5 Ways to Screw Up an iPad Deployment

Tip of the Week: 5 Ways to Screw Up an iPad Deployment

by glennw on April 12, 2013

I spent a lot of time over the last few weeks working with a ton of teachers. Great conversations. Lots of learning. And not just a little frustration on the part of the teachers.
Much of the frustration centered on their iPads.

Getting work from kids is too hard.
There’s too much I have to keep track of in terms of classroom management.
We can’t get the apps we need.
The tech people won’t open up the ports on the server so the iPads can talk with each other, printers and projection devices.

I get it. It’s not easy.
I think many people, especially admin types, expect the iPad to revolutionize the educational world. Kids will love them. Teachers will love them. Test scores will go up. Behavior problems will go down.
You can almost see some assistant superintendent in his office, gleefully rubbing his hands together in anticipation:

This is the silver bullet we’ve all been waiting for.

Here’s a secret. iPads are not the silver bullet. Hardware and software won’t change education. Teachers and quality teaching will.

But . . .

Click here to continue reading...