Device+Management

Device Management is a challenging area. We chose to go with Casper Suite by JAMF Software to help manage our devices. In the infancy of ipads in the classroom, this client management system has a great reputation for effective management. Using this software takes minimal education on the functionality and so far is pretty easy to use.To get the device going, it has to have been initiated. It doesn't have to be registered to do this. Once it is initiated with a computer, simply adding the Casper user certificate to the device puts it into the system for management. Unfortunately, at this point, there is only one way to do it and that means every device has to plug into a computer and every device has to access the internet and go through a series of steps. This process can take in excess of 5 minutes per device.

The most critical thing you need to understand when using this software is that information is key. While we thought the naming scheme of the device would be a simple cut and dry area, it isn't. So for those of you looking into getting started on a project, here are some suggestions: Capture everything you can about the device and it's user up front. We have decided to go with a simple Google form to capture devices as they are being checked out. You can view the information we decided to capture here.

When syncing your device to a new computer, you can erase and sync according to your needs. But, if you need to revert back to factory settings, this can potentially wipe the self service app from your device and make it impossible to have apps pushed out to you through our district settings. If this situation arises, please contact your campus LMS for help in fixing your device.

The following are steps McKinney ISD has taken to get the iOS devices ready for deployment: 1. Upon arrival to district, asset tag the device 2. Sync the devices with a computer and name them according to the district naming scheme. 3. Load casper onto the devices. 4. Deliver devices to campuses. 5. Add school barcode and name to device. 6. Scan into destiny. 7. If needed, update the device to latest iOS (this can be done by teacher after checkout). 8. Assign iPad devices to teachers/ Group iPod devices by classroom numbers. 9. Bring teachers in to submit their information into the __form__ assigning devices to specific students. The teachers can leave with their devices. 10. The next day, the teachers should pass out their devices to assigned students and take them back to the library for student checkout. 11. Classrooms can begin using their devices.