Despite the last few years' growth in awareness of open-source software in schools and the potential savings it represents, its widespread adoption is still hampered. Randy Orwin, technology director of the Bainbridge Island School District in Washington State and a strong open-source advocate, cautions that installing an open-source…

Funding from grants is often at the core of a successful technology plan, but writing proposals requires a bit of magic and a lot of time. Grants can be a good way for educators to collaborate on building strong programs, but some creative thinking is also required. In this article, the author provides tips on how to win a grant: (1) Find a…

Planning comes first, but once a district determines what technologies and programs to implement, the most important task is finding the funds to pay for everything. In an era when funds for education in general are limited, technology-related purchases and related expenditures must be cost-effective. In addition, when budgets are tight, there is…

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software does what school leaders have always wanted their computer systems to do: It sees all. By integrating every IT application an organization has--from purchasing and inventory control to payroll--ERPs create a single unified system. Not only does this give IT managers a holistic view to what is happening…

No funding organization wants to give away money to an institution with no vision. The only way to successfully and deservingly secure outside funding for technology is through a clear vision of how those educational technologies will be used within one's classrooms and schools, and how those funds will jump start and support multiple school…

These days, "data-driven decision making" is on every school district's buzzword bingo game board. Accountability pressures and lean budgets make translating data into information a major focus of school systems that are trying to improve district outcomes in all areas. As such, data warehousing has become an essential district tool. Historically…

In this article, the author discusses the proliferation of one-to-one programs. For educators, the key to one-to-one success is in a well-managed and thoughtfully approached classroom program. Despite a good body of anecdotal evidence on the success of one-to-one programs--increased student attendance and motivation, more collaborative…

Ongoing technical support is often under-funded in district budgets. Most rail far short of the Consortium for School Networking's (CoSN) recommended ratio of one technician for every 50 to 70 computers, or one technician for every 500 computers in a closely managed networked environment. Add to this the fact that teachers' needs for instructional…

Computers on wheels, or COWs, combine the wireless technology of today with the audio/visual carts of yesteryear for an entirely new spin on mobility. Increasingly used by districts with laptop computing initiatives, COWs are among the hottest high-tech sellers in schools today, according to market research firm Quality Education Data. In this…

For most districts, the dream of arming their students and fellow educators with laptops--perhaps reaching the vaunted status of being a one-to-one school--holds a powerful appeal. Yet whether a district is making that push to get laptops into the hands of each student or simply considering upgrades to mobile carts, districts are facing no…