Use the Jamf School Student App on your iPad
All District iPads enrolled in Jamf School should have the Jamf School Student MDM app (hereafter Student, in bold) automatically installed on them. Student is a means to help you manage your District iPad, including:
- Find and install iOS apps without having to use the App Store (overview here, details below)
- Manually trigger key device management events (e.g., device checkin, software and app updates, passcode clear, device erase)
- Use the classroom and user features of Jamf School (see "user functions" section below)
Opening the app for the first time
The first time you open Student after it installs (e.g., after device reset) there is a bit of one-time setup to do. The acceptance wizard is pretty self-explanatory: first you Accept the privacy agreement, then Continue and OK Bluetooth permissions, then Continue and set Location Services permissions (recommendation is to allow while using the app), and finally Continue and Allow Notifications permissions. With the acceptance wizard complete, you land on the main screen of the app.
Note that different app versions of Student may present different UIs, and you may see these different versions depending on the age of your device(s). Here, we try to cover the most common UIs you would expect to see--generally, the newest version, and the version that would appear on our oldest supported devices.
Find and install apps and other resources
Student behaves substantially the same, for resource functions, whether or not the device is assigned to a specific user. Since most of our iPads are not assigned to a specific user, this document is written for a device in the default "guest" mode. (NOTE: If you open the app and it actually prompts you for credentials, there is a problem that we should remedy. Check to make sure that the device is indeed connected to the right wireless network; if you are already on KPBSD-ManagedDevices and can use the Safari browser to load web pages, but are still getting prompted for credentials in Student, please contact the Helpdesk.
Collections on the default screen
When the app launches, you land on the Discover screen, which contains "collections" of related resources (apps, profiles, and books), which you can view in full detail by tapping through on their titles.
(app version 6.x)
(app version 5.x)
These "collections" make available, for on-demand installation or removal, resources which are administratively specified for the device groups of which your device is a member. So, if your device is a member of a cohort which specifies list of resources, that cohort (device group) will present its "collection" on the Discover screen.
My Resources screen
Resources may overlap between "collections", but the My Resources screen is always the "master list" of all the apps, profiles, and books to which your device is entitled. From the Discover screen, you can get to My Resources via the Back link at upper left, or by swiping in from screen left (app version 6.x); or the My Resources collection on the Discover screen itself (app version 5.x):
(app version 6.x)
(app version 5.x)
On the My Resources screen, you can see the full list of your combined on-demand resources from all collections, with a search function at top.
(both app versions)
Tap through on a resource to see the description you'd find on the App Store, and use the provided buttons to Get, Remove, or Reinstall a given resource. Note that the app will not automatically take you to the Home screen to check the progress of your installs; you'll have to back out of the Student app yourself.
Device management info and functions
Basic device management info and functions are available through the user account function of Student. If you are operating in Guest User mode, you don't have access to the full suite of user functions, but you can gather useful info about your device, and take a few useful administrative actions. To get to the user Settings area in Student version 6.x, swipe in from left or hit the Back link at upper screen left and then tap the user icon; in version 5.x, tap the gear icon at upper right:
(app version 6.x)
(app version 5.x)
Once at the Settings screen, tap your device entry under My Devices, and you will see administrative info about your device, the exact app version, plus the ability to:
- Manually trigger a device management checkin (this is the Refresh info link)
- Manually trigger an iOS Software Update (see Manually Update iOS on an iPad)
- Manually Clear Passcode on the device (note that this will not over-ride a profile enforcing a passcode, but will clear a user-created one)
- Manually Erase Device aka wipe, reset, or restore (if you take this action please see Reset a District iPad)
Note that both Student version 6 and version 5 present the same device info and actions; the difference is that version 6 shares its screen between Settings and the device management pane, whereas version 5 shows the device management UI in fullscreen.
(app version 6.x)
User functions of the app
The Student app can take advantage of additional user functions, if the device is administratively assigned to a known District user. Most District devices are inherently "cart" devices, not assigned to a single user but being picked up and used by multiple people, so we mostly concern ourselves with the Student app in Guest User mode, as above. However, if the device is assigned to a user, either administratively or via the Azure webclip, the Student app will present a richer set of functions to take advantage of this user association. (NOTE: this user association does not require, nor is it the same as, logging in to the device with an Apple ID. It is an administrative mapping of a user's Active Directory account to the device, allowing the device to take advantage of that valid user account.)
Within Student itself, there are two main additional functions you will notice when logged in as a known user. The first is that your list of resources will now include not just resources allocated to the device, but also resources allocated to the user. Primarily this will refer to books, instead of apps; most apps are assigned to devices, but books must be assigned to users.
The second is that Student will now present user-centric classroom functions, such as a messages function within joined classes, the Raise Hand feature, and other functions beyond the scope of this article. (As we get more people using the classroom features of Jamf School--an environment akin to Apple's and Google's classroom environments--our documentation will expand to accommodate it. :-)
Further questions?
As always, if you have further questions please feel free to Contact the Information Services Helpdesk.