Tablets for Primary School

dunker56 on 11/09/2013 - 20:59

I've been recruited to look into options for buying tablets for our local primary school. Of course everyone is saying ipads, but to my mind they are probably overkill, there is also some discussion over the education apps (android vs apple).

With ipads you get little choice, its entry level iOS platfrom costing around the $500 mark. Android on the other hand and we get LOTS of choices.

Just how good is Kogan's Agora tablet? 10 inch screen $179? They always seem to be sold out, pretty good sign if you ask me.

Anyway I'm wanting any opinions anyone might have over tablet choices for schools.

Cheers,

Dunker

Computing

Comments

  • zelda707 on 11/09/2013 - 21:35

    how big does the screen need to be? 10 inch or 7 inch?

    For tablets i would recommend an iPad as they seem more polished and are probably easier to use. Maybe an iPad mini?

  • Pancake Lover on 11/09/2013 - 21:54
    +1

    I would definitley recommend the Google Nexus 7 (gen 1 or gen 2). Android gives you a lot more choiece and freedom and a bigger variety. Plus money wise its a much wiser choice.

    • zelda707 on 11/09/2013 - 21:59
      +4

      yes, money wise android tablets are better.

      But for educational purposes i think iOS is much better. The apps are more polished and easier to use for kids. The nexus 7 might be too small for educational uses, larger screens would be better

      • leeroys_dad on 13/09/2013 - 12:04

        cool let's limit our kids with nice polished simple things so their brains stop functioning

        • epicaricacy on 13/09/2013 - 19:18

          Or let's let them expand their thinking with new ways of learning…. or perhaps you would rather we return to chalkboards, inkwells, or even further back, to scratching on slate??

    • scrimshaw on 11/09/2013 - 22:33

      Android tablets have never really made it into the education system. At the university I study (UWS) and the private high school I work at, everyone uses iPads. I've yet to see an education institute actually issuing Android tablets.

      Also do not buy the Kogan Agora tablets. They're pretty terrible.

      • BlazinPast on 11/09/2013 - 22:44

        iOS is good but I know from experience, while there are great (paid) apps for productivity, you WILL get distracted by all the games you can download. Same with android. I'd actually recommend a Microsoft tablet but they're a bit too expensive and powerful for primary school usage.

        • rockman117 on 13/09/2013 - 11:17

          thats true, but you could set restrictions on the ipad.

  • botftw on 11/09/2013 - 22:01
    +11

    I reckon using tablets as a learning tool for primary school children is just a waste of money. What happened to the teacher teaching from the blackboard/whiteboard and students copying in their excercise books?

    Yeah right, "educational benefits" of a tablet? The kids will have trouble using it as well.

    I know my post here isn't a recommendation or particularly helpful however a public primary school in my knowledge does not have that much funds to support such expenditure. Maybe spend the money somewhere else? P&C probably just wanted iPads for their kids.

    If the school DOES have the money, then get iPads. Simple to use, thus good for kids.

    However, good luck with the task.

    • zelda707 on 11/09/2013 - 22:04
      +5

      i agree, tablets aren't really worth it. It would be expensive and distracting for students. Heaps of generations have gone through fine without them.

      BTW OP how many do you need to buy?

      • botftw on 11/09/2013 - 22:07
        +3

        Spot on. And what really ticks me off is seeing those generic HD photographs of kindergarten kids using tablets under the topic of "Revolutionized Classroom". The apps they are on are just pictures of squares, triangles or other shapes, isn't it the same thing if the teacher just printed out sheets with these images on them? Don't need to spend $400-800 on tablets just for kids to "learn" on a piece of equipment.

        • zelda707 on 11/09/2013 - 22:11
          +1

          It's also bad for the eyes if you're staring at the screen for the whole day

  • BlazinPast on 11/09/2013 - 22:20

    EDIT: I read the OP wrong, I thought you were a parent looking for a tablet for your child

    See if you can get a discount for buying in bulk?

    • mrdevil on 11/09/2013 - 23:36

      If you're looking for bulk iPad discount, don't bother! I got quotes from our 'nearest' Authorised Apple Education dealers, and their prices were way more than JB / Big W / Good Guys normally sell them for - they'd quote EX GST prices to make themselves look cheaper, but once you add the GST, its much cheaper elsewhere (and retailers won't give you much off anyway, thanks to the lack of margin set by Apple).

  • mrdevil on 11/09/2013 - 23:32
    +1

    I work at a primary school, and we've just deployed iPads to staff, much to my "disgust" (can't think of a better word). Would much rather laptops or something more useful for the money.

    Unfortunately, iPads seem to be the way to go in education, as they are what is best known out there in tablet land. From a management / flexibility view, they are a pain in the arse (at least Android devices have more advanced USB functionality, the ability to expand storage etc), but most people without the technical know-how seems to think iPads are the way to go, as that seems to be what everyone is pushing - "theres an iPad app for this, that etc"… Australian Curriculum has an iPad app, Scootle has an iPad app, most online educational programs have an iPad app… staff go to conferences, chances are they'll be told "you can get an iPad app for that" etc :/

    I agree that if you have a specific targeted reason to use them (say in small groups, for special education, with a specific app or program) they can be useful tools, but all those schools that purchase class sets for the sake of being able to say "oh look how good we are - we all have iPads - how techy are we!?!!", its an absolute waste of money.

    </endrant>

  • Wallyt99 on 12/09/2013 - 00:22
    +1

    Get surface tanblets. Microsoft offers great prices for educational institutions

  • epicaricacy on 12/09/2013 - 00:44
    +11

    I'm an ICT teacher and I recently did all this research. I personally am an Android phone and tablet user (but iMac for my computer). However, for schools, you really need to go iPads ovedr Android/Microsoft;

    1 - Management. Android doesn't yet have a central configuration control software - Apple has Configurator. Set up all your iPads at once, manage them all at one, install apps across all iPads easily, lock them down etc.

    2 - Infrastructure. You can get multi-docks (10, 20, 30) at a time allowing you to charge/manage them all at once. I can plug the dock into the school mac laptop (Windows will not let you manage this way) and configure them all at once, adding. removing apps etc

    3 - Apps - iOS has more apps at the moment - although no doubt that will change. Crucially however, Apple has a Volume Purchasing Program, whereby for most apps, if you purchase more than 10, you get them at half price. Android does not have this.

    4 - Peripherals. Much easier to find cases, add-ons etc for Ipads than anything else

    Managing the iPads is the most important here. I know schools that have set up loads if Apple ID's for themselves (Apple now blocks your IP if you do more than 10!) and set these up on each iPad, then individually buy the apps. I know others that use ONE apple ID across all their iPads and simply only purchase 1 copy of the app. Wouldn't want to be that person when the auditor comes. It's actually quite simple. One Over-arching AppleID, then you can set up 'sub' IDs to allow others to purchase apps on behalf of the institution.

    Cons -

    Cost. Although they will no doubt last longer than the crappy cheap Chinese ones… such as Kogan.

    Flash (lack of. Reading Eggs, Mathletics and some others still insist on designing their websites in Flash. Don't think this will be long term though, as no doubt they will move to HTML5 eventually.

    Storage - 16Gb isn't enough, you will need 32Gb… more cost

    Single User. If the iPads are in a shared situation, this can cause issues with kid's work and app progress etc. We are planning on getting around this by using Google Docs (we host our domain on Google via Google Apps for Education). This means children can create content after logging in with their own username/password to google. For printing then, this can then be accessed from a computer

    Oh - and to all those people saying they are a waste of time in education? Quite simply, you are wrong. No argument to be entered into. You're just plain, flat out wrong. 20 years teaching and in Information Technology experience compared to the uninformed opinion of those that haven't been involved in it wins every time :-)

    Hope this helps

    • BlazinPast on 12/09/2013 - 01:06
      +4

      Great, informative post but disagree with your last statement:

      Oh - and to all those people saying they are a waste of time in education? Quite simply, you are wrong. No argument to be entered into. You're just plain, flat out wrong. 20 years teaching and in Information Technology experience compared to the uninformed opinion of those that haven't been involved in it wins every time :-)

      I disagree. While you may have experience in IT, you haven't been in an environment where a classroom is using free tablets/laptops. I can't help but think that since you work in IT, you would have bias towards this topic.

      I've actually been in a situation where my entire grade/cohort received a laptop and a separate occasion where a different grade/cohort received a tablet. I know the IT person thought we were doing all kinds of 'productive' work, but instead everyone was just playing games, browsing, reading blogs/forums, watching videos, or in general wasting time.

      Of course it depends on the individual and their willpower to not get distracted. But from my experience, when the temptation to waste time is given, especially in a school environment, you'll usually give in. Our year that received the tablets received the lowest marks in our final exams in several years.

      Also, since tablets auto-correct spelling, that doesn't do any favours during a written exam. Not to mention your hand strength decreases and you'll struggle to go through a 2-3 hour exam of handwriting.

      Do you actually have any evidence (even first-hand) of it being effective?

      • scrimshaw on 13/09/2013 - 09:00

        I do. I work in a school ICT dept. and the teachers ran a case study between 2 classes. One was a control group — no tablets and the other we implemented an online learning module involving tablets, and a online application that was very similar to InterLect that universities uses to deliver online content to distance students.

        Instead of assigning ordinary homework, we told the students to go online and hit some online lectures and quizzes.

        The Online Learning group (as we called them) faired better in their mid-semester tests than the control group.

        • BlazinPast on 13/09/2013 - 12:54

          Some info missing.
          1) Was the control group given a paper handout version of the material the tablet users were using? Were they given a printed version of the lecture notes?
          2) Was the mid-semester exam very close to the layout/questions of the quizzes?
          3) Was the tablet group allowed to keep the tablets? Ie. download whatever apps they want as well.
          4) Were there any restrictions on the tablets?

      • epicaricacy on 13/09/2013 - 19:09
        +2

        I disagree. While you may have experience in IT, you haven't been in an environment where a classroom is using free tablets/laptops.

        Block-quote I can't help but think that since you work in IT, you would have bias towards this topic.
        Yes I do. I have seen how successful they are, particularly for children that are struggling… as well as those at the other end of the spectrum.

        But I am a Primary School teacher, and have plenty of experience in classrooms where there haven't been tablets/laptops, and also where there are. I reckon this makes me pretty qualified to comment on this.

        Block-quote Do you actually have any evidence (even first-hand) of it being effective?

        Yes. (couple of examples below)

        Block-quote I know the IT person thought we were doing all kinds of 'productive' work, but instead everyone was just playing games, browsing, reading blogs/forums, watching videos, or in general wasting time.

        You can sit with a book on your desk and a pencil in your hand and look productive. The tool makes no difference to those that want to avoid work. Quite simply, it comes down to the teacher, and the attitude of the students.

        And in terms of my case for iPads over Android, this comment strengthens it. More easily managed - games can be removed, installation of apps easily blocked, and all sorts of other control freak options!

        Block-quote Also, since tablets auto-correct spelling, that doesn't do any favours during a written exam. Not to mention your hand strength decreases and you'll struggle to go through a 2-3 hour exam of handwriting.

        iPads should NEVER replace pens and paper, nor books. They are an addition - a tool - to assist learning. They can be used effectively in classrooms with technologies that were previously never available.

        Example - our sports carnival was yesterday. A Teachers Aide filmed one of the Autistic students doing their events. The following day, he was able to produce a recount of the event - something he would normally struggle to do as his comprehension of what he was being asked to do was low. Being able to easily go back and forth through the video is what enabled him to do this. A computer, or laptop, would not achieve this.

        Another student - and again, another Autistic student - would only ever get one or two words into spelling tests before his writing would become random, scrambled meaningless letters - not even closely phonetically representing the word. His average score out of 20, over 16 weekly tests - was 1. Could he spell them or not? The teacher never had any idea. He was introduced to an iPads this year, and the Aide let him use the iPad to enter the words. His four weekly average is 18 words. A computer, or laptop, would not achieve this, as he was able to sit normally at his desk without standing out form the class as 'being different'

        Low-level ability male: Would never do any writing. Any attempt at narratives would result in one, perhaps two sentences max being written. Then boredom, followed by distracting, attention seeking behaviour. Enter an iPad, and an app (can't recall which one, this wasn't a student of mine, but is at our school). All of a sudden, he finds it quite interesting, particularly as he can add images to his stories as he writes them. He isn;t hindered by messy writing. It suggests words for him, so he isn;t hindered by poor spelling. All from his own desk in his own class.

  • dunker56 on 12/09/2013 - 07:07
    +2

    Hi guys, I just woke up and was greeted with all these wonderful posts and points, so thank you.
    Personally I have an ipad2 and nexus 7, my wife has a note2 and my smartphone of choice is nokia's 808 (lol). So I have a pretty decent understanding of the OS's of each. Nexus 7 is too small but was also thinking Nexus 10, but then they're pretty pricey (thought they might be cheap seeing as Nexus 4 is down to $250 each).

    Would there be anywhere to get older (but new) ipad2's? I can't help thinking the current ipad is complete overkill for little terror's in a class room lol.

    I'm also a Win 8 user, the schools still on XP, Win 8 has Metro therefore apps also. Is it worthwhile spending the money on upgrading current computer systems I wonder?

    • Wallyt99 on 12/09/2013 - 07:20

      Check out the surface deal….only $269…. In budget and arguably the best device.

      • Wallyt99 on 12/09/2013 - 09:15

        Actually its 219. 279 with keyboard

      • epicaricacy on 13/09/2013 - 19:11

        Microsoft is dumping stock worldwide (they have offered this around the world). Couple of problems with this deal;

        1) You have to do it NOW. The offer runs out in a couple of weeks, and most schools have (or should have ) spent their annual budget by now.
        2) Lack of apps. Yes, it has Office - and that is their biggest selling point. But there are plenty of alternatives.
        3) See my post above regarding management and app availability

    • epicaricacy on 13/09/2013 - 19:14

      Apple sell iPad 2's still for schools. In WA we are able to buy 10 packs for about 379 each (after GST) .. 16Gb versions

  • dunker56 on 12/09/2013 - 08:31

    Surface for $269 (obviously RT), but where from?

  • backpaqer on 12/09/2013 - 08:38
    +1

    Even though I hate Apple…I would recommend the iPad for school use. There is less variability in which version of the O/S it runs, it is easier to administer/support (I'm assuming the school is buying them to let students use them but the school owns/retains them).

    Most schools support iPad tech as they are the most stable tech around (at least that's the reason my daughter's school gave - and I can see their point).

    • backpaqer on 12/09/2013 - 08:39

      I personally have an Asus Transformer and love it.

  • jhughes on 12/09/2013 - 11:37

    My experience with Kogan is not good. If anything goes wrong its too hard to either return or get fixed. With children using these stay with a better brand "iPad".

    • scrimshaw on 12/09/2013 - 17:57
      +1

      Yeah, Kogan is the last company I'd want to deal with for a large order of tablets meant for business or education use.

      Buying from a reputable source ensures you have good warranty coverage, and Accidental Damage Protection (ADP). Which you will need in a school, as people tend to treat electronics they don't own like crap. This is speaking from experience from someone who fixes student laptops for a high school…

  • Briefcase Mong on 12/09/2013 - 22:14

    I highly recommend a "used" Nexus 7 2012 edition 8GB or 16GB should cost no more than $150

    • epicaricacy on 13/09/2013 - 19:11

      How can you buy loads of these in bulk, for distribution in a school. And schools shouldn't be buying used hardware.

  • ironsword on 12/09/2013 - 23:22

    Last I read was that iOS had more tablet optimised educational apps than Android but your School might have particular apps in mind so I'm not sure how useful this is to you. In terms of what's easier to manage in an administrative sense etc… I'll leave that for others to answer as I'm not sure either.

    Since you've mentioned that the nexus 7 is too small, what about the iPad mini or is that still too small? It has a 7.9 inch screen. How important is the resolution of the screen? The nexus 10 tablet (with high res screen) is $469 (not sure if they have bulk or educational pricing) which is $100 more than the iPad mini at $369. The iPad 2 is $429 which has a 9.7" screen. Teachers could get iPad 2 whilst students use iPad mini. I'm not sure how soon you are to deploy a tablet solution at your school but do keep in mind that Apple will most likely refresh their iPad line in October (rumor at this point but likely to happen) which could see the introduction of an iPad mini with a retina (high res) display if that is important. In terms of pricing it's anyone's guess what Apple will do. The Australian iPad mini price hasn't had a revision since it was released. Worst case scenario is the iPad product line increases about 10 or 15% in price given the weakness of the AUD.

    • wtfnodeal on 13/09/2013 - 00:47

      Honestly, my friend works at bigw told me there was a staff sale iPad 2 for $298 but I wouldnt consider about it as I think there won't be any update after the iOS 7. Shouldn't primary school kids hold a pen and learn to write instead of only typing and touching the screens?

      • epicaricacy on 13/09/2013 - 19:20

        Yes they should. But they should also learn to type and use technology. At some stage in their working life, they are probably going to need to use a computer.

  • dunker56 on 13/09/2013 - 06:08
    +1

    I'm not a fan at all of our primary school getting tablets, it's overkill imo, but this decision has been made.
    I thought about the ipad2, but wasn't sure where I could get a bulk order from, and then I also thought they might discontinue support for certain apps etc. I have an ipad2, I was running it jailbroken at an older version of iOS, but then certain games and apps were insisting I have to run a particular newer iOS version to get the stuff to work, so I am also wary of investing in ipad2 if in 1-2yrs times stuff isn't going to load on it.
    Shame really as It's more suitable than the $$ of ipad3…

    I like the idea of getting Surface RT's for $219! But here I am not sure how well suited to primary schools they will be… Apps wise it's the worse of all three platforms, but it does come working with Office (something that is maybe more important for High School kids than Primary)…

    I have all three platforms at home, Android (note2, Nexus 7), win 8 (metro) and apple (ipad2), I think ipad2 is the simplest easiest to use 'outta the box', it's probably the best for primary school kids.

    I'm going to have to ask staff how they envision the tablets being used in real practicalities… How friendly would ipads being to working with Windows 7 machines, printers etc..

    • scrimshaw on 13/09/2013 - 08:54

      Here's some research material to get you started:

      http://creative.eun.org/resources/-/blogs/acer-tablet-trial-…

      PDF report
      The report presents findings and recommendations from a Acer tablet trial in Queensland, Australia. The trial was conducted to evaluate the suitability of an alternative tablet device - 3G enabled Windows 7 Acer tablets - and it took place at two primary schools during Semester 2, 2012. Data was collected via monitoring 3G data usage, school visit observations and survey feedback from teach ers and students. The trial findings concentrate on device management, digital pedagogy, teacher perceptions and student learning.

    • backpaqer on 14/09/2013 - 10:07

      good call. I expect that primary kids would use it for simple maths apps, educational games etc…not software development or word processing/spreadsheet use. The app store has plenty of these apps - my daughter's school has an "iPad bank" (trolleys full of racked up iPads) that are used throughout the primary classes…however they have recently put the onus onto parents to acquire their own but offered a bulk-buy scheme for parents to order their iPads through the school (5% discount I think…maybe slightly less). I have a friend who owns an Apple store and he wasn't able to do much better as their margins are so unbelievably tight (he also said not to mention his store's name as they all monitor and dob on each other for breaches).

      The school suggested the iPad 3 with a min of 16GB but left it to parental discretion as to what their child ended up with. The school's book list even included titles from the App Store. Year 10 and up can BYO any type of device they like…but the school's tech department is able to support issues with the iPad - so if the child has a different device, they have no onsite-support.

  • diddy50 on 13/09/2013 - 09:00
    +1

    I personally believe laptops would be better, as they have a keyboard (and mouse) and more usable, wont' break as easily. The cost of apps on iOS for schools is about $60-$100 for what they need and are good. Very expensive.

    Plus please, please, please what ever you get, set it up for the parents so that only kid stuff can be downloaded, no twitter, facebook, skype, games etc. Set the parental controls on extreme or high. That is so important.

    The amount of trouble we have had at previous schools with kids having anything and everything and parents having NOOOOOOOO idea is beyond belief! It causes so much conflict! Many parent shave no clue about how to use these and are oblivious to what the kids can do.

    Set a master password so things cannot just be downloaded with consent etc.

  • ethereal88 on 13/09/2013 - 10:13
    -3

    Apple is 100% rubbish. Pick up a Windows 8 Pro tablet like the Vivotab Smart, it comes with a single licence for Office 2013 and you can shop around for one under $400. Plus you have the full flexibility of Windows. As for parental controls, give up. There are a million and one ways around them with corresponding online guides.

    • macfanboy on 13/09/2013 - 12:22

      Apple is 100% Rubbish?
      Really, Based on what evidence?

      • BlazinPast on 13/09/2013 - 12:50

        Apple tablets: very good tablets, but completely overpriced.

  • yk300 on 13/09/2013 - 12:20

    I did the research and I reckon Apple is the way to go. Of course, it depends on many factors (budget, etc…) but you will have much less of a nightmare managing Apple devices in your environment.

    Remember that when you have a large number of devices, you will experience a larger set of problems.

    The link below might be of help:
    [http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/it-center/deployment-mdm.html]

  • [Deactivated] on 13/09/2013 - 13:33

    Samsung galaxy tab 2 with Ubuntu Touch? I know it sounds silly but you'll have an easy way to reflash them, the apps are for any linux machine, and it's easy to get your data off (i.e. network drives) and it supports bluetooth KB/Mouse.

  • Freakinacage on 13/09/2013 - 15:00

    Have a look for the ASUS MeMO PAD HD7, Quad core & can take Micro SD card where the Nexus cannot. both made by ASUS.

  • iExperts on 14/09/2013 - 08:05
    +2

    For normal adult use, you probably wouldn't consider repairs an issue, however in the hands of primary kids, repairs do become a major factor to consider.

    Tablet repairs can be very costly depending on the model, and it's probably a good idea to let parents know upfront the repair cost and who will pay for it..

    Tablets in the hands of primary students = many broken screens, dents, tablets folded in half; even with the bulkiest of cases, kids will find interesting ways to break them.

    Apple's Out of Warranty (most breakages) replacement costs. This is great because it caps the cost of repair for damages beyond screen breakage.
    - iPad 2 - $279
    - iPad 3/4 - $329

    • DIY - $30-$60
    • Third party repairer - $89-$129

    Microsoft Surface Screen Repair (Hard to find reliable parts) & also may experience peeling issues
    Approx $120-$180

    Nexus 7 Gen 1 Screen repair (Hard to find reliable parts)
    $130-$160

    Nexus 7 Gen 2 Screen repair
    very pricey atm, approx $200

    Samsung Tablets
    Stay away from the ones that have the screen and glass bonded together ($200+ to repair)

    Other brands are difficult to find parts for and it would probably be easier to replace the unit than find a place to repair.

    For full disclosure, I run a business that repairs hundreds of school tablets per week. Hope you find this information constructive and not as advertising.

  • cheapchappy on 15/09/2013 - 08:38
    +3

    Ritalin is the standard for tablets in use in primary school, I believe…

    • Forfiet on 20/09/2013 - 07:39

      Can you use Hyperlinks on a Ritalin?

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