A number of people asked about tablets in schools at the recent SWLTC. It may take a few posts to put down all my thoughts and review a couple of tablets but here is my initial thinking.
1) Invest in the best hardware that you can afford.
Technology is moving quickly in the tablet market. If you buy cheap tablets then you will probably be disappointed in a year of two when they can't keep up with the latest software etc. Make sure you are buying a quad core processor as a minimum.
2) Screen Size
The most common sizes for tablets are 7", 8" or 10". My personal recommendation is to go for a 10" tablet. I have tried using Scratch 2.0 on a 7" screen and it was fiddly to use because of the smaller screen size. Smaller tablets may have their uses and will be cheaper but I'd rather go for a larger tablet.
3) Charging Solution
Make sure that you purchase a solution that is going to enable your tablets to be charged effectively. Will there be a central charging trolley from where the tablets are taken each morning and returned after the school day or will there be smaller charging stations in each classroom? Make sure it looks tidy as cables hanging everywhere don't look great!
4) Central Management
You don't want tablets to become an administrative nightmare. Management systems are available for common tablets such as ipads and Learnpads to sync apps etc. Explore how you will manage the tablets before you make your investment.
5) Cases
Cases need to be robust in order to survive the demands of daily use but make sure that they can still fit in your charging trolley if you have one as cases can be quite thick. Another questions about the type of case to get is whether you want the tablet to be able to stand on its own. I would say that this would definitely be useful in a school environment.
6) Android or iOS?
This is the big question that everyone is asking. Ipads certainly lead the way in terms of wow factor and educational apps. However, central management of saved files can be a problem. It really depends on what you plan to use the tablets for. I will post about Ipads and Learnpads soon so that you can see my recommended uses for each.
That's all for now but will be back with more thoughts about tablets soon.
1) Invest in the best hardware that you can afford.
Technology is moving quickly in the tablet market. If you buy cheap tablets then you will probably be disappointed in a year of two when they can't keep up with the latest software etc. Make sure you are buying a quad core processor as a minimum.
2) Screen Size
The most common sizes for tablets are 7", 8" or 10". My personal recommendation is to go for a 10" tablet. I have tried using Scratch 2.0 on a 7" screen and it was fiddly to use because of the smaller screen size. Smaller tablets may have their uses and will be cheaper but I'd rather go for a larger tablet.
3) Charging Solution
Make sure that you purchase a solution that is going to enable your tablets to be charged effectively. Will there be a central charging trolley from where the tablets are taken each morning and returned after the school day or will there be smaller charging stations in each classroom? Make sure it looks tidy as cables hanging everywhere don't look great!
4) Central Management
You don't want tablets to become an administrative nightmare. Management systems are available for common tablets such as ipads and Learnpads to sync apps etc. Explore how you will manage the tablets before you make your investment.
5) Cases
Cases need to be robust in order to survive the demands of daily use but make sure that they can still fit in your charging trolley if you have one as cases can be quite thick. Another questions about the type of case to get is whether you want the tablet to be able to stand on its own. I would say that this would definitely be useful in a school environment.
6) Android or iOS?
This is the big question that everyone is asking. Ipads certainly lead the way in terms of wow factor and educational apps. However, central management of saved files can be a problem. It really depends on what you plan to use the tablets for. I will post about Ipads and Learnpads soon so that you can see my recommended uses for each.
That's all for now but will be back with more thoughts about tablets soon.