Last Friday I had a visit from Learnpad to talk about what their tablet could offer our school. I first came across Learnpad at BETT 2013. It certainly looked an impressive product and seemed to solve the manageability issues surrounding tablets. What put me off was the performance of the tablet. Whenever I am investing in technology I always look for something that is going to last. I know that tablets will not last as long as laptops but the Learnpads were only fitted with dual core processors whilst other android devices were being released with quad core. Earlier this year Learnpad made the jump to fitting their hardware with quad core processors hence my interest in them again.
Learnpad isn't just another Android tablet. The key to its success is the software that it runs on top of android that makes it appealing to schools and other educational establishments. Here are my pros and cons.
Pros
The manageability of the Learnpad is immense. The tablets are managed through a web portal and using QR codes. Activities can be customised to suit whatever the children are learning and then pushed out to the tablets. This is a big advantage over the ipad.
Learnpads can connect to Active Directory Shares - a big bonus!
Flash is fully supported so Espresso, Education City, Oxford Owl, BBC Bitesize and all other flash activities work really well. Another advantage over the ipad.
Price - £199 for a 10" tablet with the Learnpad software included make this an affordable solution. Tablet and trolley bundles are also competitively priced.
Easy to use interface for teachers when planning lessons and the use of the tablets.
Cons
There are some fantastic educational apps available for the ipad (particularly for coding) that are not available for Android. Nothing can compete with the likes of imovie and garageband. However, with more and more schools adopting android tablets it is hopefully only a matter of time before the tide turns.
I would still like the Learnpad to have a slightly better specification. However, the price point is important and I wouldn't expect a tablet to have as long a life as a laptop computer.
Lack of trial products. Learnpad do not loan out their tablets for trial. Instead you can buy one tablet at a slightly reduced cost to try out.
Conclusion
Learnpad is the best tablet solution that I have seen for schools. No doubt there will be competition from others in the future but currently this seems to be the best overall option out there. In terms of manageability, cost and compatibility with Flash and Active Directory it seems to get the balance just about right. Don't get me wrong - the ipad is a great device and I can see its uses in education but Learnpad will fit our school better at this point in time. We have made an order and when they are up and running in school I will post again with a further verdict!
Learnpad isn't just another Android tablet. The key to its success is the software that it runs on top of android that makes it appealing to schools and other educational establishments. Here are my pros and cons.
Pros
The manageability of the Learnpad is immense. The tablets are managed through a web portal and using QR codes. Activities can be customised to suit whatever the children are learning and then pushed out to the tablets. This is a big advantage over the ipad.
Learnpads can connect to Active Directory Shares - a big bonus!
Flash is fully supported so Espresso, Education City, Oxford Owl, BBC Bitesize and all other flash activities work really well. Another advantage over the ipad.
Price - £199 for a 10" tablet with the Learnpad software included make this an affordable solution. Tablet and trolley bundles are also competitively priced.
Easy to use interface for teachers when planning lessons and the use of the tablets.
Cons
There are some fantastic educational apps available for the ipad (particularly for coding) that are not available for Android. Nothing can compete with the likes of imovie and garageband. However, with more and more schools adopting android tablets it is hopefully only a matter of time before the tide turns.
I would still like the Learnpad to have a slightly better specification. However, the price point is important and I wouldn't expect a tablet to have as long a life as a laptop computer.
Lack of trial products. Learnpad do not loan out their tablets for trial. Instead you can buy one tablet at a slightly reduced cost to try out.
Conclusion
Learnpad is the best tablet solution that I have seen for schools. No doubt there will be competition from others in the future but currently this seems to be the best overall option out there. In terms of manageability, cost and compatibility with Flash and Active Directory it seems to get the balance just about right. Don't get me wrong - the ipad is a great device and I can see its uses in education but Learnpad will fit our school better at this point in time. We have made an order and when they are up and running in school I will post again with a further verdict!