iPhones and iPads at Bow Valley College - Carey Hilgartner

             I recently attended a presentation from Apple reps on using iOS devices in education. The focus of the presentation was the enterprise level of security.

Should the college use these security services, the college would be able to control and configure iPhones and iPads using the Mobile Device Management server and Configuration Manager. As a student or teacher, you would need to enroll into the system to use resources beyond basic wi fi, resources like Exchange email. Once enrolled, the college could enforce a passcode. Administrators would be able to restrict apps and device features, such as the camera.  They would be able to see what apps are on the device, but not the data. In fact, they could even wipe the data, not the apps, from your machine.

In colleges, the system is used to manage college purchased devices. Personal devices could remain outside but would need to enroll to access some services.

The central problem remains that iPhones and iPads are personal devices. They work well because they are not restricted by the places where we work. They are not Windows machines.

These devices are popular because they are reliable, simple and affordable.  They are an unprecedented education opportunity because teachers and students already use them.