Best practices for Android tablets for Education

If you want to go the touchscreen route, it’s worth checking out why Android tablets for education are so popular. The main reason is easily boiled down to the variety of choices available. You really have the greatest choice on the market when it comes to screen size, hard drive speed, storage capacity, and brand.

The price range is also very appealing. You get cheap, entry-level devices using Android, all the way through to top-of-the-range options with all the bells and whistles. This means that schools from different local education authorities may also afford access to the digital classroom. Additionally, if you are doing a BYOD program, you can accommodate students across the income spectrum.

But that’s not the only reason why Android tablets for education are so well-liked. They also make learning fun and give teachers plenty of opportunities to create new ways to teach. And that’s why we think they’re such a valuable asset to the EdTech world.

Best practices for learning with Android tablets

Need a little help with your Android tablets? These are our best practices to assist you to get the most out of your devices and encourage your students to do the same:

• Explain your school’s eSafety policy - All schools should have an eSafety policy regardless of devices in the classroom. It should cover cyberbullying, proper use of the internet, social media rules, and general care when using devices. When you start out with Android tablets in a learning environment, make sure you have the guidelines for the policy readily available.
• ‍Install an MDM solution - Mobile Device Management (MDM) is another imperative when it comes to keeping students on the straight and narrow with their device use. The Mobile Guardian Schools solution allows you to manage all enrolled devices remotely from the dashboard. It also provides extra tools such as web filtering, classroom management, and a linked parent dashboard.
• ‍Get the best out of your devices - Learning, at school or remotely, is no longer just about a teacher speaking to the class and students being expected to sit and listen. Tablets and other devices have made things more fluid and learning less passive. Offering teachers the opportunity to develop content in engaging and thought-provoking ways, thanks to the incredible ways technology has revolutionised learning. This flexible approach to teaching is even more applicable right now due to the remote learning environment that has been thrust upon us. You can view our article that covers practical steps to unlock remote learning if making the transition.
• Talk to parents about continuing the policies - It’s all very well having rules at home and at school about eSafety. However, it’s quite important to make sure that they are complementary. These regulations need to be on the same page to ensure ongoing, open dialogue between the school and the parents. This way you can ensure that you are all staying up to date on current trends. You’ll also be able to make sure that what’s promoted by teachers is echoed by what’s happening at home.‍
• Don't be afraid to explore - There are so many amazing Android apps in G Suite for Education, as well as the Google Play Store. We know it can be quite daunting to explore these apps at first, but many are designed to aid teaching. That’s why we created a list to get you started on the top STEM apps available.
       

More reasons why Android tablets for education are a popular choice

• G Suite for Education ecosystem - Android and Google have a fantastic working relationship. Android uses the Google Play Store for apps and Google cloud services come standard on the operating system. It’s just a small jump from there to the entire G Suite for Education, which has so many great apps designed for education.
• ‍Cost and durability - There is a wide range of Android tablets on the market, many of which have been designed with younger users in mind. This means that they are durable and can live up to being thrown into a backpack, dropped, or forgotten about. With this wide range of choices comes an equally wide range of price points.
• ‍Functionality - A tablet gives you opportunities for creative expression that a student might not get on a laptop or a Chromebook. The touchscreen allows for drawing and handwriting straight onto the device. Android also provides restricted user profiles. This gives you an element of control when handing over a device to a student. Which when complemented with our Classroom Management tools, provides immense amounts of clarity and understanding on the use of the device.

Get the most out of your devices

With the incredible choice that’s available when it comes to Android tablets for education, it’s easy to see why so many are opting to go this route. It’s a good choice for any kind of device program - 1:1, shared, and BYOD. And with Mobile Guardian, you can make sure that each and every device is monitored for its safety and the safety of your students.

Onwards!

Robyn Hobson

Team Mobile Guardian