Registering for the Apple Volume Purchasing Program (VPP)

Why use VPP?

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About Apple IDs

You will need to download all the apps onto a computer using an Apple ID. We recommend that you keep the same Apple ID for the entire class/school/district as it makes keeping track of app purchases much easier.

Steps to Setting Up the First Computer
1. Authorized Your Computer
2. Download the VPP Spreadsheets
3. Redeem the VPP Codes
4. Download the free apps

Steps to Setting Up All Subsequent Computers
1. Authorize Your Computer
2. Download the apps

1. Authorize Your Computer

You will need to authorize each computer that will be syncing. Apple IDs can be authorized on up to five computers. If you are planning on using more than five computers to sync then you will need to use more than one Apple ID and keep track of which iPads are synced on which computer.

Open iTunes

On the store tab at the top of the screen select Authorize This Computer…

Enter the iTunes/App Store Apple ID and password. This should be different thanthe VPP Apple ID.

You can see that you have now authorized a new computer.

2. Download the VPP Spreadsheets

The first time you download the apps they will need to be redeemed from the VPP Education Store. They need to be redeemed once for each Apple ID so if you use the same Apple ID for the district then this step will only need to be completed one time.

After you have purchased the necessary apps on the VPP Education store you can download a spreadsheet containing all the VPP codes.

Go to the VPP Education Store and sign in. Remember, this is the VPP Apple ID not the Apple ID you will be downloading apps under.

Click on the blue Apple ID to access the purchase history

You can see all the VPP purchases made with this account

Download each spreadsheet.

3. Redeem the VPP Codes

How to Redeem a VPP Code

Open up one of the VPP spreadsheets. There is one spreadsheet for each app purchased.

You can enter the code redemption link into your web browser or enter the VPP code into the iTunes store. Redeem the first available code.

1. Go to the iTunes store on the left bar.
2. Click App Store on the top.
3. Click iPad.
4. The click Redeem on the right-hand bar.

5. Enter the first VPP code from your spreadsheet and wait for it to download.

Repeat once with every app. You only need to redeem each app once per Apple ID. Any number of computers can download the apps once they have been redeemed. The reason there are so many codes is because of the AppStore License Agreement. They require that for each device that will be using an app, one license must be purchased even if it not redeemed.

To download the free apps simply search for the app name in the iTunes store and download the version that you want.

Setting Up  All Subsequent Computers

Once the apps have been redeemed on one computer, multiple computers can download the apps without redeeming new codes.

First, authorize your computer (see above).

Go to iTunes and find the iTunes Store on the left-hand navigation bar.

Sign in at the top right of the screen

Select App Store on the top bar then select purchased on the right hand iPad bar

Click on iPad and Not on This Computer to get the list you need. Then click Download All to download all the apps.

Next: how to choose a syncing method

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If you are reading this then you should be ready to begin the syncing process for your iPads. At this point you should have purchased your iPads, cases, and headphones. The iPads should either be labeled or you should have a plan for labeling and keeping track of them. You should have sent us your student data and together we have set goals for your students. The final step is physically getting the software of the iPads and launching eSpark in the classroom. We have written a few blog posts to help you through the process of purchasing the software and “syncing” it onto the iPads.

Countdown to Launch

4. Set up a VPP Education Account and purchase the apps.

3. Set up computers to act as hubs for syncing.

2. Sync iPads using iTunes, Apple Configurator, wirelessly or a third part Mobile Device Manager (MDM).

1. eSpark employees help launch eSpark in the classroom.

Please look at the links and videos provided for assistance with this process. You can also contact your School Partnership Manager if you have any further questions. If you are unsure of what method to choose for your syncing needs, please read our How to Choose a Syncing Method post.

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If a classroom finds a handful of apps missing from their iPads, you can simply download those apps from the App Store directly on those iPads using five simple steps. This applies to apps that have already been purchased on the iTunes account you will be using.

Syncing an iPad Wirelessly

1. Disable restriction for installing apps. You can do this by going to the Settings app in the productivity folder and tapping on Restrictions.

After entering the passcode when prompted tap Disable Restrictions. You should now be able to exit settings and the App Store will be available.

2. Open the App Store app and make sure you are signed in to appropriate Apple ID. This can be found by tapping “Featured” at the bottom of the screen then scrolling all the way down to the bottom to view the Apple ID. If you are not logged in to the appropriate Apple ID, enter the appropriate Apple ID and password.

Search for the app you want by typing in the app name in the search tool in the upper right hand corner of the App Store.

Find the app that says, “Install” (instead of “buy”) and tap it – because it has already been purchased on this iTunes account you will not need to repurchase it. It should download and show up on the iPad.

Re-enable the restriction for installing apps. To do this go back into Settings and Restrictions. Click Enable Restrictions enter the passcode and double check that three restrictions are switched ON:

1.     Deleting Apps

2.     Installing Apps

3.     Tap on Allow and select the option ‘Don’t allow changes’

Troubleshooting tips:
1. If the app is not downloading, check that you are connected to the appropriate network Settings > Wireless > Reach Higher. You must be on Reach Higher for the apps to download under the Utica Account.

6. If your apps are foldered on the iPad, once you have seen the app download to the iPad, place the newly downloaded app in the folder based on the name of the app as it appears in the App Store (e.g. Counting Caterpillars gets moved to the “C” folder). However, be aware that some apps appear under different names once they are downloaded. Be sure to follow the name of the app as it appears in the App Store (e.g. Print Concepts appears as “tut1” and but should be put in the “P” folder). To do this: hold your finger down on the app until it “shakes”, you will then be able to drag the app to the appropriate folder. Hit the home button when you are finished.

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Quicklinks

VPP Education Store
Download iTunes
How to Redeem a VPP Code
How to Sync an iPad using iTunes

Before You Start

This post only covers syncing using iTunes. Before you get to this stage, you need to purchase all necessary apps and download them to your computer. If you have not done this yet, please see How to Set Up Your Computer for Syncing.

You should also have a system for labeling your iPads. We recommend using a label maker or tape and choosing a naming convention that includes the school, teacher, and iPad number.

Contents

1. Syncing the First iPad
2. Foldering
3. Creating/Editing Backups
4. Restoring from Backup

1. Syncing the First iPad

How to Sync an iPad

Plug in your iPad. If the iPad is new or has not been plugged into this computer, you will be given the option to set it up as a new iPad or to restore it from a backup. Click “set up as a new iPad” and continue. If your iPad does not appear when you plug it in, go to our troubleshooting section at the bottom of this post.

Rename your iPad. Again, we recommend employing an inventory system with highly standardized names that include the school, teacher, and assigned iPad number.

Uncheck everything. You will be adding content manually and not syncing new apps automatically.

This is the iPad home screen. This iPad has no content on it, and you can see that by looking at the capacity bar at the bottom of the screen. For iPads with content, this bar will be partially full.

Click on the “Apps” button on the top navigation bar. You will see that the apps are all greyed out.

Click the “Sync Apps” button and then uncheck the “Automatically Sync New Apps.”

You can now check and uncheck apps in this screen to add content to your iPad. Simply pull up a list of apps you want and either scroll through the list of apps or search for them  in the search bar on the top right. You can select sort by name to put the apps in alphabetical order. This is useful especially if you are looking through a list of several hundred apps.

You have to manually check the apps you want on this device. When you are done, click “apply” in the bottom right-hand corner.

Now you have to wait. If you are adding hundreds of apps, it can take a while. We have found that it takes about six minutes per gigabyte of apps for a new Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, or Mac Mini to sync all the apps. For older generation MacBooks, it can take twice as long. You can see how many gigabytes you are adding on the bottom capacity bar.

You have now synced your first iPad. Congrats. If you are syncing multiple unique iPads, that is, each iPad has different set of apps, then you just need to repeat step 1 for as many iPads as you have. If you are syncing multiple identical iPads then it will be more efficient to create a backup and restore other iPads to that backup.

2. Foldering

There are a number of reasons to folder apps on an iPad but frankly none of them justify the enormous amount of work required. If you are syncing more than a few iPads we recommend not foldering but there are some reasons you might have to.

1. iPads have a maximum eleven pages of apps. If you have more than 218 apps on a device you will need to folder so all of them are visible, or search for that app every time.
2. To teach student letter recognition
3. A cleaner, more organized iPad

You can also make folders directly on the iPad by holding down any app until they wiggle. Then just drag one app on top of another and you’ve made a folder.

3. Creating and Editing Backup Profiles.

Creating backups is useful for two reasons.

1. In case an iPad gets lost, stolen, broken, or wiped of content and needs to be restored
2. You are syncing multiple iPads with the same list of apps. For example if you have six iPads in a classroom and want them to be identical.

To create a backup plug in an iPad that has been fully synced in the way that you want with all the photos, safari bookmarks, lock and home screens, wifi passwords, music, apps and folders that you want.

In iTunes, right click on the iPad under Devices in the left-hand bar and select Back Up.

You have now made a backup of this device.

If for some reason you need to delete backup profiles, like if you have two backups that are named the same but you only need one, go to the iTunes button at the top left of the screen.

Click on preferences

Select Devices

Click on the backup you want to get rid of.

Click delete.

That backup is now gone.

You can also access the hidden backups folder in finder by hitting shift+command+g and entering ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup

We do not recommend you do this unless you know what you are doing and have a good reason. Be careful when experimenting with backup files.

4. Restoring from backup 

When you plug in a new iPad this is what you should see.

Select the backup you want to restore from on the drop down menu.

If you iPad is not new or has been previously plugged into that computer then you will have to right click on the iPad and select restore from backup.

select the backup you want to restore from

The iPad will now shut down and reboot to restore from that backup. This takes a few minutes. If the iPad does not turn on automatically after a few minutes you will have to turn the iPad on manually. You may have to do this several times before the iPad restores properly. Don’t worry though, once it boots up it will restore normally.

5. Troubleshooting

This section is ongoing. As you submit your problems to use we will try to answer them and post the answers here for future users to reference.

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So how exactly do we approach the daunting task of combing through thousands of apps to find those that are truly the best?

eSpark has a dedicated team of experienced teachers who continually monitor the app store for content. When they discover a new app, they evaluate it along 5 dimensions.

1. Common Core Alignment
46 states have adopted the new Common Core State Standards, which contain hundreds of detailed benchmarks for K-12 math and reading. At eSpark, our first step is to ensure the app we’re evaluating aligns tightly with at least one Common Core Standard.
2. Authenticity of Task
We know that kids learn best in a real world context. As we’re evaluating apps, we ask ourselves: are skills practiced in isolation or are they part of a real world problem-solving environment?
3. Intuitiveness
One of the great promises of the iPad is that it allows children to take ownership over and direct their own learning. We look for apps that students can navigate independently, even at a young age.
4. Engagement
At the very core of eSpark is a belief that learning can be fun! We evaluate apps for their engagement and interactivity.
5. Scaffolding of Learning
Learning from mistakes is an age-old lesson that we take to heart. We love apps that 1) support student learning by providing some form of instruction, 2) alert students when they’ve made a mistake, and 3) allow students to try again if they’ve answered incorrectly.

On a practical level, we always consider student-appropriateness (for example, we filter out apps that reference crime or drugs). In order for schools to expose their students to a wide variety of content, we also prefer apps that are under $5.00 and are sized around 50MB.

With an iterative eye, we take eSpark teacher and student feedback seriously. Our app vetting process is constantly refining and improving as we get word on how apps are received in the classroom.

Developers, teachers, students, friends: please comment or reach out if you have questions about our process or want more details! We’d love to hear your perspectives.

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Tablets in the Classroom
Computing has taken on a new face, due to the popularity of mobile devices which Steve Jobs referred to as post-PC-era products. Some researchers feel the new tablet devices* represent a change in consumer behavior: It’s not just the device, it’s the social behavior; it’s a social trend.

School districts intending to use the new technology must decide between the two market leaders: Apple’s iPad (running Apple iOS) or the Google Android tablet (from Samsung, Motorola, Hewlett Packard and others). Proponents for digitizing classrooms believe it could eventually save schools as much as $3 billion a year in textbook costs, etc. Others caution that drawbacks exist, such as ongoing software and/or hardware support; surviving ownership by toddlers and teens; infrastructure costs, e.g., replacing broken tablets…

On the assumption that integration of digital technologies into the learning environment and embedding these technologies into a teacher’s pedagogical practice can have a positive impact on student engagement, motivation and attitudes, we have selected two iPad entries that merited awards in this year’s EDDIES:

eSpark Review:
For teachers struggling to select from among the thousands of educational apps for the iPad, eSpark Learning has a solution: The program, designed for ages 4-12, offers personalized learning plans embedded with links to relevant third party educational apps (available/downloadable from the iTunes Store).

Students are given “quests” to complete. Assessment tools enable teachers and parents to see reports and recommend areas for improvement. eSpark’s approach is the following: Diagnose learning level; enable academic goal setting; recommend the best educational games, apps, podcasts, & eBooks; challenge students with daily quests; report & celebrate success.

The apps that accompany the learning plans are graphically appealing, comprehensive and creative. For example, in the Language Standards Grade 4 unit:

1. BrainPOP provides daily movies that are designed for kids, using multimedia, educational cartoons to teach Science, Social Studies, English, Math, and more
2.  iTooch English Grade 5, which is comprised of 44 chapters/lessons, has examples, illustrations, practice questions and tests, and utilizes 3 thematic units – grammar, verbs, vocabulary & spelling.

Children will find the design of the learning plans easy to follow, and much is to be learned from the multi-subject, interactive educational activities provided by the apps.

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This week’s release of the “Race to the Top” (RttT) District Competition guidelines have given teachers and administrators a lot to chew on. RttT, a program sponsored by the Department of Education, offers a 4-year grant to winning districts in an amount ranging from $5 to $40 million, depending on student population. According to the Department’s press release, one key facet of a quality district proposal is the demonstrated attempt to “personalize learning, close achievement gaps and take full advantage of 21st century tools that prepare each student for college and their careers.” Sound familiar? We think it does.

The Department’s emphasis on personalized learning and acknowledgment of the transformative effect of digital learning has the eSpark Team positively tickled. On the competition’s scoring rubric, several components perfectly coincide with our mission here at eSpark. Out of a 200-point scale, these are: personalized learning (40 points), a vision for reform (40 points), and continuous improvement, which includes having a strategy and performance measures for long-term improvement (30 points). We believe eSpark’s program can aid districts in improving quality in each of these components– which comprise over half the total grading scale.

eSpark’s innovative iPad program enables students to learn at their level, creating a personalized curriculum for each student based on diagnosed learning needs and aligned with Common Core standards. Our platform’s dashboard allows teachers and administrators to actively track student progress throughout the program with ease. Once a student completes their first eSpark mission and demonstratively improves in their goal domain (typically growing 1.4 grade levels in only 8 weeks), their work isn’t over— they can start a new mission at a higher level, or shift focus to another academic area that needs improvement. The use of the iPad not only easily engages students in rigorous work, but also gives them a technological upper-hand, allowing young students to become confident experts in the technology.

As the Department’s release mentions further, “The program also offers competitive preference to applicants that form partnerships with public and private organizations to sustain their work.” So, why not partner with eSpark? We’ll help personalize learning for your students, track improvement, and improve your chances in the RttT competition. Best of luck to all applicants, it’s an exciting opportunity for blended learning advocates and education reformers alike!

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eSpark team members Shuaib, Sarah, and Elsbeth took to downtown Chicago this past week to exhibit at the 2012 Midwest Conference on Differentiated Instruction hosted by SDE (Staff Development for Educators). The conference ran from Sunday to Wednesday and was a gathering place for over 1,600 teachers and administrators from all over the Midwest.

Educators attended morning and afternoon sessions including “An Introduction to the Differentiated Classroom: How It All Comes Together,”  “Using iPads & iPods in the Classroom,” “Using Technology to Encourage Early Readers & Writers,” and “Common Core State Standards in a Nutshell.” In between these informative and enlightening presentations, the eSpark team was able to meet many of the attendees and learn about their schools’ current usage of technology. It’s always great to meet teachers from all over the country who are eager to learn about new programs and methods of improving their students’ educational experience.

A big thank you to SDE and all the educators who stopped by the eSpark booth—we loved sharing about eSpark and are excited about all the new friends we made!

-Sarah

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