iOS devices in Education

I just spent 2 hours in a presentation and Q&A session with a representative from Apple explaining the options for managing iOS devices in an educational environment. I'm starting to accept that iOS devices are not only taking over the educational world but are also...and I hate to say it...useful in that setting.

So, aside from all the whining and all the draw backs and all the limitations and the cool-aid drinking that has to occur, the fact is that iPads are in schools and there is nothing I can do about it. My only job at this point is to manage them and that's what this Apple rep was there to help us do.

There are a couple of parts to successfully managing iOS devices on a mass scale. Depending on the needs of your environment you can choose a couple of different methods. Regardless of what works best for your environment. Apple recommends giving every student and staff member an iPad filling it full of District purchased apps and letting them run off with them. No joke. This is the BEST way to do it according to the Apple guy. He did quickly run through some of the other options but kept going back to "free stuff for everyone".

He described the current state of the technium (read: "What Technology Wants" by Kevin Kelly if you want to know what that word means Amazon/Kindle $9.99) is POST PC. POST PC! This is what he said, so I wrote it down, with quotes around it. The funny thing is that he wasn't just talking about Windows PCs. He was talking about Macs as well. So, we live in a post PC world right now.

He also said that schools need to start thinking of apps as "consumables". This means that when an app is installed on a student's device, that it now belongs to that student. How does this work? Well, you start off by implementing a 1-to-1 student to iPad ratio. Students then use a school issued email (often Gmail) to create the iTunes account. Apps are distributed by codes generated by the Voucher Purchase Program (VPP). The student is sent a code via email or whatever and he/she then goes to the AppStore, selects the app and enters the voucher code in place of a credit card. The app is then downloaded to the device where it remains for an eternity. When the kid LEAVES school (graduates) he then changes the email address associated with the iTunes account on his school issued iPad and the apps are all his to sync up with any of his personal iOS devices. Nice. eh?

I don't see this as a solution for a public school. To dump this much money in to a "now" technology is insanity. It would be as stupid as someone blowing 10's of thousands of dollars on something like Bennie Babies or something. (oh wait).

So, Apple DOES have a proper method for managing iPads in a school district. It involves the VPP from Apple, and their $3500 cart. Or a powered USB hub. This works, with the same vouchers, except its a teacher that redeems the codes on a computer that syncs to the card of iPads or to a handful of iPads connected to a powered USB hub. Purchases are approved by and administrator, codes are sent to teachers, they enter the code in to the computer, they connect the iPads and boom-bada-bing! all the iPads are the same. Kid takes the iPad out, installs a bunch of crap on it and whatever. As soon as he/she returns that iPad to the controlling computer it's returned to it's approved state.

Sounds good to me. That's what we are going to do... Now if I only knew when the iPad 3's were going to be released.