All iPads Parents/Virtual Students - Do you recommend iPads for Virtual School?

[KittyKatta]

Just curious on the opinions of virtual students on using an iPad. Has an iPad as a primary virtual school device been working out for them? Do you regret not just getting a cheap Chromebook?

Personally, I love the iPad so we gave it a shot last year. Kids can adapt to anything so (once we added a 2nd iPad for “Multitasking” and a Smart Keyboard) then it was a passable setup. But I’m not sure if this is ideal so I’m wondering what choices other families made when it came to iPad vs Everything Else.

 

[sracer]

Just curious on the opinions of virtual students on using an iPad. Has an iPad as a primary virtual school device been working out for them? Do you regret not just getting a cheap Chromebook?

Personally, I love the iPad so we gave it a shot last year. Kids can adapt to anything so (once we added a 2nd iPad for “Multitasking” and a Smart Keyboard) then it was a passable setup. But I’m not sure if this is ideal so I’m wondering what choices other families made when it came to iPad vs Everything Else.

It really depends upon whether or not the school is set up to support iPads and/or chromebooks.

My daughter is an elementary school teacher who has had to adapt to virtual schooling during this covid season. Her experience with her students has been that the iPad is an inferior device for those purposes compared to a chromebook.

Based on my experience with elementary and high schoolers, a chromebook in the price range of an iPad will provide a better experience for students.

 

[AutomaticApple]

Just curious on the opinions of virtual students on using an iPad. Has an iPad as a primary virtual school device been working out for them? Do you regret not just getting a cheap Chromebook?

Personally, I love the iPad so we gave it a shot last year. Kids can adapt to anything so (once we added a 2nd iPad for “Multitasking” and a Smart Keyboard) then it was a passable setup. But I’m not sure if this is ideal so I’m wondering what choices other families made when it came to iPad vs Everything Else.

In my town, the school is handing out Chromebooks to the students, so nope. I feel a bit bad for the children. 😅

 

[millydog]

My children (14 and 18) are provided (by the school) with Acer touch screen Windows 10 tablets with a detachable keyboard in a similar style to an earlier Microsoft Surface. They have Office 365 school accounts and use Office apps for most things including Teams and One Note for remote schooling.
My children both complain about the computers, especially as the trackpads click, the cursor flies to another area on the screen and often performs an unintended action. They even lose work this way as some apps are online and don’t provide an undo option. It’s a very poor setup if you ask them or myself. The Office apps themselves don’t seem to be the issue, just the devices. My children would much prefer to use their iPad Pro 12.9” at school. That’s what they solely use as a home computer.

 

[TheRealAlex]

Just curious on the opinions of virtual students on using an iPad. Has an iPad as a primary virtual school device been working out for them? Do you regret not just getting a cheap Chromebook?

Personally, I love the iPad so we gave it a shot last year. Kids can adapt to anything so (once we added a 2nd iPad for “Multitasking” and a Smart Keyboard) then it was a passable setup. But I’m not sure if this is ideal so I’m wondering what choices other families made when it came to iPad vs Everything Else.

It’s up to school support. No school can afford Apple. And no 3rd part education software run on Mac OS or iOS.
lastly I’m Not gonna give a $900 iPad Pro or $500 iPad Air to some bugger eater. They get a $99 or $299 ChromeBook

 

[ejin222]

My 1st grade daughter can make do with an iPad as her Zoom device for school, but because my 4th grade daughter uses Google Classroom, the app is built better for a Chromebook.
I’m contemplating getting the new iPad for my 1st grader but found their FaceTime camera to be horrible...

 

[joeblow7777]

I'm a teacher. I would suggest that you ask your child's teacher(s) what they recommend.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I’m contemplating getting the new iPad for my 1st grader but found their FaceTime camera to be horrible...

Get the iPad mini 5.

 

[Mainsail]

I think it depends on the student's age and coursework. In our school district, all middle school and high school students are provided chrombooks. However, my son tells me that most of the high school students use traditional laptops (PC or Mac) that were purchased by their parents, and they don't bother with the district provided chrome books.

 

[KittyKatta]

Okay, we've tackled school with a few different devices and this is our short-term opinion:

Super Old MacBook (2010 High Sierra) ------- B
+ 13" screen. Great Keyboard. Proper multitasking.
- No Google Apps so student has to juggle tabs. Garbage 720p cam (same as my new MBP)

iPad Pro 9.7 + iPad Mini 4 ------ C-
+ Google Apps (its easier to manage). Smart Keyboard. Good camera.
- Apps aren't full version. Small screen. Printing. Multitasking is awful (we use 2 iPads to multitask)
- No multi-user login (Cant isolate login for school ID so constant profile switching)
- Accessories Required

Chromebook 11" ------- A-
+ Google Apps. Keyboard. Multitasking. Dirt cheap.
- Small screen.


I have to say that (so far) I'm disappointed with the iPad in school. I had been waiting for the updated Air because "virtual school" was the perfect excuse to upgrade my kid thats using two iPads. But when I asked what color she wanted the she said she'd rather get a Chromebook. Ugh.

 

[bluespark]

Okay, we've tackled school with a few different devices and this is our short-term opinion:

Super Old MacBook (2010 High Sierra) ------- B
+ 13" screen. Great Keyboard. Proper multitasking.
- No Google Apps so student has to juggle tabs. Garbage 720p cam (same as my new MBP)

iPad Pro 9.7 + iPad Mini 4 ------ C-
+ Google Apps (its easier to manage). Smart Keyboard. Good camera.
- Apps aren't full version. Small screen. Printing. Multitasking is awful (we use 2 iPads to multitask)
- No multi-user login (Cant isolate login for school ID so constant profile switching)
- Accessories Required

Chromebook 11" ------- A-
+ Google Apps. Keyboard. Multitasking. Dirt cheap.
- Small screen.


I have to say that (so far) I'm disappointed with the iPad in school. I had been waiting for the updated Air because "virtual school" was the perfect excuse to upgrade my kid thats using two iPads. But when I asked what color she wanted the she said she'd rather get a Chromebook. Ugh.

This doesn't surprise me at all. Apple used to own the education market, but they have been ceding it for years through a combination of high pricing and arrogance (not listening to teachers, not focusing hardware or software on actual teacher/student wishlist items, etc.). Meanwhile, the Chromebook platform has quietly become awfully good for what it does, and what it does is enough for educational purposes, at least pre-high school. Google listened and Apple didn't.

 

[ejin222]

Okay, we've tackled school with a few different devices and this is our short-term opinion:

Super Old MacBook (2010 High Sierra) ------- B
+ 13" screen. Great Keyboard. Proper multitasking.
- No Google Apps so student has to juggle tabs. Garbage 720p cam (same as my new MBP)

iPad Pro 9.7 + iPad Mini 4 ------ C-
+ Google Apps (its easier to manage). Smart Keyboard. Good camera.
- Apps aren't full version. Small screen. Printing. Multitasking is awful (we use 2 iPads to multitask)
- No multi-user login (Cant isolate login for school ID so constant profile switching)
- Accessories Required

Chromebook 11" ------- A-
+ Google Apps. Keyboard. Multitasking. Dirt cheap.
- Small screen.


I have to say that (so far) I'm disappointed with the iPad in school. I had been waiting for the updated Air because "virtual school" was the perfect excuse to upgrade my kid thats using two iPads. But when I asked what color she wanted the she said she'd rather get a Chromebook. Ugh.

It's sad that the Chromebook is a better education tool than the iPad.. For me, the fact that we can't properly multitask without losing Zoom video is terrible. I absolutely hate the experience on my children's Chromebook but at the end of the day, it's better suited for their school work than an iPad.

I rewatched the holiday video Apple made for the Air 3 (the one where the kids make the project for their grandfather) and so wanted my children to do something like that.. But then the next morning, I was reminded how far the iPad still is from offering a proper desktop experience for school work.

What's the point of touting their CPU is 6 times better than Chromebook when you can't use it where the Chromebook "shines"?

 

[Zazoh]

My daughter in Middle school uses iPad. She does augment this year with an old chrome book of mine because she has a course where they are teaching touch typing. I offered and external keyboard to her, but she said she wants to do it the way everyone else is.