School Planning and Management, May 1998, p. 18
Two teacher-education professors bring you these 8 issues that schools boards must address when installing technology in schools:
- A good deal of initial and continued funding is required for technology programs, so marshal funding through grants, business partnerships/sponsorships, and community fundraising efforts.
- establish upgrade policies for software purchases that keep the software as uniform as possible across the district.
- draft acceptable usage policies that address copyright, privacy, Internet, hardware use, and software licensing.
- to maximize returns on the technology you buy, invest heavily in staff training, especially through continual professional development programming.
- earmark funds for in-house or contracted technology support staff to keep systems running smoothly and to answer users’ questions.
- don’t ignore security issues that protect your computer investments against theft, damage, or vandalism.
- design hardware/software configurations that work with their facilities and rooms.
- set up a line item in your budget specifically for technology acquisition and maintenance, and plan to purchase technology supplies such as toner, mouse pads, diskettes, surge protectors and copy holders.
