPads are a big hit in the education field, I am stunned that they continue this way. Anyone remember the Apple IIe? When Apple was in their heyday in the mid 80’s they had 87% market share of personal computers, much due to the education system. Today they are trying to recreate this with the iPad. I let me kids use a transformer and am getting a new Samsung 700T and this is what kids should be looking at. the “convertible” devices give users the best of both worlds.

They can consume with a tablet that allows integration with USB, SD storage and HDMI video/audio output. They also allow you a full-functioning laptop with touchscreen for creating and editing documents, website, and almost anything you can think of. I have no use for a school system that would spend the kind of money they do to put iPads in the hands of kids to watch youtube videos, update facebook statuses and play with proprietary apps made by textbook companies.

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I will give the case study a read

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Since it’s sometimes helpful to see students in action with their tablets, I grabbed this video from the SamsungMobile YouTube page about the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1.

It’s awesome to see the students up and moving around the room, playing interactive learning games, taking the devices outside to snap photos on class walks and using the S Pen to create directly on the screen. Lots of flexibility!

Check it out: http://youtu.be/t0krCDFLjdA

Let me know if you have any questions about the Samsung Galaxy Note, I’d be happy to answer them: Business Phones | All Business Mobile Devices & Smartphones | Samsung Business

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