C.

DeeDee Bennamon
November 7, 2014
Funding Technology Procurement and Life Cycle Replacement
Introduction
As we advance further into the 21st century, technology is becoming more and more
integrated into our society. Technology has become an essential part of today's society and the
educational processes. The rapid and widespread adoption of these technological innovations
has completely changed the way we conduct our daily lives, including how knowledge is
digested and taught in our classrooms. Technology has progressed by leaps and bounds in the
last few decades, leading to many benefits. One of the biggest arguments against technology is
the ridiculously high cost which limits its usage and places it out of reach of many people. But it
is an undeniable fact that technology helps make many tasks easier, such as SMART boards in
classrooms, especially all classrooms in North Charleston High School.
SMART boards enhance the potential for students' learning and comprehension. The
interactive technology allows students to move beyond the traditional parameters of the
classroom and engage in hands-on learning. Embraced by many, SMART boards serve as a
model for the future of classroom instruction. SMART Boards are becoming an essential
component of every classroom. The digital screen allows images from the computer to be
displayed on a board. It can also be modified on the screen itself, using a pen or a highlighting
tool. Its touch screen feature allows teachers to run programs directly from the screen simply by
tapping the application with her finger and even makes scrolling easy. In addition, it also
accommodates different learning styles and it is neater and does not have the cleanliness hassle
and is therefore easier to maintain (Linnard, 2013).
North Charleston High School Technology Demographics
North Charleston High School has a total enrollment of 493 students with approximately
43 teachers and 50 classrooms. In each of North Charleston High Schools classrooms, a
SMART board exists, totaling to 50 SMART boards in the entire school.

Funding
Each SMART board costs $5,000 each and a piece accumulate a $250 backup power
supply to regulate power to the device and other devices. With 50 SMART boards integrated in
North Charleston High School and the amount of power supply, the school spends $262,000 on
this technological resource (Greenberg, 2009).
Although public schools have received significant government funding for technology
integration, some schools are still struggling to implement current technologies and plan for
lifecycle replacement for these devices, such as North Charleston High School and their SMART
boards. North Charleston High School has procurement services that are responsible for
procurement of the supplies, services and information technology needed to ensure continued
operations. When deciding on technology procurement and implementation, a school or
organization must start with a plan. What is the budget, what is needed, how long will the
equipment last, how will the equipment be replaced are all questions that must be answered when
deciding on technology purchases. Ultimately, the school or organization must make these
decisions based on the amount of funding and internal and external resources available.
The District has money set aside for technology, but it is very small, so there are other
sources that can be relied on for funding these technologies that teachers themselves can reach
out to. When funding technology in the classrooms, teachers should seek grants and programs
that are set to assist them in financial support for technology in their classrooms. According to
the NUTMEG Education website, it lists seven ways to get funding and grants for technology in
classrooms (Linnard, 2013). There is a Teacher Donors Program that matches teachers with
prospective donors. This website is interesting because it allows teachers to create a profile and
compile a wish list of technological devices they want in their classrooms. Donors can then
search through the various profiles and choose to either donate funding or purchase the item
from the wish list for the teacher. After each time a donor purchases an item for a school, the
Digital Wish organization will then give that particular school 2-10% cash back as aid for their
next technology project. Another funding opportunity teachers and schools can consider in
assisting with SMART board funding is reaching out to the Technology Recycling Center. This
center collects used technological devices, such as SMART boards, reuse, and refurbish them.
They then send these devices to Technology and Education so the program can distribute them
out to teachers, schools, and communities to foster learning. In addition, the Linnard mentions

the Digital Wish Grants which aims to help teachers receive funding for technology in their
classrooms. Through this program, teachers must submit a lesson plan and they automatically
become eligible to win up to fifty grants. All schools should also take part in the Funding
Factory to help with funding SMART boards in this high school. The Funding Factory is a free
fundraising program for schools, non profits, and charities that encourages the donation of empty
printer cartridges, cell phones, and various other electronic devices. North Charleston High
School should encourage students, faculty, and staff to recycle these items because this
organization gives points that can be exchanged for new technology or cash.
Although the District is responsible for funding schools and their classrooms needs,
teachers are encouraged at North Charleston High School to participate in reaching out to
external resources to assist in funding their specific technological requests for their classrooms.
In addition to the grants and allocations received that teachers work hard to accumulate for their
classroom technological needs and the Districts funding, the funding problems of SMART
boards and other specific technology equipment will be no longer be an issue.
Life Cycle Replacement
One thing about technological resources is that its life span does not last very long and
the components that make it up at some point in time needs maintenance done. SMART boards
life expectancy is four to six years. North Charleston High Schools district replaces the
SMART boards in each classroom every six years. This does not mean that the maintenance or
supplies for the SMART boards will not be needed work done on it or more of the materials used
to operate the board. The special markers used to control the SMART board, batteries, projector,
and bulbs will last for the whole six years without either lost or needed work done to it. North
Charleston High School has a maintenance agreement for its technological resources and power
supply in its classrooms, but it does not cover materials like the special markers used to control
it. The funding opportunities and grants accumulated will help purchase those items for it that is
not covered in the maintenance agreement. In addition, if the SMART board does not last the
full six years, the funds the school and teachers receive from the grants, donors, and programs
are used to finance the classroom with a new device before the replacement period.

The software used on the technological devices is installed with software site licenses on
every classroom SMART board, which is funded by the District. North Charleston High School
has a software agreement that updates the software each year (Greenberg, 2009).
Additional Costs
SMART boards are huge costs to schools with its maintenance, supplies, power, and
software. An additional cost that SMART boards incorporate are funding for instructional
training courses that teach educators how to operate a SMART board and integrate it into their
curriculums in ways that facilitate learning. This cost is also engrossed through the working
budget of the school and district. With the help of grants, programs, and donors, these resources
help each and every way in assisting schools and districts with the high costs in funding these
technological devices so they are implemented and working properly in all school classrooms.

References
Greenberg, D. (2009). Smart Boards Worth The Cost. Retrieved from http://davidgreenberg.org
Linnard, P. (2013). Ways To Get Funding and Grants For Technology In Your Classroom.
Retrieved from http://nutmegeducation.com