Proper care and use of the tablets in the Tablets in Schools Pilot Project has been emphasized since the inception of the Project.
A Security Working Group was established and given the responsibility to oversee the security aspects of the tablets in the schools as regards to the Project.
The Security Working Group concentrates on areas such as:
- Security of delivery
- Security of students and devices at school
- Security of students and devices outside of schools
- Device management strategies
- Recovery of stolen devices
- The development of an agreement with the police
The specific activities of the Security Working Group include:
- Reviewing delivery, ownership, usage and support activities
- Establishing strategies to mitigate risks
- Developing a safe use policy document
- Identifying key security support resources with objectives and information sharing expectations
- Preparing a Memorandum of Understanding between e-LJam, the Ministry of Education and the police
- Preparing presentations to the TIS Steering Committee for discussion and acceptance
With respect to basic care of the tablets, some important pieces of advice have arisen out of recent training workshops. These include:
- Use only a soft-ended stylus or on the screen of the tablet: no pens, pencils or rubbers
- Keep tablet in its case
- For added protection purchase a sleeve for the tablet
- Use the accessories that came with the tablet. Eg. Don’t switch its charger with a phone charger
- For the first few uses of the tablet, run its battery down to almost empty before charging. This will prolong the life of the battery.
- If the tablet needs repairing, don’t try to do it yourself. Doing so will void its warranty. Take it into the school so it can be repaired by the provider
- Do not take the tablets to be repaired or modified by other technicians. There are mechanisms to detect when the tablet has been opened. The tablet will be traced and will result in trouble with the law.