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Since OP seems to be keeping an eye on this thread, I'll ask here: have you considered using other tablets (Samsung etc.)? In case you did, and it didn't work

Since OP seems to be keeping an eye on this thread, I'll ask here: have you considered using other tablets (Samsung etc.)? In case you did, and it didn't work as well as the iPad: what makes the iPad the ideal device in kindergarten? Construction quality? Software/Apps?

briandear 8y ago
This is Apple’s marketing so obviously it’s biased, but here: https://www.apple.com/education/products/ https://www.apple.com/education/products/ How good is augmented reality on generic tablets? ..just as one example. Many people criticizing iPads haven’t used them for education recently or haven’t been trained on how to fully leverage the tech effectively. The curriculum assistance, available (quality) apps and overall device versatily are unmatched by competing devices. For a media consumption device, iPad could be overkill, but for everything else, it’s almost perfect.
- lemming 8y ago
  Say I'm sceptical about this but willing to be convinced. Are there good resources about the apps etc I should be looking at, or descriptions of how to use the iPad effectively for education that I could check out? The Apple page you linked to has some amazing looking things but is basically marketing blurb, as you point out.
- jacobolus 8y ago
  > Many people criticizing iPads haven’t used them for education recently or haven’t been trained on how to fully leverage the tech effectively. The curriculum assistance, available (quality) apps and overall device versatily are unmatched by competing devices. There is nothing on that marketing page that seems to especially improve learning vs. physical materials for anyone under about 10 years old. And frankly most stuff for 10–15 year olds can still (a) probably be done as well if not better using physical materials, and (b) isn’t significantly different between an iPad and a laptop or desktop machine, and often could be done on a machine shared by several students working together or taking turns. I can well imagine that someone trying to learn how to program might want to use some kind of computer, but even then why an iPad instead of a little turtle robot that responds to Logo, or whatever? Someone trying to learn how to make electronic music or edit video might get a lot of mileage out of computers (iPad or otherwise) but I can’t imagine this has become a core part of the school pedagogy. I can also imagine that for anyone in middle school and up there might be a big benefit to carrying an iPad around instead of a giant backpack stuffed with 5 separate overweight textbooks. Though there are some advantages to the physical books too. * * * Instead of telling a bunch of skeptical non-teacher techies that we “haven’t been trained on how to fully leverage the tech”, maybe you can explain what that training would entail? What in your experience has the iPad been so powerful for that couldn’t be done without computers? What age kids are you working with, and what are they working on?
excalibur 8y ago
This. OP seems to be wearing some common Apple fanboy blinders which hide the existence of all tablets not named iPad.
kickscondor 8y ago
I couldn't convince the school to buy other tablets - and I started to wonder why I was pressing it. I entered teaching from the programming world (avid Linux user here) and I guess I saw Android as synonymous with Linux. Now I just see it as synonymous with Google - and Chromebook quality and software hasn't won me over. There is a stigma among edtechs (the IT of education) in my area that Android doesn't have the management tools they need - for provisioning software, propagating device settings and such. Presumably that's wrong - (?) - but I also don't know which tablets to recommend, there are too many to try and a teacher can't deal with a flaky device. You have too many students. Rather than trying to solve that stigma, I am trying to work through the (level 1) discussion of: should we be giving laptops to kindergarteners? (Not talking about anyone here's kindergartener - but those with backgrounds like I see at public school.) The iPad may not be better - but it works and has less friction to adoption. I'll try to win the battles that I can win. Thanks for the question! I appreciate it.
- mastazi 8y ago
  Oh good point about management tools - Apple has invested in it, Google has too, but their efforts were centered around Chromebooks not Android tablets. Also good point about too much choice sometimes being a bad thing.

briandear 8y ago

This is Apple’s marketing so obviously it’s biased, but here: https://www.apple.com/education/products/ https://www.apple.com/education/products/ How good is augmented reality on generic tablets? ..just as one example. Many people criticizing iPads haven’t used them for education recently or haven’t been trained on how to fully leverage the tech effectively. The curriculum assistance, available (quality) apps and overall device versatily are unmatched by competing devices. For a media consumption device, iPad could be overkill, but for everything else, it’s almost perfect.

lemming 8y ago
Say I'm sceptical about this but willing to be convinced. Are there good resources about the apps etc I should be looking at, or descriptions of how to use the iPad effectively for education that I could check out? The Apple page you linked to has some amazing looking things but is basically marketing blurb, as you point out.
jacobolus 8y ago
> Many people criticizing iPads haven’t used them for education recently or haven’t been trained on how to fully leverage the tech effectively. The curriculum assistance, available (quality) apps and overall device versatily are unmatched by competing devices. There is nothing on that marketing page that seems to especially improve learning vs. physical materials for anyone under about 10 years old. And frankly most stuff for 10–15 year olds can still (a) probably be done as well if not better using physical materials, and (b) isn’t significantly different between an iPad and a laptop or desktop machine, and often could be done on a machine shared by several students working together or taking turns. I can well imagine that someone trying to learn how to program might want to use some kind of computer, but even then why an iPad instead of a little turtle robot that responds to Logo, or whatever? Someone trying to learn how to make electronic music or edit video might get a lot of mileage out of computers (iPad or otherwise) but I can’t imagine this has become a core part of the school pedagogy. I can also imagine that for anyone in middle school and up there might be a big benefit to carrying an iPad around instead of a giant backpack stuffed with 5 separate overweight textbooks. Though there are some advantages to the physical books too. * * * Instead of telling a bunch of skeptical non-teacher techies that we “haven’t been trained on how to fully leverage the tech”, maybe you can explain what that training would entail? What in your experience has the iPad been so powerful for that couldn’t be done without computers? What age kids are you working with, and what are they working on?

excalibur 8y ago

This. OP seems to be wearing some common Apple fanboy blinders which hide the existence of all tablets not named iPad.

kickscondor 8y ago

I couldn't convince the school to buy other tablets - and I started to wonder why I was pressing it. I entered teaching from the programming world (avid Linux user here) and I guess I saw Android as synonymous with Linux. Now I just see it as synonymous with Google - and Chromebook quality and software hasn't won me over. There is a stigma among edtechs (the IT of education) in my area that Android doesn't have the management tools they need - for provisioning software, propagating device settings and such. Presumably that's wrong - (?) - but I also don't know which tablets to recommend, there are too many to try and a teacher can't deal with a flaky device. You have too many students. Rather than trying to solve that stigma, I am trying to work through the (level 1) discussion of: should we be giving laptops to kindergarteners? (Not talking about anyone here's kindergartener - but those with backgrounds like I see at public school.) The iPad may not be better - but it works and has less friction to adoption. I'll try to win the battles that I can win. Thanks for the question! I appreciate it.

mastazi 8y ago
Oh good point about management tools - Apple has invested in it, Google has too, but their efforts were centered around Chromebooks not Android tablets. Also good point about too much choice sometimes being a bad thing.