[Closed] Will my son be able to do his homework on an iPad?

Can you reliably construct word-, excel- and powerpoint- type documents on an ipad?

No. And if any of the homework sites are flash based then you are stuffed as well

You can ... But you would be making his life very hard.....

Ive done some adjustments to powerpoints and word docs.... Screw actually making one up on it !

Use google drive

Flash is dead

Google docs will allow you to create word, excel and powerpoint style documents.

Some people (like me as it happens) find it completely okay to create documents using Pages on an iPad, others might not. It does all the most-used things you would expect.

One thing that might be worth understanding, though, is there is a great advantage to a parent in the "walled garden" closed nature of an iPad - you can properly control what is installed etc. This must be a big advantage.

Rachel

Edit - funny how those of us who actually use an iPad to create document on an almost daily basis seem to have a slightly different view on what the capabilities actually are... 😉

Have selection of devices in our house. Tablet is great for consuming/reading information. But for anything requiring input I reach for a laptop everytime.

I don't think you can edit word doc's on an ipad. May be a work around but it is one of the many things that put me off them.

I like some Apple stuff but am no fan boy...the only thing I have is an imac but it's 4 years old and will building a PC next time round.

If you are after pure functionality for a decent price get him the best laptop you can find for £400. (price of basic ipad)

ipads are cool for sure but be savvy and get what is right for you.

Unless they get told to play Angry Birds for an hour then download the free X-Factor App I'd steer clear. It's not really suited for this use IMO.

If you want him to concentrate on the content of the homework and not the mechanics of the device he is doing it on, simply buy a windows laptop.

The new Windows Surface tablet [i]might[/i] offer a good compromise when available.

anything requiring input I reach for a laptop

What about an external keyboard for the ipad, would this make input any easier?

You can create docs well on iPad (I don't own one, but a quick google yields instant results!).

Also, there are [url= http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spywire/cruxskunktm-powerful-ipad-laptop ]and this looks like it does the "laptop" thing for easier typing etc.[/url]

trail_rat, I beg to differ. 🙂

Oh, sorry.....

If the school ever starts using something like Moodle he'll be stuffed when it comes to using the iPad.

They're a gimmick for any serious document creation.

Genuine question for the ipad users. If I retrieve a word doc from say my email account can I view it, make changes then send a word doc to the sender?

If you want him to concentrate on the content of the homework and not the mechanics of the device he is doing it on, simply buy a windows laptop.

That. We have both at home. The kids never reach for the iPad to do their homework even though they could. It is too painful for the stuff they are doing

Haha flash

I dont dispute you can create them but its not natural at all.

An external keyoard would go a long way but still less than ideal.

Pages and numbers seem fairly limited in their capibilities compared to word and excel.

Seaver pages will do it

Thanks for the info trail rat.

Right. That seems to be fairly conclusive. Laptop it is then.

Thanks all!

A decent laptop would work far better. My school is trying out a yr8 class with them and so far the study has shown... Epic Fail
Not compatible with anything and the class has frequnt problems with theacher sanding word docs to the VLE to be completed and not a single child being able to open it. If everyone used Apple then we would be fine but they don't beacause they are stupidly explensive for what they are! they start from £399. http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/top-laptops-20-best-laptops-in-the-world-706673?artc_pg=2
may i point you in the direction of one of the above?

Neither of my kids aged 11&14 would dream of doing homework in the iPad.
They seem to use Microsoft publisher to produce documents. No idea if that is possible with the iPad. Also of course memory sticks, school virtual learning environment is outlook web app based, etc, etc.
windows 7 laptop+1

apologies for spelling, I'm not normally like this but for some reason i can't write or type ATM.

Its definetly possible to do homework on a iPad, office suites are available for ithingys.

Whether or not its more/as practical as a laptop is a different prospect,I would imagine using a seperate keyboard(Bluetooth) would make matters easier as the onscreen keyboard would take up valuable real estate especially when trying edit documents/spreadsheets.

However I would definetly take a iPad over a network for doing work on.

No 4 daughter got through last year using one, we bought a bluetooth keyboard case and it went O.K. but beware late night skyping with classmates.

This year however 'they' the school insisted on a proper PC laptop for GCSE year (she's coming up 16 soon) there are local network based programmes she's supposed to integrate with don't ask me what or why they're a bit behind the times and haven't spotted the cloud just yet.

So, it depends I guess on how old he is, there are 'office' style apps, that can be swapped with a desktop and there is google drive, and iCloud, but the distraction factor of it being a gaming device can't be ignored, nor the movie downloads, I bet she's upstairs on it right now doing something she shouldn't be...

What do families with no computers do, out of curiosity?

Buy one

What do families with no computers do, out of curiosity?

Creating 'word' documents on an iPad isn't an issue at all but much easier with a keyboard doc, excel type stuff is fine too - both using apple software. Presentations are okay too but given the choice I would rather do this type of work on a laptop or pc. iPad is great but for input stuff I'd choose a regular device.

He'll be able to do his homework if he buys it through iTunes.

[i]Not compatible with anything and the class has frequnt problems with theacher sanding word docs to the VLE to be completed and not a single child being able to open it[/i]

Umm pages opens word documents without any issues

Was in similar position, decided on laptop. Daughter decided netbook would be better for portability and battery life. Bought an ASUS 1025CE, very good so far, couple of weeks use.

I bought an ipad for work in class at sixth from to use along side my mac, get him a laptop or computer!!! I cant stress it enough. The upad will just serve as a distraction!

Its a pain in the arse to do any proper work on and it takes 5 times as longer! I only used it to watch videos and browse the net on the school's wifi in the end.

Now i'm out of school I use it down the lifeboat station, as a portfolio for photography and i watch netflix in bed on it.

It was never designed to be a tool, you can et a decent spec'd laptop for the cost of one too! I use my ipad more now than I dd at school.

Its mostly just a gimmick and a toy unless you really need it for work, a school kid does not!

The only decent thing it dd was connect to the schools power point projector and let me do keynote presentations with it and piss all over powerpoint!

SO NO! GET HIM A LAPTOP!

If he gets the ipad it will be so easy to sneak into his school and then if he shows it off which is inevitable, it will get nicked or broken

I have exactly the same decision to make with my own kids. I had almost settled on an Android tablet, but now the question is what small laptop or netbook for not a huge amount more than £200?

No. Get an AirBook instead.

Pages and numbers seem fairly limited in their capibilities compared to word and excel.

I've never used the Apple equivalents, but I reckon Word and Excel are now far more complicated than they need to be for the majority of users.

Stick with a laptop. Very basic document editing is possible with an iPad, spreadsheets are a frickin nightmare. Don't buy an iPad ffs. It's good for surfing and email and **** all else.

Sent from my piece of **** iPad

Get an AirBook instead

Are you living up to your name??!! £1k for my son's birthday prezzie?

Edit: Oops, did you mean this? http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/fake-airbook-is-the-best-macbook-air-knock-off-yet/11849

It's a bit of a generalisation but IPads and other tablets are great for viewing stuff. If you want to construct word, excel or powerpoint documents there are ways and means of getting what you want but it will invariably be slower than doing it on a laptop or desktop.

We have an IPad at home, it gets used every day and I'd not want to be without it but if there's work or something that looks like work then i use a regular computer with a mouse and a keyboard.

No point making life difficult for him, get him a laptop, but get yourself an IPad.

[url= http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/gallery.aspx ]Microsoft Surface[/url] and Windows 8 aims to bring together creation and consumption on one device.

Windows 8 RT will ship with Office home and student RT, which should provide you with all you need.

So if you can hang on until the end of the month it could be an option?

I pretty much run my business off a iPad, can certainly create all the letters and spreadsheets I need to plus it runs my accounting software. I've got an Apple wireless keyboard which makes typing an awful lot faster.

The big advantage it has over a PC (and I still use those for web development etc) is that it's instant-on, always-working. The thing never crashes, never gets a virus, never needs a registry cleanup, stuff like that.

Sure, it's a toy, but it's a very useful toy...

I've used the Bluetooth keyboard off mi iMac with mine and it actually works quite well. I'd probably still go for a cheap windows laptop for now though (until they are old enough to justify a nice second hand MacBook 🙂 ).

And try not to get a laptop with a glossy screen, or get him to use it in a location where reflections and glare are minimised, unless you want him to start having eye problems.

Are laptops compulsory for school these days then? Sounds both expensive and time consuming and not to mention a possible massive source of distraction but then I'm old enough to have only ever used excercise books and pencils at school and am easily distracted these days.

Flash is dead

Sadly if you own an iPad (or other i device) you'll find that's not the case. Mrs aracer who "owns" the ipad all too often ends up reaching for my laptop for stuff which just doesn't work - the latest and greatest example being some survey for a major company (can't remember which) that the designers in their infinite wisdom had coded in Flash, despite it offering no obvious advantage. Not a Flash issue, but it was also impossible to do the school admission for our youngest in the iPad (also impossible in Chrome, as the "developers" of that site had written it for old-fashioned IE 👿 )

The big advantage it has over a PC (and I still use those for web development etc) is that it's instant-on, always-working. The thing never crashes, never gets a virus, never needs a registry cleanup, stuff like that.

Just like my laptop when left in standby mode then. OK so it takes a handful of second to come back to life, but then stuff on the iPad isn't actually that instant - the laptop also multi-taks properly, so you can switch apps much quicker. I suppose arguably I should do a clean up and defrag on this, but it's certainly not suffering for not doing so - I've just run up the tools for the first time in ages and an analysis doesn't show much benefit to running them.

The iPad mostly gets used for playing games.

Learning important skills such as sharing and living economically are clearly low priority.

Putting a password on the PC for a day or two is one of my ways of *ing junior off when he *es me off. I checked with the school and they confirmed that PCs are available for kids that don't have computer access at home.

As for all these games, skype and facebook, they're banned in the home when I'm there. No parental control though and Google is left in unsafe search mode.

Ok sorry flash is dying 🙂

Dosnt stop lazy designers though 🙂

Ok sorry flash is dying 🙂

Dosnt stop lazy designers though 🙂

As an iPad owner I would recommend getting a PC instead as life would just be so much easier and he would learn skills that would be needed later in the workplace. I have just bought a Lenovo X131e which is designed for the education market and has been excellent so far - 11.6" I3 with USB3 and tough as old boots. Paid < £400.

Could you afford a laptop and a Google Nexus? - they are excellent tablets for a bargain price.

iPad fanboi here: I'd go with a laptop. 😀

iPads can easily create docs and spreadsheets, including Microsoft formats. There are a number of office suites that do this including the Apple offerings and Smart Office: http://www.picselsmartoffice.com/

And as for being a distraction, it is very easy to lock down an ipad with restrictions (e.g. No installing, no web, no FaceTime etc). You can even lock it in an app by disabling the home button and entire areas of the screen.

BUT... school IT is quite likely to be some way behind the times and other homework tasks may involve flash, activex plugins, badly written sites that only work in IE, or even straight Windows programs. So for that reason I'd stick with windows.

You can make great docs and presentations on iPad. But for school? That would be crazy for so many reasons.

Instead, find a cheap, or used, small laptop and get them to use that.
Cheap? It'll get abused and broken or stolen. Small? If they have to carry it or move it a 15" widescreen will be a bit big & heavy to carry if it's cheap.

For homework you surely do not need a spiffy all singing, all dancing, machine. That kids are expected to use computers for this sort of thing is testament to the world gone topsy turvy. Make 'em use pen & paper. It teaches planning, discipline, free thinking and allows them to function in business when all the IT stuff goes wonky.

Hey, maybe you could get a RaspberryPi and plug it into the TV?

Not really.

I am a big user of Apple products and have an iPad1, it's a fantastic device and I use it for work and at home, creating and editing documents (wireless keyboard) but it's not a substitute for a laptop/desk machine. I gave away my laptop but I have a desk machine and the iPad.

I have heard of a number of private schools which give out iPad's but I'd say they are more useful for receiving material to read/study than creating significant content.

That kids are expected to use computers for this sort of thing is testament to the world gone topsy turvy.

Personally I'd rather my kids were prepared for the real world, where IT is ubiquitous. (And yes, they do still use pen & paper, too).

Ok sorry flash is dying

On your computer, or are you talking more generically 😉

I have to admit, one thing I really admired Steve Jobs for was his courage to stand up against Adobe - did us all a favour by hastening its demise. Sadly it's here for a while to come yet.

The big pain with anything other than something that can run full office, isn't that you can't create documents on it - most things will let you create documents. It is that some swine carefully crafts a document and expects you to edit it and then send it back to them, without messing up anything at all. If you find they've used some obscure feature, or done absolutely millimetre perfect positioning, or something else that isn't exactly the same in your 'word compatible' office suite, it all goes wrong. It is quite annoying in word, and can be nightmarish in Excel or PowerPoint.

Get this all the time with publisher templates - where the article has to be in exactly the right format to look correct against other articles. It never quite works with open office or any other non office product.

In some ways it's all Microsoft's fault for Word being such a nightmare format full of so many backwards compatibility kludges and little fixes and stuff, but unfortunately that is how it is. The flip side of it is that if you only use Word, it pretty much just works - even really old word docs layout pretty much the same in the latest Word.

something else that isn't exactly the same in your 'word compatible' office suite, it all goes wrong

Yep, I used to get this a lot when trying to use Open Office on the PC. It would work but wouldn't be [i]quite[/i] right.

Don't think it would be such an issue for schoolwork though - I think the bigger issue would be legacy Windows PC specific systems at the school as mentioned earlier.

wrote my final year project in open office ......as i was being cheap against buying office at the time.

cue all nighter in the unis lab rewriting it in word when the printing firm opened it in word and printed it out - the formatting was just wrong

BUT... school IT is quite likely to be [b]implemented on a tight budget with compatibility for the masses prioritised over Flashy gadgets for the few![/b]

FTFY

cue all nighter in the unis lab rewriting it in word when the printing firm opened it in word and printed it out - the formatting was just wrong

Would now be a good time to tell you that you could have just saved it as a PDF and the printing firm would have been happy with it...

BUT... school IT is quite likely to be implemented on a tight budget with compatibility for the masses prioritised over Flashy gadgets for the few!

Err. yeah - except that's not quite right is it?

If they go with Windows-specific stuff then they have chosen technologies that are [i]less[/i] compatible, not [i]more[/i].

If catering to the cheaper end of the market is important then you would want compatibility with Linux-based systems where the OS is free and can run on lower spec old hardware.

Edit - funny how those of us who actually use an iPad to create document on an almost daily basis seem to have a slightly different view on what the capabilities actually are...

If they go with Windows-specific stuff then they have chosen technologies that are less compatible, not more.

How do you work that out? As somebody who has worked in IT (in several different sectors such as manufacturing, Distribution, FMCG to name 3)by far the most prevalent and popular front end is MS based.

As others have said above, get your kid a laptop running some version of MS Windows and MS office.

> If they go with Windows-specific stuff then they have chosen technologies that are less compatible, not more.

How do you work that out?

Quite simply really.

Not everyone uses Windows, ergo if Solution A only works on Windows (and then probably only on Internet Explorer), and Solution B works on any browser on any modern platform regardless of OS, then Solution A is less universally compatible than Solution B.

Put another way, would YouTube be as successful if you could only watch it from a Windows PC?

Not everyone uses Windows,

Really 🙄

Not everyone uses Windows, ergo if Solution A only works on Windows (and then probably only on Internet Explorer), and Solution B works on any browser on any modern platform regardless of OS, then Solution A is less universally compatible than Solution B.

But your mixing browsers up with the operating platform. I use Windows mainly however I seldom use IE.

You said

If they go with Windows-specific stuff then they have chosen technologies that are less compatible, not more.

School IT is routed in about 1998, so they'll expect you to have a PC with Word and Excel, not some other computer with different software. Not a good thing, but a fact you won't be able to change.

I'd suggest an old school 'computer' whatever, simply because learning to type on a tablet is daft.

Get a £250 Windows laptop. Rubbish for getting things done, but ideal for your child to learn on in parallel to what their school does.

My all means get an iPad for messing about on as well, they are ace fun.

Get him an iMac, not fair to make him struggle doing docs and stuff on an iPad. Get him an iPad for when he is travelling.

School IT is routed in about 1998, so they'll expect you to have a PC with Word and Excel, not some other computer with different software. Not a good thing, but a fact you won't be able to change.

Why is it a bad thing?

Get a £250 Windows laptop. Rubbish for getting things done

Rubbish for what things?

As a teacher work just gave me an iPad to check out it's possibilities to be used in the classroom. Conclusion great as a conduit of information but pretty pants for kids level serious work. think equations etc.

Got the iPad in June, bought a Acer One 567(?) in August.

But your mixing browsers up with the operating platform. I use Windows mainly however I seldom use IE.

Really 🙄

I mentioned ActiveX components earlier. Which means IE.

I don't think any of the other leading browsers run ActiveX by default (thankfully).

You are infering that by choosing it that you are at a disadvantage due its limited compatibility.
What do you mean?

It was a response to mickyfinn suggesting that supporting high-end niche "Flashy gadgets" (like an iPad) was lower priority than "compatibility for the masses".

My point is that not all of the "masses" use Windows. Universal solutions would be better as they are then compatible with Windows, high-end things like iPads, and low-end things like crusty old *nix laptops.

And Android. 😀

[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mods-can-you-fix-the-new-page-glitch-please ]*glitchy bump*[/url]

pretty pants for kids level serious work. think equations etc.

?? Pretty sure iPads can do sums.

Windows 8 is out at the end of the month. So i'd wait for that before making a choice.

My point is that not all of the "masses" use Windows. Universal solutions would be better as they are then compatible with Windows,

What do you mean by "universal solutions" and what does ActiveX have to do with anything? from a users perspective a browser is a browser, the operating platform is largelly irrelevant and their experience will be based on the MS applications such as Excel and Word.
Whether you agree or not they are overwhelmingly the most common and have the greatest compatibility which is in contrast to what you said.
Its no use having a piece of software that is "compatible" with everything that does not have the look and feel that the vast majority of users are used to and like.
Given its popularity compatibility is not an issue anyway.

What do you mean by "universal solutions" and what does ActiveX have to do with anything?

I fear you didn't read the thread.

My original point was that Word/Excel compatibility was okay on the iPad, but I'd be worried about hooking into antiquated school IT, which [i]"may involve flash, [b]activex plugins[/b], badly written sites that only work in IE, or even straight Windows programs"[/i].

I did actually hence my comment.

iPads have been far more popular than many people thought they would be (me included) and they have sparked a whole industry of tablets, many of which are more useful commercially than the iPad.
The iPad version of Excel is pretty much unusable to anyone other than a diehard Apple fan who would be prepared to overlook any shortcomings and perceive them as features. The Word processor is better but the tablet format is never going to be conducive to real data or text input.

GrahamS you appear to be mixing up The real world with some ideal.
/Dream...
Kid I need a computer for School Dad...
Dad OK I'll buy the parts and install Fedora and open Office for you. it's safe secure and will do almost everything you need school wise.

/Reality....
Kid I need a Computer for School Dad...
Dad hops in car off to PC World!

That is the Majority(Shouldn't have used masses before) the Schools will cater for with their limited budgets.

I can't recall seeing any learning platform in use that relies on ActiveX controls. The ones I see on a day to day basis eg Moodle, Blackboard, use Java and HTML 5.

/Dream...
Kid I need a computer for School Dad...
Dad OK I'll buy the parts and install Fedora and open Office for you. it's safe secure and will do almost everything you need school wise.

Thats a strange dream!

Indeed it is, They'd probably buy a Mac 😀