All iPads Use of the 'Pad in schools

[A.Goldberg]

both The Mayo Clinic and a much smaller less-equipped local Clinic/Hospital (Olmsted Medial Center) have computers in every room (except OMC has no patient/visitor access computers (they have wifi though) including the ER department. I have seen in the Mayo Clinic ER (do to being more ER bays than computers) where i have seen multiable ER Staff (nurses/doctors) sitting at multiable computers as they all update the file of the same patient. In the hospital (Non-ER section) they have atleast 4 computers spread across each corridor and staff will use those to update patient files (some times updating multible patient files at the same time). Can't speak for everywhere just what I have locally, Both places didnt even switch from Windows XP until Windows 8 came out and they run 7 (I wonder why the skipped Vista)


1. What if the parents cannot afford the cost?

2. Giving every studet a iPad would cost the same thing as providing each teacher with (or access too) a supply of iPads so that every kid WOULD have one however unless it is needed for homework they would STAY on school property, They can be assigned to each student or just handed out like textbooks were. And is students needed to take their iPad home for doing homework the teacher would but it on a sign-out sheet and have it in the mobile lab (say 1 mobile lab-per teacher per class either or the school would be spending the same amount of money BUT also the rish is less that something can happen to them if they stay on school property.

and lastly, you can bypass the school filters as the filters on the iPad would only be in place whilst on school property when the kids take them home they could connect to their own wifi and download all the games or watch all the porn to their heart's content. The filters are done over Network Proxy not on physical devices (atleast thats what the IT guy in my middle school told me) not sure if there's a different practice in place for iPads.

1. When you work in a medicine and know how they're used in practice you'll understand how things work. Not all doctors/medical providers have tablets or laptops at all.
2. In middle/high school we almost always needed our books for homework, some classes more than other. Given that a student probably takes 5-7 classes at a time, the chances of needing their device is likely very high on a daily basis for homework. Especially if they're using collaborative practices or utilizing eBooks. Sign outs make no sense.
3. $250-275, isn't a ton of money per student relatively speaking. Also consider that the school won't necessarily need desktop computers anymore which will be cut down that portion of the technology budget.
4. The program's I have seen have the school pay for the device and the parents pay for the insurance if they so choose. I'm sure if the families cannot afford the insurance or replacement cost, accommodations are made i.e free coverage or subsidization. The insurance may even be paid for in subsidized areas.
5. There are programs out there to control usage and downloads, including some built in features in iOS. I've see a program that will lock students out of the Internet for test taking or lock their screens. I think this topic has been well considered with solutions beyond network restrictions.

 

[quackers82]

Working in a school with over 300 iPads deployed, why iPads over Android based tablets? Its easy, the Apps. Take Microsoft Office for example that came to iOS way before android (and even Windows for the touch version), a few edu apps are currently iOS only that we use.

Add to that there are only a handful of iPad models compared to god knows how many android tabs, with different supported Android versions, it just gets messy.

iOS 9 is going to make things even better from a management point of view too with more API's for MDMs to tap into. Add to that you have DEP now and VPP for a few years, the iPad is quite geared for education now and only needs a few enhancement now to make them better from a management point of view.

 

[MatthewLTL]

1. When you work in a medicine and know how they're used in practice you'll understand how things work. Not all doctors/medical providers have tablets or laptops at all.
2. In middle/high school we almost always needed our books for homework, some classes more than other. Given that a student probably takes 5-7 classes at a time, the chances of needing their device is likely very high on a daily basis for homework. Especially if they're using collaborative practices or utilizing eBooks. Sign outs make no sense.
3. $250-275, isn't a ton of money per student relatively speaking. Also consider that the school won't necessarily need desktop computers anymore which will be cut down that portion of the technology budget.
4. The program's I have seen have the school pay for the device and the parents pay for the insurance if they so choose. I'm sure if the families cannot afford the insurance or replacement cost, accommodations are made i.e free coverage or subsidization. The insurance may even be paid for in subsidized areas.
5. There are programs out there to control usage and downloads, including some built in features in iOS. I've see a program that will lock students out of the Internet for test taking or lock their screens. I think this topic has been well considered with solutions beyond network restrictions.

Thanks for the info. I know nothing about iDevices ive never owned a iPod never wanted one.

Working in a school with over 300 iPads deployed, why iPads over Android based tablets? Its easy, the Apps. Take Microsoft Office for example that came to iOS way before android (and even Windows for the touch version), a few edu apps are currently iOS only that we use.

Add to that there are only a handful of iPad models compared to god knows how many android tabs, with different supported Android versions, it just gets messy.

iOS 9 is going to make things even better from a management point of view too with more API's for MDMs to tap into. Add to that you have DEP now and VPP for a few years, the iPad is quite geared for education now and only needs a few enhancement now to make them better from a management point of view.

Office on a iPad? How would u even install that with no optical drive?

 

[A.Goldberg]

Thanks for the info. I know nothing about iDevices ive never owned a iPod never wanted one.

Personally I'm not a huge iPad fan myself for everyday computing. My work gave me one and it's handy given the software and portability, but outside of that I'd prefer a real computer. For some people like my mom, an iPad just about fulfills her out-of-work personal computing requirements. Interesting how that works.

Office on a iPad? How would u even install that with no optical drive?

Are you being facetious? You download it from the internet/network. In fact, I'm not sure but I think the majority of people buy MS office for computers via download these days. It's obviously a somewhat watered down version and optimized for iOS, much like pages for iOS.

I think Google Documents has somewhat of an edge with the cloud storage and collaboration, though I imagine MS office has similar features now. Google Docs has the benefit of working across platforms though and is free.

 

[coachingguy]

Missing point or Trolling?

I think you're either missing the point or trolling...

As a HS teacher who has been using iPads for 4 years, it's not about the device, but what the students are expected to do with it and how it fits into their lives.

My district is now 1:1 iPad mini's K-2 (don't go home), iPads 2's or 4's (as we phase the 2's out) 3-12. Our reasoning for choosing the iPad as the device for our students is it fits naturally into their lives, thus extending the learning day and giving the students the opportunity to explore, investigate and create on their own time. And you would be surprised how many students do!

My classroom is essentially paperless. All of the work my students do is submitted via their iPad. My daily lessons are online thru a content management system, in our case Schoology. But there are many of these content management systems: Moodle, Blackboard, Desire2Learn (D2L) and many others.

I rarely use a textbook, choosing to create nearly all of my content from my own stuff or things I've taken from online. I rarely use "worksheets" and my students never do the old school "book reports". Instead my students prove their learning or skill mastery through other means. Mind Maps, Presentations, Raps, Online Discussion, Video's, Shared Google Docs etc...

All of this is still in it's infancy and as with anything new, there are growing pains. You brought up the idea of students cheating on a quiz... I'm sure it happens, but ask yourself this, have kids been cheating on paper and pencil quizzes for a century? All of these content management systems are working to stay a step or two ahead of the tech kids who use their genius for evil... Schoology attempts to lock the kids out of the rest of the device until they complete the assessment. Is it foolproof, no. I know if a kid comes up to me telling me "Uhm, my quiz reset..." I know they tried to go to Safari or another app...

Again, we chose the iPad, we also have 4 carts of of classroom sets of Macbook Airs as well (we just upgraded them from the white ibooks). If we need the students to key more than a page or two, we can turn to those. But, as I opened with, it's not about the device; but the expectation of what the kids are expected to do with it in presenting their knowledge or skill mastery.

In all honesty, the biggest obstacle we face and from the research where the Droid tablets or Chromebooks have it over the iPad is on the management side. Since Apple is such a closed system, it's very difficult to "lock" the iPad down tight on a macro level. Every school has a small % of kids who are spending significant time trying to find ways around the filters and management software. We use AirWatch - a nationwide device management company used by both education and business, and they have to update monthly, if not weekly because another weakness/hole was found and exploited.

iPads have better build quality than 90% of Chromebooks, except the top end and a local district that has the Surface 1's (ugh!), iPad 2's and recently went 1:1 with a $200 Chromebook 9-12 after the first 5-6 months, have had to replace the keyboards or screens on roughly half of them, which they ship out to have done and it's not uncommon for kids to be without their devices for weeks at a time.

But I cannot argue that there are many districts having educational success with other devices than the iPads. To expect today's students to learn as we did 15, 20, 25 or more years ago, I think is short sighted. I grew up, as I'm guessing did many of you did, with Atlases and Textbooks/Encyclopedia's... Great for their time, but how do they compare to the a student having nearly real time access via Google Earth or the CIA World factbook? Makes my 1 dimensional and often outdated Atlas or Hanging Wall Map (which if you knew how much they cost, would shock you!) and Encyclopedia or Textbook seem pretty staid, paling by comparison. I think the point made by a previous poster about Einstein et al, is truly accurate, they were using the cutting edge tech for their time. Remember, when the Ballpoint pen came along, many thought it was going to ruin education... Remember when Laserdiscs were going to be the savior of Education? The point is, it's in flux. Don't lose sleep over Rochester "Piloting" iPads. I'm shocked to think a district that size isn't already implementing technology on a greater scale. You think the Doctors at Mayo are writing their patient information on typewriters? The engineers at the Rochester IBM branch are using mimeographs?

So, either you missed the point or you decided to make your first post to perhaps the most Mac/Apple centric site on the web about "Why would anyone pick and iPad for education?" in an attempt to get the gathered, like myself... "trolled".

Oh, well. Good luck with that.

Coachingguy

 

[MatthewLTL]

I think you're either missing the point or trolling...

As a HS teacher who has been using iPads for 4 years, it's not about the device, but what the students are expected to do with it and how it fits into their lives.

My district is now 1:1 iPad mini's K-2 (don't go home), iPads 2's or 4's (as we phase the 2's out) 3-12. Our reasoning for choosing the iPad as the device for our students is it fits naturally into their lives, thus extending the learning day and giving the students the opportunity to explore, investigate and create on their own time. And you would be surprised how many students do!

My classroom is essentially paperless. All of the work my students do is submitted via their iPad. My daily lessons are online thru a content management system, in our case Schoology. But there are many of these content management systems: Moodle, Blackboard, Desire2Learn (D2L) and many others.

I rarely use a textbook, choosing to create nearly all of my content from my own stuff or things I've taken from online. I rarely use "worksheets" and my students never do the old school "book reports". Instead my students prove their learning or skill mastery through other means. Mind Maps, Presentations, Raps, Online Discussion, Video's, Shared Google Docs etc...

All of this is still in it's infancy and as with anything new, there are growing pains. You brought up the idea of students cheating on a quiz... I'm sure it happens, but ask yourself this, have kids been cheating on paper and pencil quizzes for a century? All of these content management systems are working to stay a step or two ahead of the tech kids who use their genius for evil... Schoology attempts to lock the kids out of the rest of the device until they complete the assessment. Is it foolproof, no. I know if a kid comes up to me telling me "Uhm, my quiz reset..." I know they tried to go to Safari or another app...

Again, we chose the iPad, we also have 4 carts of of classroom sets of Macbook Airs as well (we just upgraded them from the white ibooks). If we need the students to key more than a page or two, we can turn to those. But, as I opened with, it's not about the device; but the expectation of what the kids are expected to do with it in presenting their knowledge or skill mastery.

In all honesty, the biggest obstacle we face and from the research where the Droid tablets or Chromebooks have it over the iPad is on the management side. Since Apple is such a closed system, it's very difficult to "lock" the iPad down tight on a macro level. Every school has a small % of kids who are spending significant time trying to find ways around the filters and management software. We use AirWatch - a nationwide device management company used by both education and business, and they have to update monthly, if not weekly because another weakness/hole was found and exploited.

iPads have better build quality than 90% of Chromebooks, except the top end and a local district that has the Surface 1's (ugh!), iPad 2's and recently went 1:1 with a $200 Chromebook 9-12 after the first 5-6 months, have had to replace the keyboards or screens on roughly half of them, which they ship out to have done and it's not uncommon for kids to be without their devices for weeks at a time.

But I cannot argue that there are many districts having educational success with other devices than the iPads. To expect today's students to learn as we did 15, 20, 25 or more years ago, I think is short sighted. I grew up, as I'm guessing did many of you did, with Atlases and Textbooks/Encyclopedia's... Great for their time, but how do they compare to the a student having nearly real time access via Google Earth or the CIA World factbook? Makes my 1 dimensional and often outdated Atlas or Hanging Wall Map (which if you knew how much they cost, would shock you!) and Encyclopedia or Textbook seem pretty staid, paling by comparison. I think the point made by a previous poster about Einstein et al, is truly accurate, they were using the cutting edge tech for their time. Remember, when the Ballpoint pen came along, many thought it was going to ruin education... Remember when Laserdiscs were going to be the savior of Education? The point is, it's in flux. Don't lose sleep over Rochester "Piloting" iPads. I'm shocked to think a district that size isn't already implementing technology on a greater scale. You think the Doctors at Mayo are writing their patient information on typewriters? The engineers at the Rochester IBM branch are using mimeographs?

So, either you missed the point or you decided to make your first post to perhaps the most Mac/Apple centric site on the web about "Why would anyone pick and iPad for education?" in an attempt to get the gathered, like myself... "trolled".

Oh, well. Good luck with that.

Coachingguy

No. Not trolling at all. Sorry If it came off that way. I was just wondering why the iPad over other devices. You pretty much nailed that topic down and explained it completely. I have been out of the loop as for what the public schools have done since 2004 when i moved to a independantly run Charter School. When i say in elementery school, the biggest excitment we had as kids is when the school replaced a PowerMac G3 All in One with a Original iMac. We had a CCC class (cant remember what CCC stood for) but it was a completely seperate and dedicated Computer Lab full of PMG3AIOs in this class we had a programs we would use it was completely a Computer class. it tought us various subjects based soley on our education level (I don't believe any 1 student had the the same level as it custimized to the student as they progressed). Back in the late 90s and early 2000s this was probably one of the earliest all digital classes. There were 2 teachers there to help students shall they have a question. The only thing that involved Paper was the log sheet which was a 1 line daily log of our activity in the program. took 5 seconds to fill out. This sheet also had the assigned username and password to every user of the program. (we were assigned computers). The only way you could "Cheat" in this class if by using a Calculator on a math problem. (This was only allowed if the program provided you with one).

Middle school is where computers started really taking off and were integrated into semi-daily computer based classes or assignments. It was considered a excitement to be allowed to use the computer (at home or school) to type assignements over handwriting them.

In high school the excitment was all about the new fleet of eMacs the and iBook "Mobile Lab" the school got the year before i started going there. Other than tat the excitment was really when other kids bought in their various kinds of CD Players, iPods (or in my case GoGear) and other Digital music players to school. (the school allowed us to listen to music during school BUT only when doing work and the rule was: When the teacher's talking, headphones off in most classes) Since students started to abuse the privledge of being able to listen to music by listening to it even as the teacher talked, made it eventually be where some teachers didn't even allow unplugged earbugs in your ears or headphone around the neck or even the listening device in sight, they wanted headphones off the body all together and some even wanted the devices put away completely. SInce they had a Mac network, They didnt care if we bought our own laptops in (back in HS because i didn't know Mac's I hated them. So instead of using a iBook in the mobile lab i used my own laptop. the single button on macs always irritated me.

Cell phones didn't take off til around 2005 in the Midwest US everyone started getting them then.

Sorry for the rambling, but related post. Man how things have changed. Had i been exposed to things kids have access to today It would of probably helped me do better in school. Learning was not my best suit.

EDIT: on a side note, The IBM here in Rochester is not a "branch" IBM and Mayo Clinic originated here and expanded elsewhere. Mayo Clinic in other cities and states are like the OMC here, Less-equipped and if you have a issue they cant help you with they either tell you to come here or send you to the major clinic or hospital in the local area.

EDIT 2: In Highschool all of out standardized required tests (the ones required by law) where done all digitally on the Mobile Lab.

 

[XTheLancerX]

I'm 15. iPads have been being implemented in my school since I was 12. Nothing good has come out of it. Teachers pretty much refuse to teach with them, and the teachers that would like to use them can't because there is no eBook version of the textbook they teach with, and there aren't any good apps to use that they know of.

The iPad I was assigned has been sitting dead in my locker for months. Can't be good for the battery, but the school sort of brought it on themselves for half-assing the whole thing. Nobody (including the teachers) has in any way been encouraged to use them, or taught how great they can be. These devices were just kind of dropped into the laps of the students, with no suggestions given to teachers, no explanation on how to use them effectively. Now teachers have to deal with a bunch of dumb kids sitting in class, sneaking earbuds in their ears and listening to music, watching YouTube, or texting friends when they should be paying attention to what's being taught. iPads have definitely been more of a headache/distraction than anything.

It's a great idea in my opinion, but nobody is really working to make it great, it feels. Everybody needs to work together, Apple could always add more features that would be favorable for education, the folks dealing with textbooks/curriculum probably should be working toward making eBook versions of their textbooks, and teachers and the people dealing with technology throughout the school need to work together to make it work. Most teachers are just the average user and don't know what they're doing with these things, and don't know of any great educational apps/mobile-friendly websites off the tops of their heads. It all is just so poorly executed. Maybe next time.

both The Mayo Clinic and a much smaller less-equipped local Clinic/Hospital (Olmsted Medial Center) have computers in every room (except OMC has no patient/visitor access computers (they have wifi though) including the ER department. I have seen in the Mayo Clinic ER (do to being more ER bays than computers) where i have seen multiable ER Staff (nurses/doctors) sitting at multiable computers as they all update the file of the same patient. In the hospital (Non-ER section) they have atleast 4 computers spread across each corridor and staff will use those to update patient files (some times updating multible patient files at the same time). Can't speak for everywhere just what I have locally, Both places didnt even switch from Windows XP until Windows 8 came out and they run 7 (I wonder why the skipped Vista)


1. What if the parents cannot afford the cost?

2. Giving every studet a iPad would cost the same thing as providing each teacher with (or access too) a supply of iPads so that every kid WOULD have one however unless it is needed for homework they would STAY on school property, They can be assigned to each student or just handed out like textbooks were. And is students needed to take their iPad home for doing homework the teacher would but it on a sign-out sheet and have it in the mobile lab (say 1 mobile lab-per teacher per class either or the school would be spending the same amount of money BUT also the rish is less that something can happen to them if they stay on school property.

and lastly, you can bypass the school filters as the filters on the iPad would only be in place whilst on school property when the kids take them home they could connect to their own wifi and download all the games or watch all the porn to their heart's content. The filters are done over Network Proxy not on physical devices (atleast thats what the IT guy in my middle school told me) not sure if there's a different practice in place for iPads.

There was no cost to the parents at our school (Well technically they payed with taxes but that's beside the point) just had to pay a small fee for "insurance".

The filters are locally on the iPad for the iPads at my school. Try to go to Facebook at school, blocked. Go home and connect to home network, still blocked. It works with the profiles in settings, I believe. I believe you can go and delete the profile but the IT department is somehow notified, and sometime by the next day you usually are pulled down there to give them your iPad and have the profile put back on there, plus a couple detentions or an in school suspension usually occur. Depends on the number of times the offender as decided to be stupid. They also have confiscated iPads altogether for the rest of the year in the past.

These iPads are also locked down through restrictions. No messages app, no App Store, no FaceTime, no Game Center, newsstand, photo booth, camera, contacts, iTunes Store, podcasts, or videos, I believe.

 

[Badrottie]

Why iPad? Maybe it has an iBooks app and iBooks Author... I am not sure about Droid have one? They got a ton of education tools. Droid apps are full of malware, viruses, etc. Also remember that Students like to customize on Android OS without paying attention to book reading.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Mayo Clinic in other cities and states are like the OMC here, Less-equipped and if you have a issue they cant help you with they either tell you to come here or send you to the major clinic or hospital in the local area.

Mayo Clinic is one of the top hospitals in the world. It's not surprising they can afford and have utilized the newest technologies into their facilities. They take the cases no one else can handle, and get a lot of business, premiums, and funding because of their success. The Mayos, the Brigham and Womens, the Mass Generals, Dana Farbers, New York Presbyterians, Johns Hopkins, etc of the world are always going to invest in the newest and best technology.

The poor Catholic hospitals with minimal funding may use far less sophisticated systems, but they're dealing with far less sophisticated cases and efficiency requirements. I was at a hospital pharmacy a year ago that still relied on fax machines to send prescriptions from the floors to the pharmacy. The modern "standard" is e-prescribing via computers or mobile devices which is a safer, more accurate, and far more secure method. Talk about slowing down the process and creating endless opportunities for increased medication errors!

 

[wineandcarbs]

It could be the high levels of support and training available for iPad (perhaps this is available for Android devices as well, but people tend to be very familiar with Apple's customer service / training programs / etc) and its apps, the fact that they are often see as lower maintenance (Apple's walled garden), schools/districts may get volume discounts. Also, a lot of times I imagine people making the decisions are familiar with Apple products and that familiarity makes them more comfortable with going with Apple.

 

[joeblow7777]

As a high school science teacher, I've always advocated for the incorporation of technology in the classroom. My board currently promotes a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy which strongly encourages students to bring their own laptop, tablet, or even smartphone.

This approach obviously has some problems. Not every student is able to bring such a device, and even among those who do there is of course a wide range of platforms and device capabilities. Therefore, most schools do have limited sets of iPads, or netbooks/laptops that can be signed out for a period.

In any case, I think that those who say that such devices are not necessary in classrooms (or worse yet, that they distract from learning) are turning a blind eye to the world that we live in. If the classroom is supposed to prepare students to be successful, intelligent, skilled, and productive members of a 21st century society, saying "leave your technology and internet capable devices at the door" doesn't seem like the right approach to take. In just the 8 years since I began my career the rise of affordable laptops, tablets, and smartphones has enhanced what my students and I can do in my class in a number of ways.

But addressing the issue of iPads specifically, they are not the device that I would personally choose for a 1-to-1 program. I have nothing against them, and again, I have used iPads in my classes very successfully, but I don't think that they offer the best price-to-functionality ratio. I think that Chromebooks or the recently released Microsoft Surface 3 are better in that respect.

----------

Droid apps are full of malware, viruses, etc.

I think that Apple users tend to have a somewhat exaggerated view of how nasty life is outside of Apple's so-called "walled garden". I have never encountered any malware on apps offered through the Google Play Store. Basically, you have to be doing some sketchy stuff to actually get a virus on Android, and school issued devices can be configured to prevent such things. Google has even established their own education store/ecosystem for Chromebooks and Android tablets.

 

[Badrottie]

As a high school science teacher, I've always advocated for the incorporation of technology in the classroom. My board currently promotes a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy which strongly encourages students to bring their own laptop, tablet, or even smartphone.

This approach obviously has some problems. Not every student is able to bring such a device, and even among those who do there is of course a wide range of platforms and device capabilities. Therefore, most schools do have limited sets of iPads, or netbooks/laptops that can be signed out for a period.

In any case, I think that those who say that such devices are not necessary in classrooms (or worse yet, that they distract from learning) are turning a blind eye to the world that we live in. If the classroom is supposed to prepare students to be successful, intelligent, skilled, and productive members of a 21st century society, saying "leave your technology and internet capable devices at the door" doesn't seem like the right approach to take. In just the 8 years since I began my career the rise of affordable laptops, tablets, and smartphones has enhanced what my students and I can do in my class in a number of ways.

But addressing the issue of iPads specifically, they are not the device that I would personally choose for a 1-to-1 program. I have nothing against them, and again, I have used iPads in my classes very successfully, but I don't think that they offer the best price-to-functionality ratio. I think that Chromebooks or the recently released Microsoft Surface 3 are better in that respect.

----------



I think that Apple users tend to have a somewhat exaggerated view of how nasty life is outside of Apple's so-called "walled garden". I have never encountered any malware on apps offered through the Google Play Store. Basically, you have to be doing some sketchy stuff to actually get a virus on Android, and school issued devices can be configured to prevent such things. Google has even established their own education store/ecosystem for Chromebooks and Android tablets.

That is good to know.

 

[scaredpoet]

1. What if the parents cannot afford the cost?

We could ask the same questions when a student's parents cannot afford the cost of gym clothes, or doctor visits for vaccinations or sports physicals, or other school supplies. Though the difference here is, those examples are all mandatory costs. Whereas, as long as your kid treats what's been issued them with a modicum of respect, they won't have to pay anything to fix what hasn't been broken.

2. Giving every studet a iPad would cost the same thing as providing each teacher with (or access too) a supply of iPads so that every kid WOULD have one however unless it is needed for homework they would STAY on school property,

So basically, they go home every night. Because, I don't know about you, but every teacher I had from third grade on assigned homework, every night, including Fridays to be completed over the weekend.

At that point, you may as well issue each student an iPad.

They can be assigned to each student or just handed out like textbooks were. And is students needed to take their iPad home for doing homework the teacher would but it on a sign-out sheet and have it in the mobile lab (say 1 mobile lab-per teacher per class either or the school would be spending the same amount of money BUT also the rish is less that something can happen to them if they stay on school property.

How is this less risky? So basically, you're signing out iPads every night, and signing them back in every morning, to be used in class, only to be signed back out at the end of the day again, because again, I doubt any teacher is letting their students go multiple nights without homework.

So effectively, the result is the same as just issuing each kid an iPad, only more paperwork, bureaucracy and time wasted every morning and afternoon.

Add to this the fact that in middle and high school levels, kids are going from class to class, and have multiple teachers, each of which are specialized and (presumably) experts in their subjects. So which teacher in this case keeps track of what iPad? Does teacher A for a student's last class of the day sign out the iPad at the end of the day, and Teacher B in the students morning class check it back in? How do you then ensure each teacher gets back enough of them to check out at the end of the day? How is this coordinated?

Sounds like unnecessary complication if you ask me.

and lastly, you can bypass the school filters as the filters on the iPad would only be in place whilst on school property when the kids take them home they could connect to their own wifi and download all the games or watch all the porn to their heart's content. The filters are done over Network Proxy not on physical devices (atleast thats what the IT guy in my middle school told me) not sure if there's a different practice in place for iPads.

There's a different practice in the field for iPads. Filtering can be done both ways: proxy-on-device, and via on-campus network filtering. But again, the smarter kids can (and do) bypass both methods.

Thanks for the info. I know nothing about iDevices ive never owned a iPod never wanted one.

I would say that you really need to know more about something before criticizing its use. Just because you have no interest in a particular piece of technology, that doesn't mean they aren't useful to others.

Office on a iPad? How would u even install that with no optical drive?

You download it. For free. Just like any other app.

Here's another mind-blower for ya: The current versions of Adobe software, MS Office for PC/Mac, and even Microsoft Windows and OS X aren't available on optical media. You download them, too.

 

[Traverse]

Eh, it's very useful in college for PDF-intesive classes, but it wouldn't have been very useful in high school, but the cirrocumulu's changed.