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FAQ's
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Responses
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Didn't the State award the contract to HP?
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Yes, but the Governor is allowing districts to choose which of the finalists is most appropriate for thier environment
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Isn't the HP the highest rated?
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No, the HP solution was rated 4th out of 5, the iPad option was rated first. Scoring Results
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Where can I find more information about each package?
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Who was involved with the decision?
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There were a number of meetings which included District leadership, teachers and building tech leaders.
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How is typing long assignments going to be addressed?
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Students
wishing to check out a physical keyboard will have the option to do so
but evidence suggests they perform well just using the built-in virutual
keyboard: Additional resources
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How are students going to access the NWEA assessment system?
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This
past year, Portland Schools has migrated over to using the web-based
version of the NWEA testing system. This summer they will be upgrading
thier system to be accessible from the iPad
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Will the recently adopted Glencoe HS Algebra curriculum be available on the iPad?
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Yes, McGraw-Hill has published an iPad app for distributing the electronic textbooks and student materials.
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Is there going to be Professional Development provided to teachers and have those costs been included?
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On-site
PD is included in both of the Apple solutions at no additional cost to
the district. Addtionally, a number of area schools have already done
large iPad deployments and are sharing resources with teachers.
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Will students be able to print from the iPad?
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Yes,
the District print management system will be upgraded this summer to
support iPad printing. Ideally, teachers and students will take
advantage of the paper-less workflow opportunity built in to the Apple
Primary and the district will see a reduction in print volume.
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Why weren't Chromebooks considered as an option?
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None
of the approved vendors based their solution on the Chromebook. In the
past, Chromebooks did not meet major parts of the operational
requrements as set by the DOE. Primarilly, off-line access and
reliablity were concerns.
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Are the major hardware and operating system updates announced by Apple on 6/10 going to be part of MLTI?
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Yes,
though some of the operating system updates may be delayed until the
second year due to the current release schedule for the Fall of 2013.
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Will students/teachers have access to Google Docs on the iPads?
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Yes,
there is a free app called "Google Drive" that will connect directly to
a users existing account. CTS will post documentation on it's setup
later this summer.
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