DATA: HARDWARE & APPLICATION COST COMPARISON
One of my subquestions is: what inexpensive technology tools are available in schools? In my first and second cycles, the teachers and I used SMART boards, projectors and computer lab stations to collaborate. In one classroom, the SMART board was missing some of its components, including the "marking" pens, and its speakers did not work. In addition, many teachers did not have a SMART board and projector in their classroom and so were not completely familiar with the technology. In another classroom, although a SMART board and projector had been provided, the projector was very outdated and was not completely compatible with the SMART board, affecting its display quality.
Although most of the schools in which I work have a computer lab, these may be in use by students throughout the school day or may be locked to both staff and students. In one lab, the computers were so extremely old and outdated that they were not able to be networked. From all of these observations and experiences, I knew that I needed to focus on educational technology that was not dependent on expensive hardware that was not always available.
To answer my subquestion and consider where I might need to go for my third cycle, I began by creating a chart outlining some of the technology that is currently in use in the classrooms in which I work. However, not all of the technology listed could be considered 'inexpensive' or commonly available.
- A mere 30% of teachers have SMART Boards and LCD projectors in their classrooms. The cost of a 77" SMART Board is $2099 plus over $1135 in shipping costs. Projectors can cost up to $6899, with each replacement bulb costing more than $1000.
- 75% of teachers have a laptop or desktop computer in their classroom. Most also have their own computer at home. Laptops start at around $749 with desktops starting at $399.
- A wireless cart of Computers on Wheels (COW) costs $21,072. Probably due to the cost, only 20% of teachers have their own cart (stored in their classroom). An additional 60% of teachers have access to a shared cart.
- 80% of schools in which I work have a computer lab. The great majority of these are connected to the internet. To outfit an entire lab with desktop computers, it could cost a school upwards of $15,000.
- Most schools also have purchased site licenses for Microsoft Office software. Each individual set of the basic home and school programs (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Outlook) costs $149.
- Schools almost always have access to the internet, whether through their own wireless network or through local unsecured networks. There is a plethora of free web-based resources designed especially for educational use.
After analyzing the costs, I can see that I need to try out some technology tools that are free or inexpensive and widely available. The most inexpensive tools from the list above are the individual teacher computers (laptops or desktops), the basic Microsoft software and various free web applications.
