In session #4 we discuss the deployment of and mobile device management involved in setting up schools with iPad mobile devices on a large scale. The first thing to know is that with Apple iPads a school is going to need to rely on its own internal support system quite heavily. Apple's vision for the iPad is as an individual personal device; therefore mass deployment is not enterprise-friendly and makes managing large numbers of devices within a school a rather difficult, though not impossible endeavor. Presenters in this podcast discuss their mass deployment experiences in schools and share some specific tips and advice for setting up Apple iPad systems on a large scale.

Using Apple Configurator is a three step process. The first step requires the preparation and supervision of plug in numbers. Second is to configure one iPad with all the desired settings and applications. Be sure to secure the final configuration on a backup in case it crashes in the mass deployment. Third, is to link multiple devices to the one master device and synch for set up. One thing to take note of is that Apple refrains from locking down profiles. This is troublesome for schools because students can get around the profile settings by resetting the device to factory specifications and get around the established settings.

It is also important to down load the Excel Spreadsheet containing devices numbers which comes with the bulk iPad order. Some schools have lost licenses, some as many as an entire classroom. Licenses don't get reclaimed by Apple Configurator like they are supposed to and you may need to contact your regional sales representative to get more licenses. It's not a bad idea to order extra licenses (5-10) when ordering in bulk just in case licenses get lost. Our experience with the sales representative in cases like this has been positive and we've been able to get more licenses when needed.

Once iPad profiles are configured to the desired ideal specifications (this is a lengthy process) then it's time to connect the devices. The supervision length varies plus or minus 60 minutes depending on the number of applications you've configured and the updates required.

When it's necessary to add only 1-2 applications the Apple Configurator was an extremely difficult process prone to freezing. The only solution in this case is to reset the device. At this point all data will be lost. This is when the critical backup you made earlier will come in handy.

There are other third-party fixes for bulk configuration. One such fix is a system named Light Speed. These third-party platforms still require you to configure your iPad in order to be able to utilize the mobile device manager. Some of these platforms coming out are pretty sophisticated. Some enable schools to match a student's schedule to specific course numbers and specific electronic resources and texts for automatic upload or erasure when a student registers or drops a course.

No matter the chosen Mobile Device Management system a school chooses, they'll still need the actual hardware equipment required for bulk configuration. This will vary from school to school. One big budget item that eases the process are large carts. These run around $2,000 each. These carts house 30-34 iPads, and have all the multiple connections and ports and splitters hardwired right into the cart. Multiple carts filled with devices can be configured all at the same time. These make the process of configuration as well as the problem of storage very easy. For schools on a tighter budget, you'll need to improvise. Matt purchased a 5 card hub for around $30 but finding enough splitters can be a challenge and is an expense if you don't have enough around the school and need to purchase them.

One slick trick to consider when creating the iPad and setting up profiles is to give each device a wireless profile. Apple Configurator can be used to do this. This profile ties the device into the Mobile Device Management system. You can then open the preferred browser and from anywhere in the world you can adjust the profile. The minute a device is connected to a wireless system or the internet, it will get the newly programmed settings and an automatic update. System managers can use this process for adding software remotely but the process still requires the device user to respond to prompts for the installation of the applications sent.

There is also the question of how schools will decide to manage individual student data once the devices have been configured and placed in students' hands. We highly recommend schools look at The Cloud for this purpose. With iPads in every student's hands, schools not using The Cloud for data storage would be burdened with the need to provide their own servers. The Cloud is a budgeting consideration around this dilemma. With The Cloud, flash drives and their drawbacks become are a thing of the past. Flash drives get lost, forgotten, filled up, and destroyed in washing machines. The Cloud makes the excuse of forgetting one's homework moot.

A school enterprise will need to decide what documents platform it wants to use. Having every student choosing his/her own favorites is problematic for teachers working with students in the classroom. When a teacher directs students to open up a document tool, he/she does not want to have to run around the room to help students on various tools.

Barry's school uses Google Docs which, unfortunately does not support iPad presentations. We're hoping this comes in the future! Google Docs is a good choice because it's so heavily used by industries outside of school. Of course, our concern is to prepare students for their future in the workforce by helping them become familiar with such tools. Each student needs to have their own Google account. Other schools may choose Microsoft. It is viable but Google Drive on iPad works really well. It allows a teacher to instantly collaborate with a student on any document in real time. This is very powerful and makes one-to-one, real-time, feedback possible in the classroom. A teacher can even highlight something and it shows up instantly before the student. Using a school email account to set up a free 2gig Drop Box for each student works really well with the iPad devices and having a Google Account to house student data allows student access from home as well. With Google accounts, the school can control through assigned passwords the limits required. Also, Google Maps is an application which gives students and teachers access to robust resources.

Some schools might prefer using Google Drive over Drop Box. Because Google Drive did not originally allow the uploading of separate documents and files, it is often overlooked by schools that started using Drop Box for this need. Google Drive has now fixed this and does allow uploading of separate documents and files. It might be worth a try for those preferring to stick with a uniform Google platform for their school enterprise. We'd be remiss if we failed to mention that the web interface for Google Drive on iPads is garbage. The Google Drive application, however, is fantastic.

For solving the presentation dilemma created by the hole in Google Docs, Dean feels the application KeyNote may be the single best excuse for buying iPads for students out there. When students first start to use KeyNote for their presentations, they giggle at the creative spontaneity they wield with this tool. It's simple, it's fun and it's great on the iPad.   Other email and calendaring applications already on the iPad are found to be effective as is.

All in all, we agree that when it comes to iPad and their management, the application your school chooses is critical.

Following is a brief mention of additional issues and ideas school systems will want to consider before they commit to iPads in the schools on a large scale:

1. Try to stick to applications that will allow students to transfer their schools to the industries and workforce opportunities outside of school. We are preparing students for their futures.
2. As you cut the number of problems teachers face when using these devices with their students, you'll see motivation for their use rise even if teachers are outside their personal comfort zone with the devices. The power of the tools and the applications available are so educationally liberating that teachers will quickly come on board IF system administrators are careful to choose relatively trouble-free applications.
3. Sometimes browser sites don't work well with one application or another. It may be necessary to switch between several browsers to get applications to boot. For this reason, we recommend schools choose 2-3 standard browsers for loading to the iPad devices. Some standardization is recommended because applications look and feel and have differing dynamics depending on the browser used. Have students use standard browsers makes the dynamics teachers face less confusing. On the iPad, Safari comes preloaded. The tablet's strength is its applications, not the web browser.
4. We recommend schools consider establishing an exploration budget for teachers to purchase a few applications to explore. It's better to buy a few and try them out before one buys a whole classroom set only to find out too late that the application isn't as great as expected or doesn't truly fit the needs as anticipated.
5. iBooks and their implications in the classroom is something that needs exploring. Setting these up on the backend and deciding if or how teachers will use them needs to be carefully considered. There are definite problems with iBooks at this current time; specifically, because they can only be tied to one Apple ID per device not a school network account and this makes mass assignment of books to students impossible. One way around this that's sometimes used is to assign multiple Apple IDs. You can install apps on one Apple ID across every iPad in a bulk configuration, then you can install a new Apple Id and tie in iBooks as textbooks to that ID. Again, Apple's vision of the iPad device is it is a PERSONAL device and not a device for an enterprise to control. Consider the economic decisions behind this. For publishing companies a textbook may run a school $100 in hardcopy. In order not to loose money on digital media, the lowered cost of purchase--about $15 per book--once made follows an individual student, not a classroom. The book is purchased and leaves with the student and the book is purchased for the next incoming student. We know of one school that's created 180 Apple IDs so that iBook texts can be used. iBook texts are truly amazing once available. They are powerful learning tools capable of creating Flash cards, study helps, video, audio, text-to-speech, dictionaries, etc.
6. The actual physical storage of the devices as well as their care and safety must be a consideration as well. If a school can't budget for the large carts, storage after the devices arrive can be something easily overlooked in the excitement of an initial bulk purchase. Even if large carts can be purchased by a school, keep in mind that they come with 32-34 slots and for some schools with large class loads--such as those in Utah with up to 40 students per class--even 1 cart per classroom may not be adequate. One technology specialist with genius-level thinking skills solved this problem by using a simple countertop wire dish drain inside of a drawer drilled and wired with power strips for charging and safe storage. This innovation became known as the I-Rack (LOL) throughout this school's faculty. "Necessity is the mother of all invention!"
7. Safety of these expensive and fragile devices once in student hands must also be a consideration. Steer away from the Smart Cover; instead find a cover that protects the device's corners. When the device is dropped, landing on a corner is a surefire way to shatter the screen beyond repair. For the schools already using these devices full-scale, it seems it is not the students who are breaking them, it's the teachers!

Large-scale deployment of iPad devices by a school enterprise is something that requires a lot of forethought and consideration before jumping in with both feet. Keep in mind that for Apple, school use was an after-thought for the devices and Apple is not your friend when it comes to supporting these devices or systems on a large-scale basis. Still, those of us who've already deployed iPads in our schools on a large-scale basis, say we'd do it all again in spite of the associated headaches. Students are excited when they get these tools in their hands. The level of classroom engagement increases exponentially with their use. It is worth the pain.

In a future broadcast, Modern Educator explores an alternative to iPad deployment. Will Google jump in to fill the enterprise hole Apple seems determined to ignore? Will Google's Nexus 7 at a cost of around $279 for 32gig makes it a possible contender in the classrooms of America?