iPad+Management

This session was hosted by Mariemont City Schools. They discussed the management solutions they found from running their iPad pilot program over the last year.

1. iPads are individual user devices. You cannot use the same management solutions that you used for PCs. There is not one solution for all users of the iPads. The solution that works in the primary might look different from the best way to have them work in secondary or special ed. . . Etc

2. Protect your investment. Make sure to invest in a case. Ask if they have an education discount. Complete an inventory. Install "Find My iPad" on each iPad. Teach the students to turn off all of the open apps in order to save battery life.

3. Know the settings that you have set on the machines. Set the restrictions. There is a new setting in iOS5 that closes the window for downloading apps. By default there is a 15 minute window to continue to allow downloads of apps after you put in the iTunes password.

4. Don't use gift cards to purchase apps. Either have the district use a credit card or use the VPP. In order to make sure that the correct app is purchased, identify the name of the app as well as the developer. Mariement says in the Apple Terms of Service it is ok to buy 30 licenses and just use 1 code 30 times (as long as you own the 30 licenses!)

6. Mobile Device Management. Merriment uses iPhone Confuguration Utility.

7. Encourage teachers to preview apps before the district purchases a large volume of licenses. Find developers and examine their other offerings. Look to see if apps begin referencing common core standards. Set home screen buttons to access a website instead of purchasing an app. Look for apps that encourage higher order thinking skills.

8. Use the iPads for grading. A cloud solution like Google Docsnis a good solution. Taking a screen shot of a report saying an online task has been completed can be emailed. Hmm. . . Could the picture be placed in a google Doc and shared?

9. iCloud - useful for backing up devices.

10. Virtual desktop could allow us to access Flash resources. Photon and Skyfire are two browsers available for the iPad which can allow users to end around to access some flash items.

www.ipadsengage.com