Usually districts and state school boards make the decision about whether or note adaptive testing will be used. Adaptive testing is always technology based. Today we will dissect the concept for you...break it down into its parts then build it up into a unified picture for you at the end.

What's the difference between old paper and pencil testing and current adaptive testing? Standard tests have a question with an A B C D choice option. Usually a bubble sheet. Student has one chance of getting the right answer. Students can often use deductive reasoning to hone in on the most likely choice. The test is always the same for every person who uses it. If they wrote the test correctly the standard deviation is usually 80% on these traditional, pencil and paper, bubble sheet standardized assessments.

Windows 8 and Surface tablets in the classroom

Today we're talking about upgrading and whether one should consider desktops or laptops. Right now we have super powerful and super cheap access to desktop machines. A nice HP desktop can be purchased for a mere $650 (minus monitor). This is pretty inexpensive for the power you're getting for that cost.

Then there is the laptop...we're dealing right now with MacBook Pros in some of our districts. It basically comes down to portability vs stationery and expensive vs inexpensive.

Here is the ChromeBook! It is crazy light, crazy thin and crazy inexpensive ($250). We show the Samsung version here tonight. ChromeBook is essentially a screen on a keyboard with a web browser. That's all it is but that's all it needs to be. Some schools in Utah are looking to ChromeBook as online testing devices. They work pretty slick with no internal servers necessary. It's just one big browser with a couple of apps that come with it. Those apps can be managed with software Google provides. As far as a cheap highly focused device it's really good and it's pretty fast too. It loads instantly and powers up fast thanks to a solid-state drive and the ChromeBook OS. Managing a slew of these is also pretty easy. We did experience considerable difficulty initially setting them up but once set up they are dependable. An added plus is that technology specialists can manage everything from the Google apps back end.

What are the pros and cons of teaching technologies like Apple TV , Smart Boards, and Promethean Boards?  These instructional technologies have the potential to revolutionize the traditional passive sit-and-get style classroom.  The revolution occurs when teachers see the capacity for getting students up engaged.  Though sometimes a bit complex, teachers use these tools fearlessly because of the enhanced instructional power the tools provide.  These tools are, however, not without their problems.  Join us here for a more in-depth view of what you should consider before purchasing Apple TVs, Smart Boards, or Promethean Boards for your school.