In this blog post I will give my reflection to the funding technology podcast for EDT634. In this podcast Lynn Wietecha from Lawrence Tech was interviewed regarding funding of technology in both K12 and higher education settings. There were a few things I learned that I found surprising or maybe did not consider before. The first thing Ms. Wietecha talked about that got my attention was the amount of of the operations fund that goes to salaries and benefits. With only about 15% left over for everything else it is no wonder schools have difficulty adding and maintaining technology. I know in my son's classroom they have 5 desktop computers and one didn't work most of the time or periodically they had issues with the Internet access and I thought why don't they fix this. This helps me understand. The other thing that surprised me was the cost of toner. With all our technology advancements we can not come up with a cheaper way to print documents? One big difference for printing in K12 vs. higher ed is that in higher ed you can charge students for printing to offset the cost for toner.
I think the differences in technology in K12 vs. higher ed is that in higher ed I don't think it is considered a option. There is more of a need in higher ed to attract students and the pool of students is broader and to attract students globally you want to have the best tools for them to receive an education along with the best teachers. In K12 I think we are still in a place where technology is still an option. I don't think it will be looked at as an option for much longer but having the funding to provide will still be a struggle.
If I were heading up a bond proposal is to provide the community in many avenues why this money is so desired. Without the funding we are not going to be able to provide our students with an education of problem solvers that is being demanded in the world today. They will need to be able to access and use technology appropriately and this will need to be taught in our schools. I am so thankful our district did pass a continued millage to help support the funding of our 1:1 program.
Yes, you're one of the lucky ones.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in terms of selling the bond, think about how a school operates now. You say, "Without the funding we are not going to be able to provide our students with an education of problem solvers that is being demanded in the world today," but your community probably believes that the district is doing a 'good enough' job right now, then they can create problem-solvers without the technology.