Portal@TWC

Easy to use at home, tablets benefit from portability, ‘instant on’ availability and long battery life.
They are ‘App’ based and require these Apps to be installed via the devices ‘store’, the Apple Appstore and Google Play store being the most common.
Tablets normally connect to ‘cloud’ internet based storage such as the school provided Onedrive, iCloud or Google drive, although some Android and Surface devices can use micro SD cards and USB keys or external hard disks.

*note* For the purpose of BYOD use in class, an iPad is not considered a suitable replacement for a tablet or laptop.

Tablet capabilities in class:

• Accessing work via SEQTA Learn
• Quick internet research
• Accessing Portal@TWC online services
• Office 365 apps (Onenote, Onedrive, Word etc.) versions may be more limited than laptop equivalents
• Simple document creation
• Taking photo’s/recording/basic editing movie projects
• Access files from the Portal@TWC page using FOLDR 

Choices?

 Whichever tablet you choose, a protective case or folio cover is necessary, as the most common failure is damaged screens. For more information about protection, click here.
To increase productivity, consider a protective cover that includes a keyboard, which can make tablets more ‘laptop like’ as a portion of the screen is not taken up with the on-screen keyboard.

Click a title or image below for more information.

iPad Mini (7″ screen) or Air/Pro with their larger 10″ or 12" screens.
iPads benefit from their premium design, quality and familiarity with the most established App ecosystem, but can be more expensive and do not have the ability to add future internal or USB storage.

– Recommended – iPad 10" or Pro 128GB or above (larger screen size), Wi-Fi only

Android tablets, such as the Samsung galaxy series in 7″, 8″ or 10″ sizes.
Android tablets benefit from the many available types, at various price points. The Google play store supports a large App ecosystem and the Android operating system has more customisation options/complexity over Apple’s IOS. Android tablets have the capacity to add extra storage, via a micro SD card.

– Recommended – Galaxy 10" Wi-Fi only with micro SD card add on capability

Microsoft Windows tablet/laptop hybrids combine a Microsoft store with a selection of Apps, with a Windows desktop view and the ability to run standard programs like a standard laptop. 
There is a significant price difference between the tablet based surface 2, the mid range Atom processor powered tablets and the full laptop replacement surface pro machines.
Surface tablets can easily expand their storage via micro SD cards and/or USB drives and external hard disks.

– Recommended – Surface Pro (any version) or comparable device