IPad

Is Syncing iPAD’s the Only Way to Sucess?

Is Syncing iPAD’s the Only Way to Sucess?

I was reading the very good weblog – the Innovative Scholar (note not sure about the title – seems a little superior to me) – however his article “Is the iPad the Correct Tool to Aid Learning in Education?” was thought provoking and also very practical. However what is most apparent is that the iPAD trials and implementations taking place are most often associated with the Primary classroom and younger students and so often the advice given regarding  planning and implementation reflects this to a large extent. Not that this advice is poor but it has made me think through a number of areas that we are considering to decide whether an implementation with sixth form IB Diploma students of age 16-18 years may be quite different.

The following is an excellent list provided by the ‘innovative scholar’ – Steve Pearce showing areas that must be planned for for a successful implementation and whether we have approached it so far with our implementation :-

The main areas where I am concerned is in the App Management and then the simple fact of availability of charging Device Management within the main area where 6th form students work – the Diploma Centre.

  1. App Management – is often suggested to be the toughest area and most advice is to to buy a system that syncs a large number of iPADs using one base iTUNES account and then lock down your iPADs using the iPAD configuration utility tool. The problem with this setup is that with the age group we are implementing with – we want students to take ownership, show creativity and iniative in the apps that they use so this would simply not work. So will as the Innovative Scholar suggests our implementation fall flat on its face as we manage an open policy in which we gift key applications to students and faculty but then leave the rest open and free for users to adapt to their own workflows and thoughts. It makes sense to me especially as the app market is so fluid so maybe an app we decide is excellent for students to use early on in the trial may easily be superseded later…
  2. Device Management – this is more troubling to me as at the moment if we do not need syncing tools that is fine – but what about the availability of some charging stations so that student iPADs that run out of powe (we know those students that will forget to charge theirs!) what are they going to do. There are expensive and versatile systems like the DS – Netsafe – IPC but if we are not using the syncing option would they be worth it? And to add to that they seem very heavy and what we really need is four or five stations around the building of maybe 5? There are many USB splitters that propose from one USB connection they can charge 4 iPADs but on further review are all shown not to work. More promising is the Griffen Multidock which can sync and charge 10 iPADs at once – and maybe the only option that I can find at this moment in time that is suitable. So this does really leave us with a problem in terms of simple, cheap and effective recharging options?

Anyway plenty more food for thought…

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Can the iPAD Deliver as an eBook Reader for Education.

Can the iPAD Deliver as an eBook Reader for Education.

We all know that the Kindle does deliver much more than the iPAD when it comes to leisure reading… the use of the e-ink display has no flicker and so is kinder to the eyes rather than the iPad with its LCD backlit display that flickers at a frequency that over long periods of time will cause tiredness. BUT would an iPAD work for textbooks – as these are not read over long periods of time but in short bursts and if the software offered the ability to annotate and collaborate it could even add to the model and use of textbooks. Obviously beyond cost and the benefits of not carrying around a bag full of brick heavy books – there are many more advantages however up until now this has not led the shall we say traditional textbook publishers to rush forward with ebooks and systems that would work for students.

In fact while designing and writing one of the new Pamoja online IB courses – it was evident how difficult it was to persuade publishers that this could be a fabulous way ahead and not ruin there current ‘business models.’ Often the rental models used and software is so intrusive or costly that it is cheaper to buy two physical copies. However things seem to be changing and recently we took part in a Cambridge trial of Read and Note software where Cambridge Unviersity Press are actually publishing and sharing official IB books and software that allows collaboration. Great news but as the Read and Note software is browser based would it work well on the iPad? Below and some screenshots showing it in action on the iPad.

ReadAndNote in Action2

ReadAndNote in Action2

ReadAndNote in Action

ReadAndNote in Action

Initial thoughts are it is fine but could be better and if Cambridge want to expand in this area then making the browsing experience on mobile devices there number one priority will be essential. Obviously Cambridge do not provide the technology and so will need to lean on companies like Read and Note to keep on improving the user experience and often the only route is to go down a native app route rather than through a browser to make sure that the user experience is a reliable and smooth one. One of the most frustrating areas was that none of the annotation tools worked to any level of use… but all I can say is it is a start and something our school can carefully consider if the iPad trial moves forward quickly.

Although to finish – one thoughtful blog writer suggests that however good those apps become for reading books it will not help when you come to students trying to study from 4 0r 5 texts at once?

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iPAD Interesting Articles This Week…

iPAD Interesting Articles This Week…

 

Thought this was an amazing project and great idea to show the creative side of producing apps that have a social and ethical conscience.

Interesting documentary if a little US biased regarding the use of iPADs with special needs students and especially those with Autism.

This site shows how far parts of the US education system are buying into the whole iPAD system and ethos.

7HDnotes App the Way Forward or Backward?

7HDnotes App the Way Forward or Backward?

 

It is an interesting thought that some believe the reason the iPAD has flourished unlike many other handheld devices and the tablet laptops that came way before is that they did not focus on handwriting recognition and instead focused on the simple touch keyboard. This may seem strange as you would imagine that the use of handwriting with a stylus if perfected would make it the perfect notetaker and so would establish itself much better within a classroom environment.

Immediately when I heard there were a number of handwriting recognition apps out there – I was intrigued and after much searching decided upon 7HDnotes as this had received the best reviews.

Did it work well yes it is very good – getting even my handwriting most of the time.

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However the problem is the application itself is limited – and as you know I am pretty much sold on using the app Daily Notes for my day to day notetaking of meetings etc. And yes you have guessed when it comes to exporting from 7HD it does not go to Daily Notes immediately and so I would have to copy and paste of export to one document and then across to another.

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I know this may not seem that much of an issue – but it is again one of those almost ‘dealbreakers’ which has meant to this stage the 7HD app is very underused by myslef and I would rather rely on using the keyboard? Will this change – maybe if I was using it for a different reason for example to write an essay as students may be doing then maybe the export to Writeroom etc would be wonderful – who knows until it is tested under those conditions?

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So we will see in the future whether that beautiful Bamboo Stylus I bought is an essential tool – or gets lost at the bottom of my pencil case?

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iPAD deployment : 1-to-1 but how…

iPAD deployment : 1-to-1 but how…

Featured Image Above…Interesting weblog post from Wesley Fryer’s weblog regarding iPAD deployment in Western Academy of Beijing – which as with many of these discussions still comes up with more questions than answers :-

Here come the iPADs – now what? iPAD Deployment.

Most interesting point however is the title to this weblog post – surely this means the school is buying the iPADs and then thinking of how to use them – which seems a crazy way forward – hopefully at ACS even if our timeline is slightly longer we should be able to have a full plan of action of how and why we are deploying in a certain way. Or actually is the experimental way the most sensible way forward – as the use of the technology like the iPAD’s may often produce surprising results and outcomes?

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Initial Meeting and Ruminations…while using Daily Note

Initial Meeting and Ruminations…while using Daily Note

Daily Notes - the best Notetaking App on the iPAD?

We had out first planning at the end of last week to discuss through some of the initial constraints and ideas related to the iPAD iniative. It was an interesting discussion as it showed what a great deal of work needs to happen to be able to facilitate the implementation properly and hopefully ensure its success. Below are some of my initial notes that I wrote on the App “Daily Notes” which so far is my pick on the many note taking apps out there.

I have also tried – Bamboo Paper, Note Taker HD, Notes Plus and Noteshelf which all have some great tools but for some reason the link between a notetaking app and a diary calendar view just seems the right way forward for my organisational style and also how I work within school. So the notes below were written in Daily Notes. The missing link with all of these notemaking apps though is that the handwriting recognition apps are all separate – which is just so annoying at this stage. However more about those in another post.

Meeting Notes and Questions…

– iPad ownership – how does the trial work
Logistics of 1-to-1 ownership dsicussed at length including  payment, vouchers/redemption codes – key apps…not sustainable

Members of team will continue to go on School visits… of schools of excellence – Cedars hosting an event, 29th/30th

hardware – numbers, teachers involved – paragons in each department, 3G …
How will the trial become sustainable … long term there will be a fee if taken forward, or do we take device…
If paid for –  it is the students and so will look after more?

– software issues – legal, base apps, free apps, gifting
Ideas – jampf, mobile iron…purchase licenses
Apple – speak to apps…different apple store education
Precedent…be careful…
Key apps… Parents? A cost –  parent engagement…
What if kid has one already?

– policies and standards
Damage on devices – 1% to 5% , 11-13 year olds?
Insurance – bundle discount…
AUP
Talk inspirational – genius bar environment

– communication –  parents, students
Event evening – needs everyone involved… will be incredibly important
Unknown territory? Parents concerns…Responsibility of use…

– timeline … Stop dithering, however needs to be structured… Needs success, longer term – move this on
Team… Who is this?

As you can see alot was discussed with no real answers – however at least Daily Notes was up to the task 🙂

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