Purchasing+Apps

With my classroom finally set up and the iPads ready to go the fun part of choosing and purchasing apps begins. There are two ways that a school can go about purchasing apps to put on the iPads. The first way is to set up a “volume purchasing account” through the Apple App Store, and the second would be establishing an iTunes account and giving the teacher an iTunes gift card.

The volume purchasing account allows schools to purchase a voucher for various amounts and redeem that money from their volume purchase account. The Volume Purchase Store is extremely easy to navigate and has easy to follow directions. Once you find the app you are searching for, all you have to do is select the number of licenses you need for your cart and click purchase.

Selecting the number of apps you need is another interesting step. According to the licensing agreement in the App Store each app purchased may be put onto a maximum of ten devices. Meaning an iPad cart of thirty only requires three app purchases in the volume-purchasing store. There are no discounts on most apps until you purchase ten or more licenses (300+ iPads). A school that is looking at going one-to-one iPads would be best suited for this type of discount. When the apps are purchased, Apple provides an excel file with a series of codes that can be redeemed in the iTunes store. Once these codes are redeemed, the app begins downloading and will be able to be placed on the iPads.

Another decision the school must make is how to set up the teacher’s iPad in regards to an iTunes account. Currently at my school the teachers use their personal iTunes account on their iPads and set up the class set utilizing the same account. This is the main problem with iCloud and personal contacts and reminders being transferred. To eliminate this problem, I suggest having the teachers set up a new iTunes account with their school emails, and having the school provide them with a gift card with a simple amount on it, as it is necessary to have one of these in order to open a new account. By providing a gift card with money on it, the teacher is given the freedom and ability to buy apps individually while surfing the app store. Doing this eliminates any crossover between personal iTunes accounts and the class set.

In summary, schools need to look at these options and what best fits their individual needs. The volume purchasing program should be the option used no matter what as it offers a fantastic way to track purchases and budget money. In addition, setting up school iTunes accounts for the teachers eliminates potential problems with personal information and work data.