Last week Apple updated the developer app sale agreement allowing developers to offer their applications at a 50% discount to educational institutions. This would give schools the ability to load apps on multiple devices for students and faculty. The hope is that developers will take this incentive to sell apps at a discount. The discount will only apply to bulk downloads of 20 or more of the same app purchased at the same time.
Hopefully Apple’s next big announcement will be a suggestion for how to use iTunes to effectively deploy applications to multiple devices (without creating an iTunes account for each device). The bulk download is a good start but it will only an effective solution for those developers who choose to sell their app at a discount to educational institutions.
Have any of you worked out a good solution for deploying applications to multiple devices?
Practically speaking, if you had access to a conventional computer lab, you could have a common iTunes folder on a network drive that each computer could access – this does not solve the problem of having too many devices on the same account – the maximum from what I’ve read is 5 devices per iTunes account – I currently have 4 iPad/iPhone devices running on my account all using the same apps. Works very well – so i’m a little confused as to why they’re offering a 50% discount when to the best of my knowledge you can use the apps on 5 devices under 1 account quite legitimately. Is there a different licence for using them in an educational setting?
In terms of syncing them, why not get a couple of tech savvy students to help – train them how to sync the iPad and give them the knowledge, responsibility and skills to help other students.
This is true, the problem I am finding is too many devices per account and how to manage all of the accounts necessary for a school wide initiative. I like the idea of having students in charge of the device and sync process but for young elementary students it wouldn’t be practical. There is a new license that developers can offer but that is only if they choose to offer it so it won’t apply to every app.
A major dis-incentive to large deployments, if owned managed by the institution.
Personal devices a different matter.
seems that is being encouraged!!
i have five accounts for 25 ipads, sync is simple enough with a hub
painful charging and syncing as they do not charge when connected…
Locate iPad on mobileme is brilliant! shows which room, where on campus the ipad is located.
switching OFF iTunes and APP store is essential, it must be enabled before syncing or adding new APPs.
set a password for access, then a different password for restrictions.
set but do not use, or a student will set it and lock you out!!
in the first class I took the iPads
it took 35 seconds for an iPad on wireless and APP store enabled to download angry bird…a new world record??
the challenge now is to find enough websites that do not use flash, to get enough APPs which engage and contribute to measurable learning, and to overcome the idea this is ‘just playing games’
the bulk buy on iWork would be useful, and some of the eBooks.
though a purchase of 20 means you cover 100 iPads
management of that number is a whole different proposition….
personal devices begins to look good, with an iTunes card ‘given’ to students to download the appropriate/required APPs
Elementary students wouldn’t be ideal. I teach seniors so it would be a perfect strategy for my environment. I suppose it’s a little too optimistic to hope that Apple will create a feature in the app store that allows you to browse and download already purchased but not downloaded apps on the account – that way you would only need to sign in. If you have a small range of apps that you use perhaps just searching on app store on the iPad and d/ling the apps that way would be quicker.
One of the suggestions I’m trying to get my school to consider in implementing technology is placing the onus on teachers to design, maintain and promote their own interests in integrating technology into their learning environment – giving teachers a modest budget and a trolley with a class set of ipads and the freedom to buy the apps they feel will work best with their pedagogy would be ideal. This requires a lot of staff development, but I would like to think most educators would jump at the chance to create a learning environment that reflects their personal preferences especially considering the portability of the iPad. Check out my blog post on this if you’re interested: http://www.nikclarx.tumblr.com