Los Angeles schools begin taking back iPads given to students

[mgsstar]

 

Two Los Angeles area schools are telling students to return the iPads they were issued earlier this year due to what the school system is calling "unrestricted use." The recall is due to a "hack" that allows students to visit websites the school deems restricted, and is apparently a violation of the agreement between the students and schools.

 

 

 

 

The exploit caused school officials to ban the devices from leaving school grounds as they feared that the kids would use the tablets for purposes other than school work while at home. After careful deliberation, school officials at both Westchester and Roosevelt high schools issued a recall on all 2,100 devices.

 

Personally I see no reason why the students should not be allowed to use the devices for recreational use when off school grounds. If the iPads were truly given to each student as previously reported, then why not let them have a little fun on the devices in their free time? Personally I feel that this is just another instance of schools taking things a little too far.

Source:http://www.tweaktown.com/news/33230/los-angeles-schools-begin-taking-back-ipads-given-to-students/index.html

 

Guess that they were using their ipad for gaming and browsing the internet rather than using it for educational purposes. Personally Apple would need to customize their iOS by allowing schools to add restrictions in order to make it for educational use.

[Air tree]

Who uses a ipad for educational things? A laptop/Notebook makes much more sense to be honest.

[helping]

Were they honestly naive enough to think the kids wouldn't use it for purposes other than educational?

 

I partially understand since they say it was hacked, but really whose fault is that lol

[Chatzev]

Surface pro 2's are much better suited for schools as the only thing kids will really do on iPads is browse and play games

[hehehehhehehehe]

Are they really that shocked that this happened?

[James_AJ]

... *smh*

[SpamBrie]

Why did the need iPads in the first place is my argument. 

[JaeDee884]

Source:http://www.tweaktown.com/news/33230/los-angeles-schools-begin-taking-back-ipads-given-to-students/index.html

 

Guess that they were using their ipad for gaming and browsing the internet rather than using it for educational purposes. Personally Apple would need to customize their iOS by allowing schools to add restrictions in order to make it for educational use.

It Exists I've spent the last two weeks learning about Apples VPP and Apple Configurator so i can have a higher degree of control over the 64 iPads i manage as part of my work contract. It's a bitch to use especially with the implementation of iOS7 which really breaks a lot of the pre existing controls. I'll have to disable and lock control center for each iPad to restrict the kids ability to edit and modify core settings.

but the set up and cost of VPP and Configurator is crazy, but due to new ToS from Apple coming in next year i have to migrate, previously there was an loophole that allowed non for profit institutions to use a standard iTunes account for buying apps, eg purchase the app and it goes on all devices, but next year I've got to pay for each iPad. this is completely fucking over the education system, Apple got a contract with the Education department for exclusivity in the mobile education region (at only a 10% discount per device might I add the government is useless at striking a bargain). Then Education got funding cut to IT, and we can't break the contract and the exit guidelines are expensive, and then Apple go makes it massively expensive to get apps. 

I just want the kids to use pen and paper for their education, worked for me, and all this technology integration isn't going to improve their education, leave the technology for the kids who're interested in it, don't force it into the classrooms.

 

[dlf]

If I was given an iPad for school I'd use it for my school textbooks (digital) and use a laptop (of some kind) for notes and actual browsing.

[ObeseWalrus]

Should have given them a Surface RT instead with restriction to the app store, and the keyboard obviously

[alicskysareblue]

Surface pro 2's are much better suited for schools as the only thing kids will really do on iPads is browse and play games

no surface rts, makes it difficult to install anything not made by microsoft and they are about as expensive as ipads.

 

[IdeaStormer]

Why did the need iPads in the first place is my argument. 

 

Because adding 2+2 is much greener on a iPad than pencil and paper... wait how much emissions are there in making an iPad?

 

Anyway,

 

Schools basically thought, we'll give our students some modern tech so they can keep up with modern times and educational tools (and looking good to the parents/school-board/community).

Students being students, studied up on how to hack the iPads so they could use them they way they were meant to be used, to have fun.

 

Give them pencil and paper and the students would still use them for something else so I don't see the problem.

[Gunzkewl]

I don't know how people take notes in a Physics or Math class on a tablet or PC.  

[dlf]

I don't see how people would "type" fast enough on a tablet for any class but taking notes on a PC is typing what the teachers power point (or word doc) says. Biology, history, government, other classes. I am MUCH faster on a PC then with pen(cil) and paper.

[Mauri]

Surface pro 2's are much better suited for schools as the only thing kids will really do on iPads is browse and play games

and more expensive than ipads.

 

get them chromebooks

[Mooshi]

I support the use of tablets as a substitute for having to learn things from really outdated books. Students should be allowed to have access to up to date information at all times. The problem is that this school seems to lack common sense. If anything, those iPads should have been treated as a computer lab type piece of equipment that doesn't leave school grounds...you would think that would be obvious.

 

 

Also lol "hacks"..I remember bypassing the weak school filters back in the day using low level proxies..it isn't "hacking", it's the equivalent of locking the door to your house with the key hanging out. Not exactly high standards for security in schools with computers.

 

 

Because adding 2+2 is much greener on a iPad than pencil and paper... wait how much emissions are there in making an iPad?

 

Anyway,

 

Schools basically thought, we'll give our students some modern tech so they can keep up with modern times and educational tools (and looking good to the parents/school-board/community).

Students being students, studied up on how to hack the iPads so they could use them they way they were meant to be used, to have fun.

 

Give them pencil and paper and the students would still use them for something else so I don't see the problem.

 

Yep, even with a basic pencil and paper, it's not like a student won't magically not doodle on it just because it's basic. I doodled on my work all the time back in the day.

[helping]

I don't know how people take notes in a Physics or Math class on a tablet or PC.  

you don't, I play on imgur or the forums

[gill2k]

Whatever happened to just plain old pen, paper, and a textbook? :mellow:

[Missioncode]

 

 

that allows students to visit websites the school deems restricted

I like how everyone just assumed games.

I was actually assuming more adult sites.

 

Also what is considered a "hack"

At my school anything with HTTPS was unblocked so for example

http://notasite.com  would be blocked and if I wanted to get around it all I would do is go to

https://notasite.com and I would get by. No one ever caught me. it was so funny. 

[IdeaStormer]

Whatever happened to just plain old pen, paper, and a textbook? :mellow:

 

It doesn't provide enough flash/bang to keep the A.D.D. students awake and probably lead to too many students using ink in the pens to self tattoo themselves, the sharper paper was used as a weapon, textbooks were used to torture fellow students. (I mean if we're believing all the media hype on teenage violence and the affect of violent video games and TV/movies).

[TopWargamer]

[Yoinkerman]

Kids break and ruin everything. Don't believe me? Ask your parents how awesome their lives were before they had kids.

I was a kid not that long ago, I know how it goes.

[Emperor_Piehead]

When I went to middle school we were one of the really early groups to get Ipads and the teacher would set like a designated time for us to play on them.