Purposeful deployment: transform education with Jamf

Radios, overhead projectors, videotapes, handheld calculators, Scantrons — educational technology solutions entered the classroom even before these more modern items. With the digital transformation in education, devices like laptops and iPads have become even more prolific. Technology is once again changing how students learn and teachers teach, especially with the advent of AI.

Classroom technology use skyrocketed in 2020, and has only increased since, with the average number of tools accessed per school district over the entire school year reaching 2739 in the 2023-2024 school year. That's a lot of tools.

The right tech can have big impacts in the classroom. For example, they can:

• Save teachers time by automating tasks
• Create equitable experiences for learners with additional needs
• Engage students with educational games/gamified lessons

But not all software tools and devices have the same impact. Not all of these 2739 tools are going to enhance learning.

So how do school leaders decide what ends up in the classroom? Purposeful deployment.

What is purposeful deployment?

Technology isn't static. If you want to (securely) maintain it, you have to make sure it's up to date, free from malware and functioning properly.

But maintenance shouldn't be the goal. Technology can have a powerful role that exceeds the sum of its features when you take its purpose into account. Ideally, your technology implementation benefits all parties with their interests in mind: that’s purposeful deployment.

IT

If your school has an IT team, they have a big responsibility to protect student/school data and keep devices in tip-top shape. The last thing these teams need are devices and management tools that are too difficult or time consuming to use. IT can focus on other endeavors when their device management software allows them to:

• Deploy and update apps
• Configure devices remotely
• Group devices based on location, class, age group, etc, and perform actions on these groups
• Integrate with a variety of tools

Teachers

By giving educators control over their students' devices, they regain control over their students' attention and progress. Flexibility to set device restrictions, customize them for lessons, communicate with students and lock devices make it easier for educators to deliver the experience they want.

Students

Students can learn how they learn best when given the right tech. Device management software can allow students to have the freedom to use their devices and explore the web — without putting their safety at risk. And students with additional needs can find accommodation with devices that even the playing field with other learners.

iPad technology offers the best accessibility features and the greatest range of apps for students with special needs.

— Patricia Hovel, Director of Special Education, School District of Waukesha

Parents/guardians

Many students take their devices home, away from the supervision of school administrators and teachers. At home, parents/guardians set the boundaries on how devices can be used. The right technology can make this easier by allowing them to set device restrictions and limits.

Why does it matter?

The technology that IT manages needs to translate well in the classroom. You could lockdown devices so students can't access the dangerous (or helpful) parts of the internet. You could ensure that devices are IT managed, without given any purview to teachers, preventing them from being used to their fullest potential. Or you could choose tools that only make the learning experience more difficult.

Ultimately, I’m a teacher. I want education to dictate our approach to technology, not technology dictating our approach to education.

— Glenn Nowosad, Director of Technology at Lakeland Catholic Schools

But when you empower IT and teachers, you also empower students. With purposeful deployment, you:

• Influence and accelerate learning
• Create equitable student opportunities
• Ensure secure and scalable deployment

Jamf is purpose-built for education.

Jamf offers device management and security built to enhance the classroom experience.

Jamf management tools: Designed for K-12 schools, Jamf School provides a central location to manage devices. IT can keep track of incidents, deploy apps and updates, and more. With the Jamf Teacher app, teachers can easily manage their students' devices — including their apps, content and restrictions. The Jamf Student app gives students more control over their devices too, letting them download approved apps and access appropriate content. For devices that go home, parents and guardians can control student device usage with the Jamf Parent app.

Jamf security tools: Jamf offers best-in-class content filtering to protect students from harmful or distracting content and malicious websites. This way, students can browse the internet freely, without putting themselves (or their personal data) at risk.

Using Mac as well? Jamf adds additional endpoint security and threat prevention. With threat detection and response powered by Jamf Threat Labs, keep your devices in compliance and safe from attackers.

You don't have to just take our word for it. Here's what our customer's say.

It’s [Jamf Pro] great for setting up Apple classroom. So when a teacher opens Apple classroom on an iPad they can start teaching. We do a bit of work behind the scenes, using your great tools, and it means the teacher doesn’t have to think about it.

— Tim Lings, Heronsgate’s Director of Digital Learning and Professional Learning Specialist

Zero-touch deployment

Beyond saving IT time, simpler deployment means teachers and students get their devices sooner. Zero-touch deployment with Jamf means that IT can make volume purchases through Apple School Manager and get devices that are ready to go out of the box.

Integration with Apple (and beyond)

Jamf integrates with Apple School Manager, allowing admins to:

• Create Managed Apple IDs
• Manage users, devices and content
• Volume purchase apps and books
• Integrate with student information systems

Beyond integration with Apple, the Jamf Marketplace is home to a host of partners that enhance the way schools interface with their technology. Among others, you'll find partners that help with:

• Digital signage
• Social and emotional learning games
• Note-taking and handwriting
• Digital whiteboards

Jamf can enhance the experience for IT admins, teachers, students and parents. With support from each of these parties, technology makes learning more accessible, scalable and adaptable to teachers' and students' needs. That's a win in our book.