Tips for iPad deployment in the classroom
The iPad is possibly one of the most talked about pieces of educational technology. There’s been a lot of discussion about the best educational apps, ways to use the iPad in the classroom and even the importance of the iPad in education as a whole.
It seems there’s been little in the way of advice outlining how to manage the popular Apple tablet in a school environment. Using iPads in the classroom can be both fun and educational, but this extra technology can pose problems for teachers in terms of resource management and a multitude of items to consider when deploying iPads to every student, or purchasing a classroom set for your school, so we thought we’d run through some tips to help you manage iPads effectively in the classroom.
Get teachers to play and understand the tablets first: Teachers need to understand how using iPads will impact students, and they won’t if they have not played with it. Allow each teacher to sync to iTunes and purchase some educational apps. Once they have used an iPad for personal and professional use, they will understand what it can and cannot do in the classroom. There are a huge amount of free educational apps available for the iPad, but teachers might feel that the free ones are not enough. Some apps like Apple’s productivity tools (not free) are extremely useful and include Pages, Keynote, Numbers, iMovie and GarageBand.
Also noteworthy is to be aware that many apps could work very well for classroom use, except for the fact that they connect directly to social networking sites. If you don’t want students to have access to this, make sure to avoid those apps.
Create an iPad rota: Unless you’re lucky enough to be able to invest in an iPad for every pupil, you’ll need to find a way to effectively share your limited resources between classrooms. Create a rota or booking form to ensure that each class has a fair opportunity to use the iPads and share this with your colleagues. However, don’t put this rota on your school’s website; although an online rota can be easily accessed by staff, it is also readily available to thieves looking to cash-in on tech-savvy schools.
Think about synchronisation: Syncing a classroom full of iPads to iTunes individually can be time consuming. To make this process easier, you could invest in an iPad trolley, iPad carry case or iPad desktop synchronisation solution that will enable you to download apps to all machines simultaneously.
Purchase decent covers and store them safely: Decent covers will protect the iPads in some way from the extreme wear and tear of every day use by different students.
iPad charging trolleys are a great way to store and transport iPads between classrooms, but there’s a few things that you need to consider. Charging trolleys are designed to be wheeled around a building, so you should select one that’s going to protect the devices from moving around inside the trolley when pushing between classrooms.
Security: Small, attractive and valuable, iPads can be very appealing to thieves. Metal iPad charging trolleys, like the UnoCart™ for iPads, can help secure your tablet computers and help safeguard your investment. If you want to find out more about the UnoCart™ for iPads from LapSafe® Products, including why St Hugh of Lincoln R.C School in Trafford use the trolley, click here.
Server backup: Consider purchasing a WebDAV server so students can back up their work (except for iMovie). The iPad has an option under Share and Print to Copy to WebDAV. The option to save to the WebDAV is a must-have when students save work to the iPad. If the iPad breaks or a student locks themselves out of his or her account, no work is lost. This is also great for those classrooms where multiple students use one iPad. They can each save their work daily without fear of having another student modify it.
Lastly: Without teachers guiding the instruction appropriately, iPads can become a distraction and not a tool for learning. Teachers must see a way to move toward problem-solving lessons/units and away from substitution activities to achieve the best benefits for the students. Felsted School, an independent boarding and day school for children aged four to 18 years of age, is an Apple Regional Training Centre, and offers free advice and workshops to any school using Apple tools to support teaching and learning.
If you want to find out more about how Felsted School use iPads with pupils, click here to read Dr Dennis’ blog. You could also download our free guide to using iPads in education, including information on how another UK school uses iPads in the classroom. We’ve also put together a short video highlighting some of Dr Dennis’ thoughts about using iPads in the classroom. The video also features some of our new products for 2012, including information about our UnoCart™ for iPads sync and charge solution.
4G, what is it and how will it affect us?
In our last blog we, agreed with the General Secretary, Russell Hobby, and schools believing that smartphones, tablets, netbooks and laptops are some of the resources out there which make learning engaging and interesting for students.
So, while mobile operators are currently preparing to introduce 4G networks, most of us currently have 2G or 3G networks for checking our email, social networking, working remotely or using educational apps. So let’s imagine, just for a moment, a world without access to mobile data, having to search for Wi-fi networks to access data. The inconvenience would be dramatic.
Isn’t it amazing how quickly we get used to something, and when we’re used to it, we want something better, faster and more efficient. This is exactly what 4G should be able to offer us.
What is 4G?
The Fourth Generation of Cellular Communications is the next step in the evolution of mobile data to offer mobile internet access typically 10 times faster than 3G, over the next three years.
What are the benefits of 4G?
The obvious benefit of this is that we will be able to do things faster, consume more media on our devices and work harder – although not necessarily in that order.
Ed Richards, Ofcom’s chief executive, told Radio 4: “4G offers much better data services and therefore all the kind of things you can get on broadband at home or in your office and that you aspire to do through your smartphone or tablet computer and so forth, that is exactly what 4G services will enable.”
It is very likely that more educational establishments will invest in ICT according to a recent survey carried out Ed Exec.
Graeme Davidson, Category Manager, Epson said: “As we are all increasingly exposed to more modern and exciting technology at home, the UK education system needs to mirror this trend and keep up with the changing times.” In accordance with this statement, 64% of ICT buyers also expect their budgets to increase throughout 2012 – providing an opportunity for much needed improvement.
As always, LapSafe® Products, the experts in managing mobile computing, have a wide variety of storage and charging solutions available and we would be more than happy to give you a free demonstration.
We are looking forward to the promises of 4G, and with you anxiously await the launch by the end of 2012.
Under a new Ofsted proposal, teachers could be forced to banish mobiles from lessons, their reasoning behind tackling pupil behaviour.
We were quite shocked to learn that from September measures to tackle low-level disruption during lessons will be put in place, and schools could be penalised for not improving pupil behaviour.
According to the headteacher of the Mossbourne Community Academy, Sir Michael Wilshaw, banning his pupils from using mobile phones has worked well in his approach to discipline his students.
In an interview with a national news paper he said: “It certainly cut out all that nonsense that you have in schools of these things being brought in and then a mobile phone going off in a lesson. The outrageous behaviour that you occasionally see in all schools is serious, but I think the bigger issue is that low-level disruption which takes place which stops children learning effectively. Teachers and headteachers have got to stamp that out.”
Sir Michael further commented that he found mobile phones allowed for bullying and accessing inappropriate content.
Calling it short-sighted and suggesting it could backfire on teachers, school leaders have hit back at Sir Michael’s suggestion.
Today few schools ban mobile phones altogether. Like LapSafe® Products, most schools believe that Smart phones, tablets, netbooks and laptops are some of the resources out there that make learning engaging and interesting for students. Mobile phones can be used as inexpensive class voting devices or they can be used as mobile VLEs.
So LapSafe® Products, as experts in managing mobile computing agree with the General Secretary, Russell Hobby when he says that schools need to think carefully about the implications of adopting such a policy, and highlights that some schools are using mobiles successfully as part of the lesson.
We are sure that this debate will continue and would love to hear your thoughts and comments.
Source: Edexec
This year may be the year that classrooms really evolve the way they work. Google have responded this challenge with their very successful Chromebook. Boasting an impressive 8 second start up and a battery that lasts the whole day, the Chromebook may be the surge of energy the modern classroom has needed to provide access tot the web at much faster speeds that traditional netbooks.
So what is the difference between the Chromebook and other competing tablets or netbooks in the market and which is it, a netbook or a tablet?
The Chromebook doesn’t have the complexity of a netbook or tablet, but features a physical keyboard, track pad and access to the Google App store. Simple to navigate – the Chromebook funtions on the concept that if an individual knows how to use a web browser, they will know how to use a Chromebook, without having to familiarise themselves with new software. Individual logins provide each user with their own cloud of applications and no work or data is stored on the Chromebook itself. Students can access their data when at home or wherever they have online access to it.
The Chromebook has built-in security that defends against malware and viruses, ensuring the protection of data and can be set to block harmful, graphic or obscene website searches. Administrators can manage all settings through a web-based console, to update or change settings for an entire set of Chromebooks with just a few clicks.
The feature rich Chromebook certainly competes as an ideal device for safe, interactive learning for all against other top devices in the Education environment today.
Whatever device you choose, laptop, netbook, tablet or Chromebook, LapSafe® Products offer a safe storage and charging solution for managing your mobile computing.
Five top tablet PCs for Education
It seems we can’t open the pages of an education magazine lately without spotting an article spouting the benefits of using tablets in the classroom or how the iPad is revolutionising the learning process.
But, is the iPad the best tablet for education? Let’s have a look at some of the other tablet PCs on the market that could be used in schools:
Asus Transformer Prime
A mouth full of a title, but this tablet would be a lovely piece of kit for any schools that could afford it. In fact, some technology journalists are touting it as the best tablet ever made – we’ll let you decide. The nice thing about the Asus is that it’s available in a bundle deal that comes complete with a keyboard, making it half way between a touch screen laptop and a tablet, and helpful for older children that are asked to write extended pieces of text, such as essays or stories. Reviewers also believe it to be a tad more durable than the iPad, so good for busy classrooms with lots of children handling the device. Its high resolution screen really brings games to life, fantastic for games-based learning.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab
Another popular Android tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is already making waves within education. The tablet is very thin and light, making it easy for students to carry, especially on school trips when pupils want to make use of it for note taking or use its camera facility to take pictures. Its nine hour battery could mean that it lasts an entire school day and its Android operating system will appeal to Google fans. However, it may well be worth investing in some anti-virus software if pupils will be downloading apps.
Archos 70 Internet Tablet
If you’re keen to bring tablets to your classroom, but don’t have the budget for the more sophisticated solutions on the market, the Archos could be worth looking at. Priced around £150, this tablet is a fraction of the price of the iPad, but also has a lot less functionality. It features a built in ‘kick stand’ that allows the device to stand up – almost like a digital photo frame – which could be good for group work or when lots of children are crowding around the device to watch a YouTube video.
Acer Iconia Tab A200
Android geeks contain yourselves: here’s a ‘budget’ Ice Cream Sandwich tablet. If that doesn’t excite you, its form factor just might. The tablet has rounded edges and a rubber coated back, which was designed to make the tablet more robust for children to use. There’s no rear facing camera, which could affect pupils’ ability for video blogging, but the screen is of a good glossy quality and the device is being marketed at families, meaning it is easy for young children to use.
The New iPad
The iPad, whether version one, two or three, still seems to be the tablet of choice for schools. Its fantastically sharp screen may well reduce eyestrain for pupils, and its superb camera could help photography and art students take illuminating pictures. The video mirroring feature is very impressive (but you’ll need an Apple TV for this). With just a touch of the AirPlay icon, it allows pupils to showcase what’s on their iPad onto the TV screen so that it becomes a bigger version of the device in the child’s hand. This would be great for allowing pupils to demonstrate their work to the class. You can read more about using the iPad in education, and how to manage iPads in the classroom in some of our other blog posts.
So, which one’s your favourite? Leave us a comment and let us know.
For more information about charging tablets in the classroom, give us a call, or check out our UnoCart for iPads.
This week we’ve been posting a jargon busting blog every day to explain what’s really meant by some of those complicated laptop trolley terms. We’ve been highlighting that some phrases, such as power management and efficient charging, mean different things to different suppliers and that laptop trolleys are not all the same.
So how can you ensure that you pick a laptop trolley or laptop locker that really does what it says on the tin? Well, to finish off this series, we thought we’d run through the reasons why we think that LapSafe® is still the original and the best when it comes to managing mobile ICT:
We created the first ever laptop storage and charging trolley in 2000
Before LapSafe®, laptop trolleys did not exist. Since we first introduced the Mentor™, other companies have tried to copy us, but none have been successful in providing the power management solution which makes our products – from laptop trolley right through to self-service lockers – unique. We have over a decade’s worth of experience in managing mobile IT alone, more than any other manufacturer.
We have always put safety first, and we always will
We are called Lap Safe for a reason. Our laptop trolleys and lockers feature load protection, soft start and surge protection AS STANDARD, because safety is too important to be sold as an optional extra. We are fully CE compliant and are assessed by an INDEPENDENT safety body, not simply self-certified, like some options available on the market.
We only manufacture STEEL trolleys and lockers for durability and security
Can a plastic or wood laptop trolley really keep laptops secure? We manufacturer all of our products in steel and our Mentor™ laptop trolley is one of the strongest on the market, with a fully welded chassis, enhanced door security and anti-jemmy plates.
Our charging trolleys only charge devices horizontally
If laptops were meant to charge on their sides, they would have been designed this way. In our laptop trolleys, laptops stay safely charging flat, just like their makers intended, meaning they don’t move around inside the trolley, bang into the sides of the cabinet in transit or get damaged more generally – we like to protect your investment and keep your devices safe.
Our SmartLine™ integrated charging really is smart
When you buy a SmartLine™ laptop trolley, we replicate the laptops’ charging cables, replacing AC adaptors with preconfigured charging cables, leaving you free to use your power packs in class. This system makes deploying laptops quicker, smarter and easier, saving you time. When some other manufacturers use the term ‘integrated charging’, they are referring to a solution which hides the AC adaptors, or clip them onto a shelf, rather than the built-in leads we use at LapSafe®. Our SmartLine™ uses ultra-safe low voltage charging that is unique to us and incorporates PowaSave™ technology to saves energy and protect battery life.
We have a solution for every need and budget
We manufacture the most comprehensive range of mobile IT management solutions on the market, from low cost laptop trolleys to sophisticated self-service lockers and iPad charge and sync solutions. We really are your one stop shop.
So when customers ask us why they should buy from us when a competitors’ offering seems ‘cheaper by comparison’, our answer is simple; there is NO COMPARISON to a LapSafe®.
We are the UK’s only expert in managing mobile computing and our products our safe, secure and built to last. If you need a quality, value for money, solution that can be upgraded in the future and will last the best of time, there is no better return on investment than a LapSafe® product.
When we launched our first jargon busting series a year ago, we wrote a post to demystify what’s really meant by the term “power management”. A year on, it seems that even more manufacturers are using this term. The problem is that they all mean different things by it.
To clear up the confusion, we thought it was time to revisit the issue once more. So, just what is laptop trolley power management?
For some laptop trolley manufacturers, power management, sometimes called electronic power management (EPM), refers to timer system or delay switch, which charges laptops at intervals. In many cases, these products turn on one laptop at a time when a laptop trolley is powered on in an attempt to avoid overloading a building’s circuits. This is not the case at LapSafe®
As the UK’s expert in managing mobile computing, when we talk about power management, in all of our laptop trolleys, laptop cabinets and laptop lockers, we mean that we charge all devices simultaneously – NO delay switches, NO sequential charging, we charge all laptops at once, in the fastest possible time.
So why do we charge all laptops simultaneously?
Simple, this is the quickest way that we can get full charged laptops to you ready to use. This means that your pupils or staff can get access to laptops when they need them, rather having to wait for devices charging sequentially. You can read more about how we make our charging efficient as possible in yesterday’s jargon busting post.
We do all of this without overloading circuits or tripping fuses. How? Our products feature load protection, soft start and surge protection, meaning that any sudden fluctuations in electricity won’t damage laptops, the cabinet, or the circuit they are charging through. These features are included AS STANDARD, because health and safety is far too important to be purchased as an optional extra.
Since day one when we created the first ever laptop trolley, we have always put safety first. We always have, we always will. You’ll be able to read even more about our safety features in a special blog post tomorrow.
Laptop trolley jargon busting: Efficient charging system
Welcome to the second post in our latest round of laptop trolley jargon busting articles, aiming to take some of the confusion out of picking a solution to charge your laptops, netbooks and tablets.
Today, we’re putting some clarity in to the term “efficient charging system”, looking at what manufacturers really mean when they claim that their laptop trolleys charge your laptops economically.
When we created the first ever laptop trolley more than 12 years ago, our main priority was to ensure that we managed power efficiently and safely. It’s the same today, and always will be.
The way we charge laptops has been efficient since day one. We have always charged devices simultaneously – that’s all 30, possibly 60, devices charging at once in the quickest possible time. We do this in all of our laptop trolleys, lockers and cabinets without tripping fuses or overloading circuits because all of our solutions feature load protection, soft-start and surge protection as STANDARD (plus a whole lot more). We never compromise on safety, and never will.
When some other manufacturers use the term “efficient charging system”, they’re describing a system that charges groups of laptops, rather than all devices at the same time. They send power to the laptops that are in most need of charge, rather than charging devices simultaneously, meaning that it could take a long time for any of the laptops to reach their full charge. By charging laptops all at the same time, devices charging in LapSafe® solutions are ready to be used in the fastest possible time.
Our SmartLine™ solutions, those laptop trolleys and lockers that charge devices without their AC adaptors using low voltage ultra-safe integrated charging, also feature our unique PowaSave™ technology. Developed in 2010, PowaSave™ is designed to provide massive power savings over ‘duration charging’ of laptops and netbooks, by sensing when laptops are fully charged and no longer require power.
This highly intelligent system will then stop sending unnecessary power to those laptops – no timers, no switches, just pretty nifty technology that charges laptops simultaneously, but recognises that some laptops will reach their full charge quicker than others. PowaSave™ saves both energy and battery life, and there is no other system like it on the market.
We’ll be back tomorrow to set some more records straight.
Laptop trolley jargon busting: security
For the first of our laptop trolley jargon busting posts, we thought that we’d explore the issue of security.
Given the economic downturn and the fact that schools are purchasing increasingly varied and valuable technology, laptop and mobile ICT security is an incredibly important issue. In fact, our recent research shows that almost half of education establishments have had mobile ICT stolen during the last three years, and 27 per cent in 2011.
With laptop theft from schools seemingly on the rise, picking a secure laptop trolley or laptop locker is vital. Unfortunately, when some manufacturers promote their secure storage solutions, they are really talking about a fairly basic locking system.
Some laptop trolleys boast of using a twin, two-point or dual locking system to keep devices secure. Although this can be an effective way to lock a laptop trolley shut, such locks only provide a low level of security, locking simply into the top and bottom of the cabinet.
For those that are unconcerned about security, such a locking system may well be adequate. For those looking for real protection for their expensive devices, laptop trolleys with high security anti-drill and anti-tamper lockers with security keys are more appropriate.
It’s also not just a laptop trolley’s locks that make it secure. The construction of the unit is also important for keeping devices safe.
It goes without saying that units made from steel are more secure than those made from wood or plastic. However, some trolleys claim that they are manufactured from metal, when really only particular parts of the cabinet are. To be truly secure, a laptop trolley needs to fully constructed of steel, otherwise a thief could gain access to the side of the unit. Fully welded, the LapSafe® Mentor™ laptop trolley has always been built with security in mind – you can read about what makes it so secure on our website.
We hope that makes the issue of laptop cabinet security a little clearer. We’ll be back tomorrow with another jargon busting post to clear up some other issues in the world of laptop trolleys.
Last year, we brought you our laptop trolley jargon busting series – an attempt to clear up some of the confusion around what companies really mean by their elaborate terminology. We’d noticed that, although manufacturers often used the same phrases to describe the functionality of their products, they actually meant very different things by them.
A year on, it seems there’s even more confusion. Apparently, every laptop trolley manufacturer is a “market leader” and every laptop charging trolley is “unique” or “revolutionary” in some way. As a result, it can be difficult to work out which solution will provide true value for money when all suppliers are claiming to be the best.
As the company that invented the first ever laptop trolley and the UK’s expert in managing mobile computing, we thought it was time to set the record straight one more time.
This week, join us for another round of jargon busting to bring you the truth behind the terms.
