The average lifespan of electronics ranges from 1.5 to 13 years with the majority of these devices lasting around 4.5 years. I believe this is a massive issue, especially for schools and educators. Applying for a grant to buy new technology for your school is a process with no guarantee of getting funding. Many school districts lack the funding to upkeep a computer lab an I pad cart and other relevant technology. Throughout this program, we’ve all dug deep into various technological advancements that could enhance the learning experience but how are we going to afford this new technology? How long is that new class set of VR headsets going to last before they’re obsolete? I believe funding is the biggest hurdle we will all encounter in the process of incorporating technology in school. Companys like RaspberryPi sell low-cost high-performance computers but they don’t necessarily come set up and ready to use.
How can we combat these common and recurring issues to provide a sustainable approach to technology in our schools or workplace?
Hey Lori, great point about how hard students are on the equipment. They don’t see the price tag or the time it takes to get fundraising for the new technology. How could they? I try to encourage BYOD in grades 5,6,7 but only a handful remember to bring them. Glad to hear you finally got your laptop!
Hi Michael,
I agree that this is a major hurdle for schools, and with such technology lifespans, it’s an ongoing issue. When our school district went to remote learning, most of our teachers did not have webcams for their computers, and some were sharing computers. The district is finally getting around to addressing the shortage of up-to-date technology for staff by piloting a lease program. I’m one of the testers for the pilot program and got my laptop this week, so I’ve waited for a year while borrowing a very nice tablet that our French department bought with fundraised money. Meanwhile, there’s also the issue of how hard students are on the technology. We got two new portable lab carts with 30 computers each in the past year, and only about a third of them aren’t vandalized.