iPad rollout in 5 days

[Marvin Lee]

We are going 1 to 1 on February 11, and the students have no clue.  This is an alternative high school of 120 students, and their lives are about to change.  Actually, I think the students will fly with this better than the teachers.  I have ideas of my own about how these will be used, but I'd love to hear what some of you think YOU would do.  

 

We want to become more project-based, and I'd love to hear your ideas regarding some great projects for high schoolers.

 

I'm getting a little nervous....hope I've got all bases covered.  I think I'd feel better with feedback from some of you.

[Kevin McCormack]

Marvin,

Good luck my friend.  I'm principal in a Bklyn Catholic school (Xaverian) and we are getting ready to do this in Sept w/ our 9th graders moving over the next year or so for the rest of the school.

I am convinced this is the right tool for our kids.  Even if they only use it for note taking it would be worth its weight in gold.  I've given about 20 of my teachers iPads to play with this semester.  I'm looking for them to create the buzz and hopefully a tipping point for the school.  I am very excited for you.  keep us posted.

kmac

[John Scates]

Yes, their lives(and yours) are about to change. It will be awesome! I have been 1:1 in my multigrade classroom(k-8) since October and it has been amazing. The students have completely embraced the iPad. In the beginning, I thought that we would primarily be using the iPad for fact practice and review, rather than content creation, but as we have progressed, we are using these great devices for much more. We have been using the iPad to create podcasts using Sonic-pics as well as presentations and papers using Keynote and Pages. Further, we have been using the iPad for blogging as well as communication via Edmodo. Students are also doing math assignments using neu.notes.

My opinion is that if the teacher is motivated, the sky is the limit with iPads in the classroom.

John

[Sandy Munnell]

Thanks for the link. I have two Datamation iPad carts sans the syncing solution.  Carts are a great size; a mild headache to put together because you have to use the USB cables and Apple brick that comes with the iPad. This does, however, keep the cost down. Am looking forward to getting more information about their syncing solution, but they are behind their own timetable. 

 

I have 5 power adapters with the long power cords so in an emergency, we can plug in an iPad if needed.

 

Another company coming out with a syncing solution for the iPad is Tribeam.com.

 

Then there's the cadilac of carts: Bretford sync/charge for iPad at the premium price of $2600.

 

Our pilot is small, only 60 iPads shared between 4 World History teachers. Pearson is the textbook our school division purchased for its etext book. As an app it is adequate. The problem with sharing the iPads is that students can't really annotate their text so am looking forward to hearing how other schools do with 1:1 iPads.

 

Matt Freyer said:

One of the first considerations should be security of the iPads while at school, followed by recharging your iPad batteries, followed by the ability to simultaneously sync the iPads in large groups. My recommendation would be to check out www.ipadcart.info. It is a good place to start as you plan the rollout. Sounds very exciting. Best of luck.

[Sandy Munnell]

Datamation has released a sync/charge station for $1295.00. It syncs 16 iPads at one time.

Sounds expensive? Compare to the Bretford cart from Apple at $2600.

In my case I need 3 carts for 90 iPads

Bretford cart: $2599   3 carts=$7797.00

Three datamation carts: $3900 plus one charging station $1114 = $5014

That's a savings of over $2783.00

 

Does the Datamation sync/charge station work. Yes! I am using one now. Here's what I've learned:

 Step 1: Update your iTunes apps before plugging in the iPads
Step 2: Your iPads must be set so that apps can be installed
Step 3: Plug in the iPads and they auto sync

There are a few more steps if you need to install a new app.
Step 1: Upate your iTunes apps before plugging in the iPads
Step 2: Your iPads must be set so that apps can be installed
Step 3: Plug in the iPads – they will auto sync, but will NOT get the new app
Step 4: To get the new app, you must click each iPad, check the box next to the new app in the list of apps and then click Apply.
Installing a new app is a babysitting process as you must advance to each iPad in turn.

If you are updating the OS, it’s a little tricky.
Steps 1 & 2 are the same
Step 3: As you plug in each iPad, cancel  the request to update the OS each time the dialog box appears telling you an update is available
Step 4: Once all 16 are connected, you can now go back to each one and click on the update button on the Summary page

If you don’t cancel the update request and you start an update, the other iPads cannot connect until processing is completed for the first iPad. This confuses iTunes.
If you are also installing a new app, you will have to go the same process again once the OS update is complete.

Advice: set your restrictions so students can’t delete an app – but do allow installing an app — if kids download their apps well,...you can always delete.  We’ve got 60 iPads and this has not been an issue. They play around more with the Touches, but, it hasn’t been a problem there either.

Advice: don’t update the OS unless you really have to. Babysitting the process is ridiculously time consuming.
Time to do 30 iPad OS updates – all day. Better than doing it one by one or using a USB hub and having them dangling off my desk all day for 4 days!
Time to update apps only – an hour.

[Eric Mahan]

Thank you Sandy!   Very helpful suggestions here.

Sandy Munnell said:

Datamation has released a sync/charge station for $1295.00. It syncs 16 iPads at one time.

Sounds expensive? Compare to the Bretford cart from Apple at $2600.

In my case I need 3 carts for 90 iPads

Bretford cart: $2599   3 carts=$7797.00

Three datamation carts: $3900 plus one charging station $1114 = $5014

That's a savings of over $2783.00

 

Does the Datamation sync/charge station work. Yes! I am using one now. Here's what I've learned:

 Step 1: Update your iTunes apps before plugging in the iPads
Step 2: Your iPads must be set so that apps can be installed
Step 3: Plug in the iPads and they auto sync

There are a few more steps if you need to install a new app.
Step 1: Upate your iTunes apps before plugging in the iPads
Step 2: Your iPads must be set so that apps can be installed
Step 3: Plug in the iPads – they will auto sync, but will NOT get the new app
Step 4: To get the new app, you must click each iPad, check the box next to the new app in the list of apps and then click Apply.
Installing a new app is a babysitting process as you must advance to each iPad in turn.

If you are updating the OS, it’s a little tricky.
Steps 1 & 2 are the same
Step 3: As you plug in each iPad, cancel  the request to update the OS each time the dialog box appears telling you an update is available
Step 4: Once all 16 are connected, you can now go back to each one and click on the update button on the Summary page

If you don’t cancel the update request and you start an update, the other iPads cannot connect until processing is completed for the first iPad. This confuses iTunes.
If you are also installing a new app, you will have to go the same process again once the OS update is complete.

Advice: set your restrictions so students can’t delete an app – but do allow installing an app — if kids download their apps well,...you can always delete.  We’ve got 60 iPads and this has not been an issue. They play around more with the Touches, but, it hasn’t been a problem there either.

Advice: don’t update the OS unless you really have to. Babysitting the process is ridiculously time consuming.
Time to do 30 iPad OS updates – all day. Better than doing it one by one or using a USB hub and having them dangling off my desk all day for 4 days!
Time to update apps only – an hour.

[Geoff Maddrey]

The cost of some of these have come down quite a bit.  (The sync-charge station mentioned above is now 20% less expensive.)  I have even seen a 49-port USB hub that can be used for syncing and the price of that has dropped too.

Has anyone used Apple's new Configurator for these?

Eric Mahan said:

Thank you Sandy!   Very helpful suggestions here.

Sandy Munnell said:

Datamation has released a sync/charge station for $1295.00. It syncs 16 iPads at one time.

Sounds expensive? Compare to the Bretford cart from Apple at $2600.

In my case I need 3 carts for 90 iPads

Bretford cart: $2599   3 carts=$7797.00

Three datamation carts: $3900 plus one charging station $1114 = $5014

That's a savings of over $2783.00

 

Does the Datamation sync/charge station work. Yes! I am using one now. Here's what I've learned:

 Step 1: Update your iTunes apps before plugging in the iPads
Step 2: Your iPads must be set so that apps can be installed
Step 3: Plug in the iPads and they auto sync

There are a few more steps if you need to install a new app.
Step 1: Upate your iTunes apps before plugging in the iPads
Step 2: Your iPads must be set so that apps can be installed
Step 3: Plug in the iPads – they will auto sync, but will NOT get the new app
Step 4: To get the new app, you must click each iPad, check the box next to the new app in the list of apps and then click Apply.
Installing a new app is a babysitting process as you must advance to each iPad in turn.

If you are updating the OS, it’s a little tricky.
Steps 1 & 2 are the same
Step 3: As you plug in each iPad, cancel  the request to update the OS each time the dialog box appears telling you an update is available
Step 4: Once all 16 are connected, you can now go back to each one and click on the update button on the Summary page

If you don’t cancel the update request and you start an update, the other iPads cannot connect until processing is completed for the first iPad. This confuses iTunes.
If you are also installing a new app, you will have to go the same process again once the OS update is complete.

Advice: set your restrictions so students can’t delete an app – but do allow installing an app — if kids download their apps well,...you can always delete.  We’ve got 60 iPads and this has not been an issue. They play around more with the Touches, but, it hasn’t been a problem there either.

Advice: don’t update the OS unless you really have to. Babysitting the process is ridiculously time consuming.
Time to do 30 iPad OS updates – all day. Better than doing it one by one or using a USB hub and having them dangling off my desk all day for 4 days!
Time to update apps only – an hour.