1,200 kids at school each given an iPad (From Echo)

Most parents have refused to pay the 'contribution' towards the cost of insurance - £50 is far too much and reflects the high likelihood of devices being lost / stolen / damaged. What is to say that once their child's (or children's!) schooling has finished, unscrupulous parents will not tell their child to say it has been mislaid and simply keep it? Most homes have PCs running Microsoft software and Apple products are over-expensive and trendy, rather than particularly useful. This is a complete and utter waste of public money, especially when Schools do not even provide basic items for pupils.

I think I agree with the tax payers alliance. Oh my god.

India just launched a 35 usd tablet, this sort of tech is decreasing in price every day. Apple products are over hyped, over priced toys.

"Apple products are over-expensive and trendy, rather than particularly useful"
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"Apple products are over hyped, over priced toys"
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Typical quotes from people that have most likely never used an Apple product or and more typically, can't afford one. Better to say it's a load of rubbish than you can't afford on. go and get one of these $35 tablets or a "MyPad" and use it alongside a genuine iPad i think you will very quickly realise why one is just $35.

ShadowReturns wrote:
"Apple products are over-expensive and trendy, rather than particularly useful"
.
"Apple products are over hyped, over priced toys"
.
Typical quotes from people that have most likely never used an Apple product or and more typically, can't afford one. Better to say it's a load of rubbish than you can't afford on. go and get one of these $35 tablets or a "MyPad" and use it alongside a genuine iPad i think you will very quickly realise why one is just $35.

Typical comment from an Apple user. I use all types of computer and I find Apple machines to be the most user unfriendly and you are unable to repair or modify them yourselves they have to be repaired by Apple at exorbitant costs. Normal Pc's can be modified, changed , repaired and have any applications or Operating systems you want on them.

This money would have been better spent on providing decent text books and other learning aids.

The iPad has a sleek design, it is stylish, quick, has a great screen but I don't believe it is the best device for intensive working. I can touch type and can write many times faster on a netbook or a phone slide-out keypad than I can poking at the screen.
So to me it looks like the wrong investment and an awful waste of money.

cavillas wrote:

ShadowReturns wrote:
"Apple products are over-expensive and trendy, rather than particularly useful"
.
"Apple products are over hyped, over priced toys"
.
Typical quotes from people that have most likely never used an Apple product or and more typically, can't afford one. Better to say it's a load of rubbish than you can't afford on. go and get one of these $35 tablets or a "MyPad" and use it alongside a genuine iPad i think you will very quickly realise why one is just $35.

Typical comment from an Apple user. I use all types of computer and I find Apple machines to be the most user unfriendly and you are unable to repair or modify them yourselves they have to be repaired by Apple at exorbitant costs. Normal Pc's can be modified, changed , repaired and have any applications or Operating systems you want on them.

This money would have been better spent on providing decent text books and other learning aids.

What nonsense you can run windows on a Mac and the components are easliy swapped with minimal hassle as for not being user friendly this comment alone suggests you really have no clue about Apple products.

Is it any wonder that they are dumbing down exams and that kids are coming out of school incapable or writing, speaking, doing basic maths, etc? What possible benefit could these silly little boxes have to educating our children? Back to basics for goodness sake.

Wakey wakey people.

The UK has recently been shown to be worse in IT education than many countries including the US, Japan, Estonia and Albania.

This is the future. Subjects like history, classics and latin are dead ducks. Well done to Honeywoods for taking the lead against an education system that is clearly second best compared to many other countries.

How is the UK going to grow our way out of this debt crisis? New technological companies not old industries.

ShadowReturns wrote:
"Apple products are over-expensive and trendy, rather than particularly useful"
.
"Apple products are over hyped, over priced toys"
.
Typical quotes from people that have most likely never used an Apple product or and more typically, can't afford one. Better to say it's a load of rubbish than you can't afford on. go and get one of these $35 tablets or a "MyPad" and use it alongside a genuine iPad i think you will very quickly realise why one is just $35.

what crap.

I can afford apple without any problems Shadow but I know better than to buy one. The $35 tablet will run open source software, can be replaced easily, wont need insurance, wont be stolen, need I go on?

More importantly, I ran a scheme similar to this in Suffolk and gave away thousands of netbooks to kids in schools so I understand better than most how these things work. Apple werent even in the running as a supplier.

The biggest challenge this school will have is evidencing any academic improvement as a result of this.

With economies of scale you could get 1200 ipads for what 420k? Enough for ten teachers for a year. Enough for a new building. I know what I would rather have if I was a parent at the school.

Before resorting to gimmicks to enhance whatever school inspection criteria you have to fulfill tryt teaching them the basics: that will be grammar, speech, spelling, mathematics. IMO the majority of yoof can work a mobile phone a lot faster than doing a simple calculation - especially without a calculator. Throw the toys away and back to basics!

perini wrote:
Before resorting to gimmicks to enhance whatever school inspection criteria you have to fulfill tryt teaching them the basics: that will be grammar, speech, spelling, mathematics. IMO the majority of yoof can work a mobile phone a lot faster than doing a simple calculation - especially without a calculator. Throw the toys away and back to basics!

I fully agree, this should not be about the latest must have technology gimmick. It should not be about technology at all. What are the little dears going to do when the batteries to their toys run out or the internet is down.
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Education is about the use of the best computer in the world the HUMAN BRAIN. Spend money on teaching behaviours, analysis and above all to inspire children the joy of acquring knowledge.
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Take them to art galleries to SEE real art. Teach them art, how to use their senses and observation. Teach them to paint and sculpt. Take them to concerts and teach them music and how to play an instrument.

Teach them how to interact with real people, how to converse, debate, sport and play. Teach them ethics and civics.
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Teach them science by how to be inqusitive, to experiment, to challenge concepts and solve problems.
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But dont give and teach them how to use a piece of technology that means they can sit in isolation and never go out into the real world. They know how to do that already.
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You dont need an i-pad or technology to teach or learn. You need good teachers and inspired students. I am not a Luddite but we are becoming slaves to the gadgets. So what happens when the gadgets aren't around any more?
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Rant over.

Maybe as an educational tool a raspberry pi would have been more economic, more useful and less attractive to thieves/keeping? http://www.raspberry
pi.org/?p=179

Sorry but the arguments above are all irrelevant the truth is it is about spending money wisely.

Over half a million spent on something that can either get broken or stolen on the journey home from school.

The cost of apple which in it's basic form is just a book, so to add anything like Word is another fortune makes it really expensive, however good the IPad is it is an expensive book.

The IPad 2 is excellent far quicker and easier to use than Microsoft but time all the applications are added it is expensive.

Surely the money could be spent more wisely as an example laptops in every classroom.

This is an absolutel out-rage. I work hard and pay taxes glore and i cant even buy my own kids iPhones, iPads or other "must have" Apple products and here we see kids being given them for practically free? What ever Civil Servant sanctioned this idea should be sacked.

Another Point of View wrote:
This is an absolutel out-rage. I work hard and pay taxes glore and i cant even buy my own kids iPhones, iPads or other "must have" Apple products and here we see kids being given them for practically free? What ever Civil Servant sanctioned this idea should be sacked.

Nothing to do with Civil Servants dearie. Schools have had control of thier own budgets for years.

jut1972 wrote:

ShadowReturns wrote:
"Apple products are over-expensive and trendy, rather than particularly useful"
.
"Apple products are over hyped, over priced toys"
.
Typical quotes from people that have most likely never used an Apple product or and more typically, can't afford one. Better to say it's a load of rubbish than you can't afford on. go and get one of these $35 tablets or a "MyPad" and use it alongside a genuine iPad i think you will very quickly realise why one is just $35.

what crap.

I can afford apple without any problems Shadow but I know better than to buy one. The $35 tablet will run open source software, can be replaced easily, wont need insurance, wont be stolen, need I go on?

More importantly, I ran a scheme similar to this in Suffolk and gave away thousands of netbooks to kids in schools so I understand better than most how these things work. Apple werent even in the running as a supplier.

The biggest challenge this school will have is evidencing any academic improvement as a result of this.

With economies of scale you could get 1200 ipads for what 420k? Enough for ten teachers for a year. Enough for a new building. I know what I would rather have if I was a parent at the school.

I was unaware that someone had developed a way of making sure something would not be stolen if this is the case they are selling themselves short at $35 a unit and restricting this technology to one product.
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The scheme you ran was it pre iPad? You say that Apple weren't in the running but if you were comparing the cost of a low grade netbook to an entry level mac book then it's hardly a fair comparison.
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Take into account how well Apple products hold their value in theory the school could use these for a year sell them off as individual units and be in profit after buying the latest model to replace the old ones.

Mary Lou wrote:

Another Point of View wrote:
This is an absolutel out-rage. I work hard and pay taxes glore and i cant even buy my own kids iPhones, iPads or other "must have" Apple products and here we see kids being given them for practically free? What ever Civil Servant sanctioned this idea should be sacked.

Nothing to do with Civil Servants dearie. Schools have had control of thier own budgets for years.

What are teachers then? Not wishing to be pendantic but last time I checked I thought they were paid by the taxpayer. That makes them civil servants in my book! How ever you define them though, someone needs there backside kicking for such a blantant misuse of public money.

I find it quite funny that none of the media reporters have actually any knowledge of what is actually happening with the ipads INSIDE of the school, its just a guessing game for them 'lets jump to the first conclusion'. Get your facts first. I'm a student at the school and I can tell you, Yes, they are used for games music etc, OUTSIDE of school, but in lessons they are used for EDUCATIONAL uses, i.e the internet, apps such as ones for different subjects and if your spotted on a game; bam. taken away. you jailbreak/hack the ipad? bam, taken away. So just get the facts before you start to judge! And i'm pretty sure they were bought through a deal due to how many there is. Honywood is drawing the path for the future, technologie is developing fast, many countries world wide are also using ipads in school e.g America. The future is with technology, and Honywood is providing the future for us students, and is helping build our independence, by finding information independtly and all of this is avaliable via the ipad.

ShadowReturns wrote:

jut1972 wrote:

ShadowReturns wrote:
"Apple products are over-expensive and trendy, rather than particularly useful"
.
"Apple products are over hyped, over priced toys"
.
Typical quotes from people that have most likely never used an Apple product or and more typically, can't afford one. Better to say it's a load of rubbish than you can't afford on. go and get one of these $35 tablets or a "MyPad" and use it alongside a genuine iPad i think you will very quickly realise why one is just $35.

what crap.

I can afford apple without any problems Shadow but I know better than to buy one. The $35 tablet will run open source software, can be replaced easily, wont need insurance, wont be stolen, need I go on?

More importantly, I ran a scheme similar to this in Suffolk and gave away thousands of netbooks to kids in schools so I understand better than most how these things work. Apple werent even in the running as a supplier.

The biggest challenge this school will have is evidencing any academic improvement as a result of this.

With economies of scale you could get 1200 ipads for what 420k? Enough for ten teachers for a year. Enough for a new building. I know what I would rather have if I was a parent at the school.

I was unaware that someone had developed a way of making sure something would not be stolen if this is the case they are selling themselves short at $35 a unit and restricting this technology to one product.
.
The scheme you ran was it pre iPad? You say that Apple weren't in the running but if you were comparing the cost of a low grade netbook to an entry level mac book then it's hardly a fair comparison.
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Take into account how well Apple products hold their value in theory the school could use these for a year sell them off as individual units and be in profit after buying the latest model to replace the old ones.

Good point about the resale value but your point about entry level mac book shows how expensive they are. Apple are a premium product and supplying premium product to schoolkids is just daft.

Baaah123 says...
"The future is with technology, and Honywood is providing the future for us students, and is helping build our independence, by finding information independtly and all of this is avaliable via the ipad.”
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A good teacher and a library will get you a better education than any machine. My husband who was an IT systems designer & analyst by profession was of the same opinion.
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Still its cheaper to stick students in front of a screen and slap headphones on them than provide motivated and good teachers. Perhaps students do not even need to attend school. No that won't ever happen as the main role for a school today is state provided child care

It is true that most apple products are more gimmicky than useful. The I Phone for example – There are so many things you can’t do, which I am able to do on a daily basis on my phone or any other smartphone. Apple put stupid limits and restrictions in place to stop you doing this-and-that, so at the end of the day you have to give more money to Apple - They are an absolute monopoly. You can’t even Bluetooth files to and from an I Phone – I often Bluetooth 5 – 10 files a day. You can’t get free music (as far as I am aware), you have to go to I tunes and pay for it – Android has tens of free music downloaders. Absolutely fundamental is the fact that Apple is not open-source too! This enormously limits the number of Apps which can be created for it – I cannot respect Google enough for making Android open-source (Give it a couple of years and there will be twice the apps on Android)! They also don’t have a memory card – that is insane – I don’t care if the next I phone is a thousand terabytes – storage space is not the point; you NEED to have a removable memory card – especially without the ability to Bluetooth! There are countless things inferior with the I-Phone!

Also, I cannot fathom how a single person in the world would buy an Ipad without a usb reader. It is beyong me how any company could ever bring out a tablet without a USB – it is the standard format! For many reasons no USB slot also lines apples pockets. Steve Jobs was a true innovator and a benefit to our world however I hate his company and their blatant monopoly!

No wonder I couldn’t find the amount of RAM the I Phone 4S has on Apples website. Because it’s only 512MB - massively behind almost every other phone out now! For a brand-new, supposedly world-leading device, 512mb is deplorable. Mines got twice that and it’s been out for months! WTF Apple – Even if your A5 chip is dual-core and very efficient why would you put only 512 in there???? To add more profit to your billions??????????? Given all the hype I would have guessed 1.5gb – 2 gb. How the hell is Apple so successful nowadays???? Oh and 512 is exactly the same as the I- Phone 4 – errr isn’t the 4s an upgrade?!

awhile back the talk was all about schools not having the money for all the text books etc for their classes.how times change.

wellnow wrote:
awhile back the talk was all about schools not having the money for all the text books etc for their classes.how times change.

The usual response is: technology good, luddites bad.
Yeah ok, fine, but I a don't like the idea that because the iPad is fashionable and has strong brand recognition that tax payers’ money should be spend on a premium product.
Try writing an essay, drafting a report, creating a spreadsheet, preparing a presentation...best of luck, you'll need it.
I've always viewed the iPad as a very enjoyable toy for playing with media and online content. If the school seriously thinks that they are providing skills for the workplace then they are sorely mistaken.

The IPad is not a serious computer and is overpriced for what you get. While it may catch the interest of students it is limited to games and reading applications. For business use, I put mine down and use a real computer. Pretty much a dumb idea for educational use in my view, but we will see if a couple years, hope I am wrong.

I think it's great that the school has bought everyone an ipad - as much as some of you techno-phobes don't like it the future is computer driven and it can only be a good thing - not to mention the fact that i imagine there are many children at the school who would have liked one but couldn't ever afford one, so it's great everyone got included in this scheme.

My only gripe is that i think they could have possibly used the money for a laptop instead of an ipad, which could have then have far more uses like word/excel/email etc for use during school, it could be used for homework and coursework too.

Just to throw my opinion into the mix too, i switched over to apple about 2 years ago and it was the best thing i ever did... faster, more advanced and more trendy ;)

Has anyone heard of pen, paper, dictionary, encyclopedia, school library ...................?

I'm kinda suprised at the apple stuff holding it's value point; tried selling my 1 year old ipod touch recently and despite it being imaculate having lived in a hard case, and having all cables, box, original headphones unused, its ebay value is about 33% of what I paid for it.

Other than that though, I agree with technology being useful in schools, however I do think the money would have been better spent on netbooks or simular, where it'd have given it another huge use, and also cost a hell of alot less. At the end of the day, the ipad is a toy, and while there are a few educational apps, and internet access, that's probably not enough to justify the huge cost when there's other alternatives. It's just a school trying to appear fashionable/get some media attention. Fair play to them, although clearly next time the cuts come around there must be alot of money to be saved in cutting school budgets?

i only have one thing to say about the ipad "flash" !! nuff say they are crap, bought my daughter one and she still has to use my laptop to do her homework due to the lack of flashplayer ! apple is crap ..

Lets not kids ourselves here, gone are the days when a paper & pencil, would do... Yes you still need to be able to read & write, but technology rules the world these days... It used to be seen as "cool" to declare that you had no idea how to use a computer... These days it's not so cool, bordering on embarrassing.

I take the point that for the purpose of teaching, other tablets might have sufficed, however given the current predicament in which Google finds itself with a $6Bn law suit for allegedly copying source code from Oracle forming the core of Andriod, I think Apple is a safe bet.

Apple is more expensive that other vendors, for a simple reason, attention to detail & reliability, based on quality over quantity in terms of features. They'er the only company which makes both the hardware & software, this allows them to retain the quality of the finished product - yes there are good Android devices, but the lack of coherence from that camp makes things very confusing.

Baaah123
I'm guessing from your post that spell and grammar check were an optional extra for your ipad deemed not necessary?

So we have the likes of R85 who simply doesn't seem to understand that that more ram doesn't mean a better user experience or that the intuitive and intelligent Apple digests needs just a tiny percentage of the processing power of his open source android device. And then b1gb1gman who seems to blame Apple for the fact he didn't adequately research or understand his daughter needs before buying an iPad. Jag99 makes a valid point Apple make great looking efficient and functional software and hardware you get exactly what you pay for with amazing customer support. Well done Honeywood for giving these children an amazing opportunity.