Cost+Savings

Cost Savings
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 * First, lets start the transition to Open Office and Google Docs. Teachers and students should receive training on them both by the end of this year and be told that when they come back in the fall, the Microsoft Office Suite will only be available in one lab per building, excluding the high schools where they teach it as part of their Business and Information Technology curriculum. I realize we've already paid for it, so you may wonder why bother taking it off the computers. Well, it's the 2003 version and we'll begin the 2010-2011 school year next year, so it's time to begin to let it go.

Second, I love the idea of Linux even though I've never used it. I like it because it was said in the meeting how cost effective it is and how there is little difference between the operating systems. I am always up for learning new things and again, Windows XP is gradually becoming a thing of the past. We must be willing to move on.

Third, I also really like the idea of extending the life of the computers we have by running the programs on a server as opposed to the individual computers. Every so often, based on the rotating schedule, student computers are replaced (out with the old and in with the new). However, rather than replacing student computers, it would be great to keep the ones we have and simply add the new ones so we have more total student computers.

Lastly, there needs to be someone in EACH building who is responsible for the technology, such as an ITRT (Instructional Technology Resource Teacher), who is ensuring that the paid software subscriptions and technology devices are being utilized to their fullest extent. Someone needs to dig through the closets and drawers in each school to discover what is there, take inventory and either pitch it or use it. This is my first year at NFMS and after some cleaning and digging through a bunch of stuff, I found a perfectly usable set of Turning Point software and 32 student clickers! No one even knew it was there!

I know it doesn't sound like hiring an ITRT at each school could reduce the budget, but over time, I believe the cost savings will be produced in other ways, such as more use of the equipment and at the same time, better maintenance of the equipment. Just some thoughts... ~ Jen Martin***

(Zaben) Again, Jen has already made several excellent points here. From my perspective, cost savings should be approached from three directions: hardware, software, and personnel. Obviously, we are stretched thin on personnel already; in fact, I agree with Jen that an extra position should be created at each school to oversee technology and its cost, so cutting funds there doesn't seem like it would work. As far as hardware, I believe Doug made the point during our video conference that if we are careful we will be able to squeeze several more years' worth of life out of what we already have. I think that (for the most part) the computers we have already far exceed what most of us use them for, and as long as we can maintain them properly, they should more than suffice for a long while. Switching to a could-based model for the majority of our labs would help costs as well, but I think if we did that then we would definitely need a position like ITRT at each school to ensure that cloud stays up and functional. Jen made a great point when she mentioned finding buried technological treasure at her school; how much more equipment is currently sitting unused? I believe that software is where we can make some big changes to generate some significant cost savings. I completely agree that we should move to as much free, open-source software as possible, especially changing our OS and Office suite. This would also look good for us as a county, since many larger organizations (including the federal government) are heading in this direction as well.

What if we set up a Google account for every student in our county? Teachers could then utilize Google Docs for storage of student files and to set up permissions for who can work on them. This would cut down on the need to purchase hard drives, and would also solve the problem of students' work being tampered with or deleted from shared drives at each school. (Zaben)


 * ITRT** - I would love to see an ITRT at each building or at least someone available at each campus. At Ashby Lee, it is "fend for yourself" or find someone to help you (usually they come running to me and I assume Wendy). I don't have the training or experience with some of the software to help so a lot of the software issues fall to Charity.


 * Open Office, Google Docs, Computer Life** - I don't feel I have any expertise in these fields to comment. My plan is to listen and learn from our discussions.- Diane

At the VSTE conference this year I attended a session about the switch from Microsoft to Google. I am pretty sure it is the same county Doug and Tim have talked about. I was amazed at how much they were saving. I was also amazed how easily students could set up files and work from school and home using their google account. They are even talking about doing away with their email system and using Google for that also. If something like this is implemented we need to have training set up and ready for our staff. - Denise

Some of our students have used Open Office in the past and some are using it this year. They especially like the Draw program. There are lots and lots of open source software out there now that in years past we have purchased. We paid for Inspiration which is a great program but now there a several programs on the internet that offer the same capabilities. I think the transition from Word to Open Office will be a greater challenge for the teachers than the students.


 * As Doug mentioned, we are seriously looking at implementing the use of some Google applications. Google Docs and gmail for students are on the table at this time. Jason is setting up things and testing them out. We will have more discussions on logistics before anything happens.

I would like to see an ITRT (Instructional Technology Resource Teacher) in each school and so would Dr. Rowland. We discussed this a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, due to the financial woes, this will not become a reality anytime soon. We currently have full time ITRTs at NMFS and PMMS. We have 1/2 day at SHES and SKMS. It is a fact that if an effective ITRT is in place in a building, the integration of technology is much more effective and has a positive influence on student achievement. **