- Name: Richard Wells
- Nationality: British living in NZ
- Job: Head of technology at a state secondary school
- Why Blog?
As an ex-IT engineer who couldn’t stand working with IT engineers, I know what most teachers are going through when trying to get support with IT.
“iPads for schools” is great but…
Many schools fail to setup good support networks or provide the sensible PD that’s required to use them effectively. This is the gap I hope to fill. This blog discusses simple sensible steps to using the iPad in your school and its obvious effect in delivering 21st Century, student-centred learning.
As all the education geeks say, “It’s not about the device.”
But … it is about:
- SIMPLICITY: The iPad is only a device but Apple has built a complete eco-system that makes everything very easy for non-technical people. In general, you’ll find people that argue for Android, Microsoft or “Open-source” are geeks and can cope with searching for and setting up complicated groups of tools from various sources.
- SUPPORT: Apple’s support system for those not so geeky and the ease at which they can discover the next step or application is years ahead of any rival. Also, the iPad is so much more common in schools now, that it’s easier to find help as a teacher if you are on an iPad.
- WORKING TOGETHER: Within the school, having everyone working on the same device makes it easier for the teachers and the students, who themselves are not often completely savvy when it comes to being productive with technology (They’re great at gaming/YouTube but…). Also Proffessionl development becomes so much easier.
- RELIABILITY: I know a school technician who was adamant at the start of their BYOD (Bring your own device) rollout that the school must leave the choice of device open and that there was important value in Androids devices. After 4 months of supporting the variety of devices, he recommended to the school leadership the 2013 should be iPad only! He said: “They just work and the others have problems”
- 3RD PARTY SUPPORT: The iPad has become the globe’s choice for education and the other companies who have been involved in education for years are producing their tools for iPad first and sometimes iPad only.
- IBOOKS AUTHOR: This free Mac app for producing interactive books with animations, 3D objects, movies and quizzes is the easiest app I’ve ever used. It has been produced for the non-techies!
- ITUNESU delivers courses from all the top universities in the world and allows any teacher to organise an interactive individualised course with a range of resources from either the iTunesU system or ones own eBooks.
- NO TECHIES REQUIRED! It’s a universal problem that organisations’ tech support people are more interested in ‘their’ system and technical arguments, than what the users are actually trying to get done. This is particularly the case in schools. The iPad is a self-supported, easy-to-use, self-backing-up teaching system that only requires the techies to ensure there’s wireless.
I also Discuss ideas using 2 Twitter accounts:
@iPadWells for Teacher & iPad Discussion
@iPad_4_Schools for blog announcements only
I love your blog, and I want to refer one on your posts in my education research paper, but I have no idea who you are and who wrote the article. I looked everywhere on your blog and can’t find a name…
I knew I’d forgotten something! I think I was relying on people following my twitter accounts, which have a little more info on.
I’ll add a bio but for now:
Richard Wells
From the UK but now Head of Technology at a New Zealand secondary school. As an ex IT engineer who couldn’t stand working with IT engineers, I know what most teachers are going through when trying to get support with IT.