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Absolutely. Some smart person at my local school district decided that all rooms be fitted with Apple TVs(a great budget decision, especially since they're used

by meibo 6y ago

Absolutely. Some smart person at my local school district decided that all rooms be fitted with Apple TVs(a great budget decision, especially since they're used exclusively as cast targets and have no accounts), which now only about 30% of students and about 70% of teachers can use because you need Apple clients to use them. This is in Europe, so Android has a relatively large userbase, especially for students. The same smart person worked out a great deal during Covid that lets "disadvantaged" families buy an iPad for only 500€ so they can participate in online schooling.

mensetmanusman 6y ago
That is insane. I love my iPad and have used them in research for over 10 years. But I also have kids. It should be illegal to purchase glass tablets for education. If Apple wants the education business, they should release a plastic touch screen version with a plastic backing (kids throw things, they can cut people in fights). It’s sad when wealthy parents with too much time on their hands join these decision making committees and end up fighting for large corporations; and in this case, hurting the poor.
- thebigman433 6y ago
  Schools almost always have decent cases on the iPads, and the backs are metal, so there isnt any issue with that breaking. With a decent case, there is a pretty low chance of the screens cracking at all. We rolled them out in an elementary school and had zero issues with screens cracking or general durability of the actual iPad. Also, there is almost no other option. If you think there is a competitor with similar usability, support, specs, and is the same price, you should let some school IT people know, because Im sure they'd appreciate it. Also if kids are cutting themselves because they are throwing iPads at each other while fighting, you have serious other issues going on.
  - mensetmanusman 6y ago
    Decent cases are on the order of $100. If iPads + essentials are ~$500, it’s no surprise chromebooks are doing so well.
    - thebigman433 6y ago
      Cases are less than 100$ for a good one. The iPad itself is only 300 for schools, so even if youre spending 100$ on a case, you're still only 400$ all in, and this is assuming you didnt get a grant from Apple that provides a significant discount beyond that. Chromebooks have seen some impressive growth, but I dont think its going to sustain itself. The quality of the 300-500$ chromebooks is atrocious. They have to be replaced at least yearly, and the usability of this is very poor.
- spacemanmatt 6y ago
  Parent of students with school issued iPads, here. I hate iPads now, but I liked them before the schools standardized on them. The bluetooth keyboard clamshell case they issued was balls. The restrictive app and network policy enforced by the district was balls. The litany of apps students were required to use beyond instructional materials was boggling. They essentially assumed students would be great petty bureaucrats and they were wrong.
wlesieutre 6y ago
I don't know what country specifically or how iPads are priced there, but just picking Germany at random the iPad's list price starts at 379€. Quite a deal they've got going...
- laurent92 6y ago
  PCs with a javascript console, GCC and Word-Excel (if not LibreOffice or just a browser) also start at 350€. It’s for pupils. People who will make tomorrow’s world. We don’t want to give them a read-only world.
  - djrogers 6y ago
    > We don’t want to give them a read-only world One pan make many valid arguments about iPads vs PCs, and open vs walled gardens, but calling an iPad a 'read-only' device is NOT one of them. My brilliant 12 year old daughter is an artist (both 2 and 3d, depending on her whims), and uses an iPad as a creative device that literally has no peer from other, more open ecosystems. My 14 year old son learned the basics of coding on an iPad, and can use his for writing, math homework, and an incredible level of creative output programming various robotics devices he has. An iPad does live in a walled garden, but it is far from a read-only device.
    - chanmad29 6y ago
      Tangent: Do you see any downsides of your kids using this technology vs writing/painting on paper?
      - djrogers 6y ago
        No, I really don't. The kinda of things my daughter does on an iPad aren't possible on paper, and use a part of her brain that she doesn't trigger when she uses pen or paint and paper. Also, she does both.
    - drewzero1 6y ago
      Can you recommend any creation apps? I'm trying to make my iPad more useful to me than the browser and video watching device it currently is, but have had a hard time finding good apps for art and coding.

by meibo 6y ago

mensetmanusman 6y ago

That is insane. I love my iPad and have used them in research for over 10 years. But I also have kids. It should be illegal to purchase glass tablets for education. If Apple wants the education business, they should release a plastic touch screen version with a plastic backing (kids throw things, they can cut people in fights). It’s sad when wealthy parents with too much time on their hands join these decision making committees and end up fighting for large corporations; and in this case, hurting the poor.

thebigman433 6y ago
Schools almost always have decent cases on the iPads, and the backs are metal, so there isnt any issue with that breaking. With a decent case, there is a pretty low chance of the screens cracking at all. We rolled them out in an elementary school and had zero issues with screens cracking or general durability of the actual iPad. Also, there is almost no other option. If you think there is a competitor with similar usability, support, specs, and is the same price, you should let some school IT people know, because Im sure they'd appreciate it. Also if kids are cutting themselves because they are throwing iPads at each other while fighting, you have serious other issues going on.
- mensetmanusman 6y ago
  Decent cases are on the order of $100. If iPads + essentials are ~$500, it’s no surprise chromebooks are doing so well.
  - thebigman433 6y ago
    Cases are less than 100$ for a good one. The iPad itself is only 300 for schools, so even if youre spending 100$ on a case, you're still only 400$ all in, and this is assuming you didnt get a grant from Apple that provides a significant discount beyond that. Chromebooks have seen some impressive growth, but I dont think its going to sustain itself. The quality of the 300-500$ chromebooks is atrocious. They have to be replaced at least yearly, and the usability of this is very poor.
spacemanmatt 6y ago
Parent of students with school issued iPads, here. I hate iPads now, but I liked them before the schools standardized on them. The bluetooth keyboard clamshell case they issued was balls. The restrictive app and network policy enforced by the district was balls. The litany of apps students were required to use beyond instructional materials was boggling. They essentially assumed students would be great petty bureaucrats and they were wrong.

wlesieutre 6y ago

I don't know what country specifically or how iPads are priced there, but just picking Germany at random the iPad's list price starts at 379€. Quite a deal they've got going...

laurent92 6y ago
PCs with a javascript console, GCC and Word-Excel (if not LibreOffice or just a browser) also start at 350€. It’s for pupils. People who will make tomorrow’s world. We don’t want to give them a read-only world.
- djrogers 6y ago
  > We don’t want to give them a read-only world One pan make many valid arguments about iPads vs PCs, and open vs walled gardens, but calling an iPad a 'read-only' device is NOT one of them. My brilliant 12 year old daughter is an artist (both 2 and 3d, depending on her whims), and uses an iPad as a creative device that literally has no peer from other, more open ecosystems. My 14 year old son learned the basics of coding on an iPad, and can use his for writing, math homework, and an incredible level of creative output programming various robotics devices he has. An iPad does live in a walled garden, but it is far from a read-only device.
  - chanmad29 6y ago
    Tangent: Do you see any downsides of your kids using this technology vs writing/painting on paper?
    - djrogers 6y ago
      No, I really don't. The kinda of things my daughter does on an iPad aren't possible on paper, and use a part of her brain that she doesn't trigger when she uses pen or paint and paper. Also, she does both.
  - drewzero1 6y ago
    Can you recommend any creation apps? I'm trying to make my iPad more useful to me than the browser and video watching device it currently is, but have had a hard time finding good apps for art and coding.