Discourse Software by ETS

(vendor presentation)
30 June 2003

Course content delivery and formative assessment system (response managment), using Dell Axim PocketPC computers, laptops, etc

No student can hide in the classroom

Can ask a wide variety of different question types

Dell Axim software, can control you computer, or allow for self paced

Discourse requires one to one computer, can do it in classroom with handhelds or laptops, or in computer lab

Can control web travel using Discourse, can cache in a website and push it out for students

ETS is generating a big bank of questions correlated to state and national standards
- this content comes with the purchase of discourse

Does not work live, synchronously on the web

ARE developing a Palm version that will be ready in the fall, it will require Palm with 802.11b connectivity

Highland Park in Amarillo has been using this for 2 years, Amarillo Tascosa HS has been using for 1 year

My ideas

this would be good to demo/use during workshops
use of this software really brings up some vital pedagogical questions about technology use, how it should transform or not transform the learning environment

Were lots of technical difficulties connecting to the handhelds, but not to the laptops during the vendor presentation