There has been MUCH discussion on this topic over the past week since ipads have come to school in year 7′s bags.
I know where my opinion stands, and was asked to write a newsletter article stating pros/cons from an education point of view. Here is my two cents, feel free to disagree, you know where the comment box is- I may not reply
Year 7’s are getting into the swing of things with ipads- and there has been MUCH debate over which browser is best to use. This debate is much like an “apple versus android” dispute (it goes round and round in circles, pros and cons of each). But let’s look at it from an EDUCATION and CYBER SAFETY point of view, and here is what matters to OUR KIDS:
Safari
- Works with parental controls, allows for safer browsing, blocks explicit content if controls are set as such
- Browsing history can be stored for reflection (and deleted too)
- Slow processing speeds when loading webpages with lots of content
- Works REALLY well with government initiative for cybersafety (reinforces our Pastoral and Integrated Learning program)
- Downloads PDF files as necessary- does require an extra step than Chrome to do so
- Easily collects bookmarks and offline reading
- Default browser on ipad, all links automatically open in Safari, there is no changing this setting
- Syncs favourites/bookmarks across mobile devices
Chrome
- Upon download, comes with a “age restricted warning” upon download to confirm you are over 17 (is this an attempt to say “there’s explicit content on the internet, not our fault if you access it??)
- Can easily “incognito” browse so that history is not stored
- DOES NOT enforce parental controls applied on the ipad
- Happily plays flash content on sites
- Quickly loads pages and downloads files/attachments
SO . . . they are SOME of the facts that are MOST relevant for our students, overall CHROME is a better performing browser. BUT, in my opinion SAFARI is a safer experience, this is also a school endorsed recommendation. Discuss this with your children, explain what and why we want to protect them on the internet.
Do you have the CYBER-SAFETY button installed on their ipad?? – - – -> http://www.dbcde.gov.au/online_safety_and_security/cybersafetyhelpbutton_download/install_apple
And in the true spirit of the internet, browsing and meme’s – I created one fitting:
I must admit I have installed several browsers on my ipad, and agree that whilst Safari has better safety controls, Chrome is faster. That said, my favourite browser is actually Dolphin. I find I do not need to use apps like edmodo or facebook since dolphin actually displays these sites better. As to safety, that is something I must explore. For school iPads, safety must come first. For my own use, I want the most efficient experience.
Well from a Windows/Android user I’d like to add the following in Chrome’s favour. Syncing! Any device I log on to at anytime with my Google account will know my passwords, my bookmarks and my history. Add the ability to install web apps, extensions and themes (that also follow your account) and I feel total freedom. Oh and you need to consider the integration with google Drive.
I used to do this with Firefox and perhaps if someone wanted to grab a video off youtube or iView which Google don’t like you to do. Firefox would be a great choice.
But for students I guess you’re right… Safari would be the go.