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Imagine a classroom that uses iPads, with a different set of kids coming in for each lesson, but using the same device, would it possible to "switch user" so that there is separation/privacy for each students work.

I guess you could backup/restore for each student...

Or use a VNC app and use the iPad as a dumb terminal...

What else?

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David Pogue comments absence of user management in iOS 4: pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/… [Personally, while still thinking of iPads as personal-use gizmos, I now agree that having an OS that recognizes whether device is being operated by its main/ or administrative/ user –OR– by a "guest," could be of advantage. For deployment in classrooms, it would allow teachers to limit access to certain features, or apps outside current domain. So a native at-most two account setup (if enabled), wouldn't sound too bad: one password-protected; the other OPEN.] – ianf Jun 9 at 16:10

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iPad, like iPod Touch/iPhones is a single user profile device.

So using the iPad as a dumb terminal of sort (e.g. all apps live on the cloud) will be the only/best option for this specific requirement.

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The Tate Museum took the backup/restore approach for iPod touches that they used as museum guides.

The idea there was that you configured one as a "golden" iPod and force-restored the others from a backup of the master. I imagine this would be quite a slow process.

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This seems to me to be the most critical question of all. If the iPad is not a multi-user system, by some simple means or another, it will probably be a deal-braker for many. Remember, Steve Jobs said during the presentation Keynote that iPads will be left on kitchen-tables or around the house, so if several members of a family can't use them, this is a real problem. This is nothing more than speculation, but I think it's safe to assume that Apple have considered this, and will be engineering a way for the iPad to be a multi-user device. Perhaps through a Mobile Me login, so all content is stored on the cloud?

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I really think Apple will rather be gunning to have one iPad per person. – Fraser Speirs♦ Feb 1 at 19:38
I think you're right, and if so, I think Apple are so wrong. OSX (and thus iPhoneOS) is built on UNIX, developed from the kernel up as a multi-user system; it's one of the key differences found when comparing Microsoft's OSes. To discard this just to sell more units is I feel far too myopic, and if it proves to be the case, it'll really come back to haunt Apple. A multi-user iPad, with Apps syncing to the (being built datacentre) cloud sounds almost too good to be true. And what better way of demonstrating the iPad's benefits than being able to let friends log in themselves to try it out? – James May 7 at 21:28
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I've been considering how to implement this, as I come from a corporate background with multiple servers communicating information and staying in Sync.

My idea would be to have a "Admin" app (password protected) that the devices are in on first use, the teacher would select the child (by photo and/or name) before handing them the device, this would send the information to the central tracking server to associate that student with that device ID (WiFi IP address would be enough to track the physical device, or code could get a more unique ID if needed).

Then all edu apps could use the shared API to query for who the current user is, display their photo/name, and store information against their profile (scores, rewards, achievements).

All this tracking could then result in weekly summary emails to parents that are interested in what their kids have done and how they're improving, as well as any areas that the child may need assistance.

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Your scenario would eliminate the ability to use any of the first party applications (Apple's Mail, etc.) as well as any third party applications that does not make use of the shared API that you've mentioned. As such, I'm not sure if it'd be practical. – Jin Kim Feb 2 at 17:07
Yes, the Mail app and others wouldn't work with this, there's no easy way to fix that problem. It would require some changes by Apple to have full support for multiple user profiles, which I don't expect to see. – Timothy Walters Feb 3 at 10:24
"It would require some changes by Apple" - there, you said it. – ianf Feb 9 at 11:19
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Interesting question(s). It all depends on how big a rôle in primary and secondary education Apple sees for the iPad. My impression is they are more concerned with university presence, OiPS, one-ipad-per-student scenario. This doesn't preclude other uses, only such may not have been implemented optimally from the start. Most probably, however, any group administration will be done through a dedicated desktop- or web-tool, not from any "master iPad" device itself.

• "switch user" so that there is separation/privacy for each students work.

Probably not, with the exception that some privacy-critical common functions, like Mail, may have switchable profiles (plus "log me out after stipulated period of inactivity" options).

• I guess you could backup/restore for each student...

Done right, with virgin restore-image available right on the device, this needn't take long, and could be done in bulk by the teacher.

• Or use a VNC app and use the iPad as a dumb terminal...

A classroom full of $500 dumb terminals? Methinks not.

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maybe there is a soulution for jailBroken ipads

multiPad - http://www.themultipad.com

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Can you imagine an education scenario based around jailbroken iPads, or -anything for that matter [outside of North Korea, that is.] – ianf May 11 at 10:43

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