Tablet information is covered on this page.
Normally, it is better to have a traditional laptop than a tablet for online curriculum, because a USB mouse/keyboard and a larger monitor can plug into the laptop at home to offer a more desktop environment with better ergonomics and a student desk structure. With a laptop structure, the student can just pull the three cables off to take the school work elsewhere. Our system will work on both PC and Mac browsers for laptop and desktop computers.
There are situations where a student using a tablet for school work could be advantageous, especially if the tablet has a data plan or if the student does not have access to a laptop for times when not working at home. If the tablet has a data plan, school work might be done while traveling or where there is no wifi access. If the student does not have a laptop, even a tablet without a data plan can be used to do school work in other places if a wifi is available.
Limitations using a tablet with a wifi or hotspot connection:
Many tablets such as the iPad do not use Flash to play videos. We are in the process of converting our course videos from Flash to HTML5, so they will display quickly on Apple and other tablets. We have listed courses that have already been converted to HTML5 below. This list will be expanded.
Students can access the curriculum’s text-to-speech and reference/translate features on mobile devices with Ignitia’s toolbar. This was not previously possible.
Tablets will need a PDF reader app installed such as the free iOS or Android PDF reader. This will allow occasional pdf documents to be read on the device.
Sometimes it is helpful for a student to be able to print sections in the curriculum for study or organization. A mobile print app will need installed and setup with your printer. Most students will wait and login with a laptop or desktop to print something.
Tablets With Data Plans:
One situation where a tablet has an advantage is if your tablet has a data plan through a cell phone company. This would allow school work to be done in the car or other places where a wifi is not available. Data plans and services vary greatly, so some research is needed to determine if it will be viable.
Here are some limitations that should be understood:
Although our videos are much smaller than movies, some data plans only allow for a limited amount of data to be downloaded to the device each month. The data amount will vary from student to student depending on how much work is done on the tablet, plus what additional internet access is used by the tablet.
Another factor is whether the service is 3G or 4G for download speed. Slower speeds may make videos hang while waiting for the downloading data to catch up. Some areas have more dead spots than others as well. One way to check your area and service is to first use a cell phone (using data rather than a wifi/hotspot) to access a few videos to evaluate quality.
HTML5 Courses that will also work on tablets:
This list will expand rapidly over the next year.
ACT Test Prep
Algebra I
Algebra II
Business Computer Information Systems I-A
Business Computer Information Systems I-B
Chemistry
Earth Science
Essentials of Mathematics
Geometry
Health Quest
High School Health
Integrated Physics and Chemistry
5th Grade Math
6th Grade Math
7th Grade Math
8th Grade Math
Personal Financial Literacy
Physical Education
Physical Fitness
Pre-Algebra
Spanish I
Spanish II
Speech: Essentials of Communication
World Geography