IPAD Dos and Don ts. Dos

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1 IPAD Dos and Don ts Bringing ipads into the classroom is a great way to give students access to learning tools. However, there are so many things to keep in mind to make the devices work smoothly in the classroom. While this list of dos and don'ts mainly addresses ipad touch the same advice goes for ipad touch and iphone. The list is for large or small class sets of handhelds; if students are using their own personal ipads you'll have a different set of considerations and technical issues to deal with. Dos Do sync all ipads to one computer. We do this MAC is on the cart. Do name ipads. We do this. They are named. Do set each device's wallpaper with a number or name. An innovative way to identify ipads is to set the wallpaper image of each device to include its number or a name. This way you can simply press the Home button and the screen instantly lights up and displays the device's number. Wallpaper can be any image that's in the Photos app. That includes images synced using itunes or images saved from mobile Safari or other apps. I've made three sets of images that you're welcome to use as wallpaper. Read my post and download the image sets.

2 Do delete content. Since you are mirroring the computer's itunes Library onto the ipads, deleting items from itunes will delete them from the ipads. After you no longer have a need delete it so it is not taking up room and cluttering up the ipads. Chances are you want to use this content with a future class. If it's something you will use again, drag and drop it into a folder on your desktop. You can drag and drop it back into itunes for the next time you want it synced to ipads. Do label or engrave ipads. We did this. It's important for teachers and students to be able to identify ipads. Giving ipads numbers is helpful. Some schools engrave numbers on the ipads' backs. Unfortunately, this number cannot be seen when the ipad is in a protective case. Putting a sticker on the front or writing the number on the case is helpful. Be sure the number matches the number you gave the ipad in itunes. Additionally, having a variety of colors for cases can make it easier for students to spot their ipads. Do set up an itunes account for the classroom computer. Taken care of by librarian. Do use a flash drive to transfer apps between computers. When you purchase an app in itunes it is downloaded and stored on your computer's hard drive. That same app file is then copied to all ipads that sync with your itunes Library. There might be

3 times you download apps on a computer other than the one you use for syncing. In this case you will need to copy the apps from the original computer's Library onto the new computer for syncing with ipads. The easiest way is to use a flash drive. On the first computer click Applications under Library. Then drag and drop the apps you wish to copy onto the flash drive. They appear as.ipa files with an itunes icon. Eject and insert the flash drive into the computer used for syncing. Drag the apps from the flash drive into the itunes Library. If the apps were downloaded or purchased under a different itunes account than the one on the syncing computer, you may have to authorize your account (see above). Do have procedures for passing out, turning in, and syncing. Will students get their ipad as they enter the classroom? Do you have a helper student who will pick up the ipads? How will you know when all ipads have been turned in? There are lots of ways teachers manage ipads in the classroom. The key is having procedures for everyone to follow. Do secure ipads when not in use. Have a place to lock up the ipads. It's no fun when an ipad is stolen. Lock them in the cart.

4 Do have earbuds for each student. Something else that isn't fun is using earbuds that someone else has stuck in their ears. You can get inexpensive earbuds at Walmart and online. Most students probably already have their own earbuds. Earbud wires do tend to get tangled. Those in elementary classrooms may consider putting a hook on a wall for each student. Label the hooks and earbuds so students can drape their earbuds from the hooks when not in use as a way to keep the wires tangle-free. Do create a web clip icon for your class or school website. A web clip is an icon you can add to your Home screen as a shortcut to a website. With one tap, Safari will open to the web clip's page. To make a web clip, simply open the page in Safari. Tap the Plus sign at the bottom of the screen. Tap Add to Home Screen and edit the title (if you want). Tap Add and, presto, a new icon is added to your Home Screen. This will need to be done on each ipad individually. Adding a web clip to your class website enables you to add a link to your site that students can easily access on their ipads without typing in a web address.

5 Do use a URL shortener. If you don't have a class website or don't have time to update it, give ten addresses for students to type in using a URL shortening service. Sites like tinyurl.com and bit.ly take longer web addresses and make them shorter. The shorter the URL the easier they are to type on an ipad touch. Read more about shrinking long web addresses. Do have consequences for misuse. Unfortunately, students will be tempted to use ipads inappropriately. I've found that taking away the ipad is an effective consequence for misuse. Students who have continual problems with misuse should be seated so that the teacher can monitor their activities. Maybe even point a video camera on a tripad at the student's screen so that the student knows the teacher is always "watching." Do create a usage contract. A contract is an effective way to communicate how and when an ipad can be used. Have students and parents sign the contract to indicate they agree to follow the rules and accept the consequences for breaking the rules. You may want to model your contract after some of these: Culbreth Middle School intouch Club Lenape ipad Touch 1:1 User Agreement Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

6 Use Contract ELL ipad Agreement Do set up .. Like it or not, is the primary way to get some information off the ipad and onto a computer. If students are assigned their own ipads, then it makes sense to set up each ipad with the student's account. Some schools use Gaggle.net , which can be configured to work on ipad touch. An alternative is to create one Gmail account to be used on all ipads. So that you can tell which ipad an originated from, type in the number of the ipad or the name of the student in the settings Name field. This will need to be set up individually on each ipad. Additionally, be sure the teacher's address is added to the address book so students can easily send what they create on the ipad touch to the teacher. Don'ts Don't give students the itunes account password. If you give them the password, they can download apps right from the ipad itself. Apps downloaded on one ipad will eventually be synced to all ipads so a single problem could grow larger. Teachers should be in complete control over what is loaded on the devices, so they should keep passwords to themselves.

7 Don't sync ipads with any other computer than the original. If an ipad is attached to a different computer you will get messages that content on the ipad will have to be erased. You probably don't want that. If you click Cancel, the ipad will charge but won't sync. Don't feel you need to sync ipads everyday. Chances are you won't need to sync ipads everyday. You only need to sync when there are new podcasts, audio, video, or apps you want to put on the ipads. If you plan ahead, you can make it so syncing is required only weekly and perhaps monthly. Depending on use, however, ipads will probably need to be charged every couple days.

8 Don't mistreat batteries. ipads use lithium-ion batteries. These batteries will lose capacity over time. The worst thing you can do is store ipads somewhere hot, like a car in the summertime. It's also not healthy for lithium-ion batteries to be completely discharged. For healthiest batteries, store ipads at about 80% charge over the summer (be sure to completely power down the ipads over the summer as well). Don't use liquids to clean the screen. You don't want liquid getting inside. Microfiber clothes clean the screens nicely. If the screen is really gunky, put a small amount of water on a cloth and then clean the device. Don't put up with a glitchy ipad. ipads can easily be restored to factory settings if something gets out of whack (or if a student decides to lock the ipad and forget the password). Read about restoring.