In some cases, schools may wish to deploy a variety of device platforms. It is important to consider the impact that this will have on teaching and support staff.
If teaching staff are utilising certain apps for particular tasks you may not find the same app available across all platform application stores. Certainly you may find similar apps, but it may become difficult in lessons to account for what features are available in one app versus another. Those involved in configuring and managing devices would have to become familiar with the features of all device platforms and in some cases limit functionality of services offered to a ‘lowest common denominator’.
Devices offered on the framework offer standard compatibility with wi-fi networks. Compatibility may be dependent on the setup of the network and the security features that have been configured. It is therefore important to consult with the administrator of your wireless network (who could be in your LEA or a third-party service provider) to find out what security features have been employed.
In some cases, you may wish to provide access to data or services that are currently available to staff or pupils who login to Windows or OS X computers in your school. With devices running Windows 8, it is possible to login as a directory-based user in this manner, but Android and iOS devices are designed to be used by one individual and do not have a login screen. You can utilise third-party applications on Android and iOS to access home folders stored on school or LEA servers, copy the file to your mobile device, edit it and transfer it back.
Aberdeenshire Council has a long history of commitment to and use of digital technologies to help deliver better outcomes for learners. This past year has seen them continue this as they have begun to explore the use of a range of devices in their schools with pilots trialling iPads, Android tablets and iPod Touches.
One of these pilots saw every pupil and teacher at Fishermoss PS in Portlethen being given an iPod Touch by the Local Authority ICT team. We were obviously very interested in finding out more about this ambitious pilot and visited the school late in 2012 to see how things were progressing.
We met with Ashley Rennie who teaches P2/3 to ask her how her early experience in using the devices with her young learners had been. She explained that she was still very much finding her feet with the devices and with what they could do but at that stage she was allowing the children to have their iPod Touches at their desks all the time to use when they saw fit. A number of learning apps have been installed on the iPods and she was allowing the children to use them when they thought it would help them with their learning. Although she is allowing a degree of freedom of use of the devices she is using them in structured ways when carrying out tasks such as spelling and phonics work and she is differentiating her input at these times based on who she feels requires direct teaching and who is more capable of coping with increasing levels of independent learning.
Mrs Rennie remarked that simple things such as the World Clock on the iPods had created a real sense of enquiry and that it had stirred her learners curiosity about the wider world at large. As a result of a most probably overlooked facility in the iPod Touch the class have been motivated to explore areas of the world where they have visited and where they can see that the time is currently different from that in Scotland.
Technical challenges
Mrs Rennie told us that there has been some issues with the management of the iPod Touches in the early stages but that she did manage to take responsibility for ensuring that all the devices for her children had been synced and that all necessary apps had been installed. She felt that this was a challenge but that once it was done it was done and she could carry on with looking at how to use the devices in her practice. One problem that she did identify as an issue for her was the fact that the iPods could not play Flash games or resources that she felt were appropriate for her learners.
The management of the Android devices and the apps that could be installed on them are fundamental to the success of any device pilot. The team at Forrester HS gave this great consideration in view of how it could be done as effectively as possible but in such a way that it would enhance the learning culture of the school. Mark Cunningham (class teacher) explained that, rather than put in place a controlled environment that the school managed, they left it much more open so that learners were able to download apps that they were requested to by their teachers as well as ones that the learners themselves felt were useful for their learning. The school has found this approach to be reasonably successful up to now and the fact that they have good bandwidth means that if 20 pupils are asked to download an app for a lesson at the same time then they can.
Mr Cunningham explained that all apps that they were using were free from the Google and that there had been no need for them to access any of the paid-for apps. He did however point out that at this stage of the pilot there was as yet still no volume purchasing option for Android.
In relation to the management of the devices, Mr Cunningham explained that the school had insurance in place as well as a two-year warranty. There had been a small number of instances where devices had been damaged and also where issues with devices had led to them being returned under warranty to be repaired. It was stressed that any necessary repairs were carried out satisfactorily by the manufacturer but when a device was away being repaired it led to challenges for the learning and teaching in a classroom that required access to a personal device. Mr Cunningham suggested that, if budget allowed, a small bank of school-owned machines could be used to temporarily replace any device that was out of commission due to damage or warranty repair.
Forrester High School in Edinburgh is one of the schools who have been working with the Android devices as part of the city’s wider exploration of devices in schools programme. We met with Mark Cunningham (class teacher), who is one of the members of staff who has been integral to the setting-up and progression of the pilot to date.
Forrester HS: Pilot overviewMr Cunningham (Class Teacher) gives an overview of the Android pilot at Forrester HS
Mark explained to us that the school had looked at different platforms for their pilot and that they eventually decided to go with Android due to the flexibility they felt it offered. Having decided on the platform, it was then agreed that the upcoming S1 cohort from associate schools P7s would be the ones involved in the pilot. Staff from Forrester HS met with the P7s and their parents/carers towards the end of the summer term in 2012 to explain the pilot and deal with issues such as the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) etc.
A key factor in this pilot was that the learners were permitted to take their device home. The school saw this as fundamental to the pilot and felt that there would be limited impact were the devices not allowed to leave the school. They also decided not to exert an overly controlling influence over the devices and that they would let the pupils install apps on their device provided it was within the scope of the AUP. At the time of our meeting with Forrester HS there had been no instances of inappropriate use of the devices by any of the pupils.
iCloud details are the same as school network logins
Willie Davidson (Learning Centre) at Bellshill Academy was a central figure in the planning and implementation of the iPad pilot at the school. In our discussions he talked of the many technical challenges that he faced in order to ensure that the pilot moved forward, such as those associated with wi-fi, iTunes accounts, parental issues and infrastructure.
One of the first challenges he recalls was associated with the purchase and management of apps for the iPads. He told us that when the pilot began there was no way of managing apps for a number of iPads centrally and as a result he had to buy 150 iTunes cards at a local store, scratch off the material to reveal the 15 digit number, then type those numbers into the computer for every card. This proved to be a time-consuming and laborious process and at the time was one that he was concerned about in terms of the sustainability of this process. He is aware that this issue has now been addressed to some extent with Apple introducing Apple Configurator and Volume Purchasing, services it is hoped will make the purchase and management of apps an easier process.
When the iPads were set up it was decided that the school would retain control of absolutely everything. iCloud accounts were set up using the school network login credentials that had already been allocated to pupils. Pupils were informed that they were not allowed to change the details of these accounts and this rule was written in to the Acceptable Use Policy. The pupils and their parents/carers were informed that the apps installed on the device were the property of the school and parents/carers were advised against tying their credit card to an iTunes account due to the fact that any purchased apps would still belong to the school and also because it would limit the chance for their account being hit with the costs of many purchases.
As part of the pilot a new wi-fi system was installed; however, this needed to be reviewed, particularly when it became apparent that the signal was not reaching the areas that it was intended to. Mr Davidson stressed in the interview the need to have a strong data connection for any school that intends to embark on a similar device pilot to theirs.
We spoke with Stewart Fleming (class teacher) at Mearns Academy in Aberdeenshire about how teachers at the school planned to manage and share the devices that they had available to them in their Android pilot. Mr Fleming stressed that the school was still in the early stages of the pilot and that initially they had decided to focus mainly on using the browser as the means by which learning tools could be accessed. At the time we visited the school no concrete decision had been made about the ways in which the devices would be managed centrally in terms of accessing and installing apps, although they had been looking at Learnpad and Splashtop for this purpose. Mr Fleming was of the opinion that a shared and managed device scenario might make it a bit more challenging to address the personalisation and choice agenda but where he could accommodate this he would.
Mr Fleming stated that the principles for curriculum design for Curriculum for Excellence were such that it was important that the school explored different ways in which technology could play an integral part in the learning and teaching experience. He also discussed the importance of teachers and schools recognising the appeal that digital contexts have for learners and how methodologies can be adapted so that positive outcomes for learners can be maximised.
Cedars School of Excellence in Greenock is an independent school catering for children ages from 5 to 17 years. In 2009 they were inspired by the announcement of the Apple’s new iPad that would lead them to become the first school to offer 1:1 iPad provision for learners and staff. Since that time they have been working to integrate the use of this technology into the fabric of learning in their school. We visited them in October 2012 to find out what their experience with their 1:1 approach had been.
We met with Fraser Speirs (computing teacher), who has been responsible for the planning and management of the school’s iPad deployment. We asked him about the challenges there might be with managing apps to over 100 iPads in his school and he explained that there had been issues with this aspect of their iPad initiative but with the advent of Apple’s volume purchase and configurator tools that this had now become a much easier and smoother process.
Fraser was accompanied by Andrew Jewell to explain the use of their syncstations to help manage the apps on their iPads. They also discussed practicalities such as charging the iPads and explained that this was the responsibility of the learners at Cedars School of Excellence with an expectation that they came to school with their device charged and ready for the day.
cedars_syncstation Interview with Fraser Speirs and Andrew Jewell about the process of syncing the devices (apologies for slight interference in this recording)
Glow Blogs uses cookies to enhance your experience on our service. By using this service or
closing this message you consent to our use of those cookies. Please read our Cookie Policy.
