iPad Program: Middle School

The iPad is an excellent tool for our Middle School students. Students are immediately engaged once the device is placed in their hands. The iPad is able to deliver text, audio, images, and video in an engaging way. Students rely on this tool to organize thoughts and assignments.

These school owned iPads should be used for educational purposes only. Toward that end, the school will be managing the devices and taking great care to determine what will be loaded on the iPad and how they will be used in school.

Each Middle School student will receive their iPad at the beginning of the year, provided a parent or guardian has signed the permission form.

No. School owned iPads are specially configured and managed to enhance functionality and student safety. Also, our teachers have carefully chosen a suite of apps to support student learning. Having a consistent platform will enable our teachers and students to create an effective learning environment.

Student iPads will be managed and suites of carefully chosen apps will be installed on iPads by the IT department. Decisions about what apps and content should be placed on student iPads will be decided by teachers and departments on an ongoing basis. iPads are configured to access the Internet through our school’s Internet filtering system whether they connect from campus or at home, limiting exposure to inappropriate web content.

No. The school has paid for and downloaded an extensive suite of applications. We will continuously seek out the best educational materials and will solicit suggestions from students, faculty, and parents.

PDS Apple IDs cannot allow personal content, so non PDS content may not be downloaded to the iBooks or music app. However, other eReader apps, such as Kindle and Nook, may be used with personal reading content.

Yes and no, depending on what is required by the assignment. Our school’s Learning Management System (Schoology) and Google Tools (GSuite) allow students to work across multiple devices. The iPad is entirely sufficient for a student’s needs, and no additional device is required.

During the school year, students may take their iPads home during breaks. Over the summer, the school will need to collect iPads to perform annual maintenance on the devices.

If a school-issued iPad is damaged, it must be reported to a teacher immediately and the IT office alerted at the first opportunity. All iPads are covered by a manufacturer’s warranty as well as an additional insurance policy. The warranty covers manufacturer’s defects. The insurance includes a $75.00 fee which will be charged to student accounts in the event of a claim. The insurance covers accidental damage from liquid spills, power surges, drops, falls, collisions, vandalism, flood, fire, smoke, wind, and earthquake, as well as damage to batteries and ac adapters. Insurance does not cover loss, negligence and abuse. For example, throwing the iPad, using the iPad as an umbrella, losing it by leaving it unattended, or forgetting where you left it would be considered examples of negligence or abuse. For any loss or damage not covered by warranty or insurance, the full replacement cost of the iPad (approximately $500) will be charged to the student’s account. If an iPad is damaged, PDS will work with the student, Apple, and the insurance company to determine if it is a warranty or insurance claim incident. Please contact Jamie Atkeson (jatkeson@pds.org) for more information.

No, you do not. Covers will be provided. They have been carefully selected for their safety and functionality and should be kept on the iPad at all times. Students are welcome to personalize cases, for example with appropriate stickers. However, to extend the life of the covers, we ask that they not be intentionally damaged or physically altered in any way.

iPads will have school and student identification labels pre-applied. These may not be removed or covered.

No. The iPads will be specially configured and preloaded with a suite of apps carefully chosen by teachers and staff. Students should never login with any account other than that assigned by PDS.

Students’ PDS iCloud accounts have 200GB storage space which is adequate for documents and most school work. Students may also upload content to their Schoology Resources and have access to unlimited storage on their PDS Google Drive accounts.

Yes. If your network is password protected, you will need to enter this password when the device first detects your network.

In a move toward sustainability and best practices in teaching and learning, we encourage electronic workflow and minimal printing. When they do need to print, students can print from iPads at school using networked printers. At home, newer printers with AirPrint and ePrint capabilities can communicate with the iPad or third party software solutions can be installed on existing home computer/printer setups that will allow the iPad to discover older non AirPrint printers. Another option is to use Schoology or G Suite tools and print from a different device.

AirPrint 101 @ Apple Support

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4356

Third Party Print Solutions

http://www.ecamm.com/mac/printopia/

No. The iPad is intended to be an individual student tool and the responsibility of a particular student. We recommend having this important discussion with your child, as he/she is responsible for his/her particular device and its proper care. Regardless of who might damage or lose a device, applicable costs are the responsibility of the family of the student to whom it was assigned.

The iPad is an academic tool to be used in the classroom under teacher supervision. iPads are not to be taken out to recess, into the bathroom, to PE, to assemblies, to lunch, etc.

We are excited to integrate the capabilities of the iPad in classroom activities. Everything produced on the iPad should show respect for others. Inappropriate use of the iPad to capture images, audio, or video without the permission of the teacher or subject is not allowed. Before posting multimedia files in a public forum, students must seek the permission of their class dean.

Students will be issued plug adaptors and cables for charging their iPads at home. The iPad can hold a charge for 10 hours, and our expectation is that students arrive at school each morning with their iPads fully charged. It is the family’s responsibility to replace lost cables and chargers.

The iPad will come with a case that includes an integrated keyboard, a power adapter, and a cable. Earbuds are required and may be purchased in the bookstore. Students may want other styles of earbuds, and parents can choose to purchase other models elsewhere. A stylus may be useful in certain classes and/or with certain apps, but is optional.