Saturday, May 22, 2010

Chasing School Technology

Many times I feel like I am just chasing school technology, an idea that I am never going to catch.

The world of school technology changes everyday so I look for hardware and software that has the longest classroom life possible. If I can get three to four years out of technology I feel successful -- not guilty.

Sometimes I get emails from media/tech people complaining that they had a piece of hardware for only five years and now it needs to be replaced. Or better yet, "We have been using that math software for only ten years."

Come on people! Ten years. This is technology for crying out loud.

Trust me, by the time my hardware or software are getting over three years I am itching to get new.

We need to accept the idea that every time we buy new school technology, we need to budget to replace it in three to four years. For example, let's say your school just dumped $30,000 into new laptops, what are you doing about replacing them in four years? We always need to be thinking about replacing expired technology in our schools, instead of being surprised every time it comes up again.

When I work with administrators about this I usually get them to commit to putting some money aside every year for this very purpose. I ask them to show me what they are doing to keep their school technology fresh and current.

So put your running shoes on and get chasing.

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