When your child enters secondary school, the school will provide details about the Personal Learning Device (PLD) that students are required to purchase. For Singaporean citizens, the cost is fully deductible from the Edusave account, so no cash payment is needed.

Each school decides on the brand and model of the PLD for its students. Some of the more common options currently include the Apple iPad, ACER TravelMate Spin, Lenovo Chromebook, Lenovo Yoga, and Microsoft Surface Go.

If you are concerned about the device use and screen time, the PLD has Device Management Application (DMA) in placed. 

DMA After-School Options:

Default

  • In-school DMA settings will continue after school hours.
  • Suitable for parents who want their child’s device use to remain restricted to teaching and learning, leaving the school to manage DMA settings outside school hours.

Option A

  • Parents/guardians can modify DMA settings after school hours.
  • Suitable for parents who prefer to decide the level of restrictions on their child’s device use after school.

Option B

  • DMA will be inactive after school hours.
  • Suitable for parents who do not want their child’s device use after school to be regulated by the DMA.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

My daughter’s PLD is the Apple iPad 10th Gen. 

Different schools provide different accessory packages. For example, some schools using iPads include a Logitech Slim Folio Keyboard Case or a Logitech Rugged Folio iPad Keyboard Case in their package.

In my daughter’s school, the package did not come with a keyboard. Students were free to get their own, but the requirement was that the keyboard must connect via the Smart Connector instead of Bluetooth. We chose the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case, which has a detachable keyboard. This makes the iPad lighter to hold when the keyboard is not needed, while still having the iPad protector case on.

Other accessories are also important to consider. I’ve heard stories of students misplacing their Apple Pencil or the pen cap. To prevent this, I bought an anti-lost Apple Pencil silicon cap and an anti-lost Apple Pencil spring strap. Despite that, my daughter still lost the cap + the anti-lost silicon cap recently. The whole thing came off without her noticing, and it was too late by the time she realised. Thankfully, I managed to buy a replacement magnetic pen cap for just a few dollars.

Another useful item is the PaperLike screen protector. It not only protects the iPad screen from scratches but also gives the surface a paper-like texture, which makes writing with the stylus feel more natural.