LearnPad Tablets for Schools: How Lessons are Downloaded

How Lessons are Downloaded

February 18, 2015

LearnPad makes the most efficient use of your school’s Internet connection by downloading Lesson content on-demand. This means that when a Lesson is scanned in, the following content becomes immediately available on your device:

  • Categories
  • Website Link resources
  • Folder resources

The following content is not downloaded, but is instead indicated with a placeholder icon that is greyed out and features a download arrow:

  • File Resources
  • Android App resources


Touch on the placeholder icon and, provided that the LearnPad device is connected to the Internet, the file or app will be downloaded, installed and made available. This offers several benefits over downloading all lesson content immediately:
  • Lessons become available more quickly.
  • Resources that are part of a lesson but not used will not be downloaded, minimising bandwidth consumption.
  • Less storage space is used on LearnPad devices.

In some instances, it might be desirable to pre-emptively download lesson content to ensure that it is available on devices for installation immediately. You might do this if:

  • You’ll be taking your LearnPad devices on a school trip.
  • You’ll be sending your LearnPad devices home with pupils who don’t have an Internet connection.
  • Your school has a very slow Internet connection and you want to minimise disruption during the lesson.

In such instances, you may choose to use the Pre-emptive Download function to download all lesson content to the devices in advance. To do this:

  1. Touch the Extended Menu button.
  2. Touch Information.

3. From the Information page toolbar, touch the Pre-emptive Download button Download LearnPad will begin to download lesson content – if you wish to continue using LearnPad whilst this is in progress, touch the Download in the Background button.


Once lesson content has been pre-emptively downloaded, lesson content that was previously indicated with grey placeholder icons featuring download arrows will now:
  • Operate as usual if they are a file resource.
  • Be indicated with a grey placeholder icon featuring a jigsaw piece if they are an app resource. Touch this icon to install the application and it will become available shortly afterwards.


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