I was able to order our iPads today, so I wanted to share which one we went with and the accessories that will come with. First off, we're going to have the 16GB iPad 4. We went with 16GB because for classroom use, everything will done on the Cloud, and we won't need much memory space. If we decide to purchase iPads, we'll definitely go with the 32GB in order to have room for textbooks and other large apps. We also went with the 4 instead of the Air because the price fit our budget better. We were able to get Apple Education pricing, so that helped as well.
Check out the iPad 4 specs here: http://store.apple.com/us/buy-ipad/ipad-retina
Next, each iPad will come with a wired keyboard. I at first thought to do wireless keyboards, and then Jeff reminded me that with bluetooth, the keyboard has to remain with the iPad it's synced to. With wired, any keyboard can go with any iPad. Our keyboard is the Logitech Wired Keyboard for iPad. It's designed for classroom use, so it's water resistant and has a life-span of 5 million keystrokes. Also, because it's wired, we don't have to worry about charging both iPads and keyboards. These keyboards just run off the iPad battery. Finally, it has a cool green bottom. That didn't figure into our decision to buy the keyboard; that's just an added aesthetic bonus.
Check out the keyboard here: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/wired-keyboard-ipad
Each iPad will also have a case. These cases have a clear back, which makes it easy to apply and scan bar codes and anti-theft stickers. The cases are slim design, so at first I was worried they wouldn't be strong enough to withstand drops. I asked Apple to give me more information, and they sent me this video:
Check out the iPad 4 specs here: http://store.apple.com/us/buy-ipad/ipad-retina
Next, each iPad will come with a wired keyboard. I at first thought to do wireless keyboards, and then Jeff reminded me that with bluetooth, the keyboard has to remain with the iPad it's synced to. With wired, any keyboard can go with any iPad. Our keyboard is the Logitech Wired Keyboard for iPad. It's designed for classroom use, so it's water resistant and has a life-span of 5 million keystrokes. Also, because it's wired, we don't have to worry about charging both iPads and keyboards. These keyboards just run off the iPad battery. Finally, it has a cool green bottom. That didn't figure into our decision to buy the keyboard; that's just an added aesthetic bonus.
Check out the keyboard here: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/wired-keyboard-ipad
Each iPad will also have a case. These cases have a clear back, which makes it easy to apply and scan bar codes and anti-theft stickers. The cases are slim design, so at first I was worried they wouldn't be strong enough to withstand drops. I asked Apple to give me more information, and they sent me this video:
I was impressed. Unless our students are flinging iPads around, I feel confident these cases can handle any drops. And of course, our cases are Panther black.
Check out the cases here: http://www.stmbags.com/catalog/ipad-cases/dux-ipad-case-4-gen/
Finally, we have a cart to put all these devices in. Apple gave us a quote for a $3,000 cart that would charge and sync all iPads. In my mind, $3,000 is better spent on more devices, so I did some research and was able to find a similar cart for a third of the price. The cart will charge the iPads. If we need sync capability that can't be done by hand, we can purchase a $100 sync kit for the cart at a later date. At this point, I feel we can save our money and just use our human power to sync the iPads. The cart has slots for each device, and the slots are large enough to fit each both the device and keyboard. It's completely mobile, and the cart has a security lock.
Check out the cart here: http://www.anthro.com/families/the-original-charging-carts/tablets/tablet-charging-cart/tablet-cart-original#.U-P-AvldWSo
Everything should be delivered by the first week of September, which is within our timeline parameters for our initiative. I can't wait to get started!
Check out the cases here: http://www.stmbags.com/catalog/ipad-cases/dux-ipad-case-4-gen/
Finally, we have a cart to put all these devices in. Apple gave us a quote for a $3,000 cart that would charge and sync all iPads. In my mind, $3,000 is better spent on more devices, so I did some research and was able to find a similar cart for a third of the price. The cart will charge the iPads. If we need sync capability that can't be done by hand, we can purchase a $100 sync kit for the cart at a later date. At this point, I feel we can save our money and just use our human power to sync the iPads. The cart has slots for each device, and the slots are large enough to fit each both the device and keyboard. It's completely mobile, and the cart has a security lock.
Check out the cart here: http://www.anthro.com/families/the-original-charging-carts/tablets/tablet-charging-cart/tablet-cart-original#.U-P-AvldWSo
Everything should be delivered by the first week of September, which is within our timeline parameters for our initiative. I can't wait to get started!