Technology Integration IN SCHOOLS

You have planning and policies, check your financial condition

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Installing and managing technology at schools contains allocating and reallocating technological resources and equipments. Educational decision making almost always leads to decisions about resource allocation. In the planning process, budgets can inform the allocation of resources. According to amount of budges, decisions can be made about allocation of technological resources and equipments.
Awareness for amount of financial resources is really important to support the technology system effectively. Also, a financial plan must include the necessary funding to support technology components. The lack of budget will ultimately result in a technology system that does not function as an effective tool and can actually become a political liability to a school system.

TERM DEFINITIONS AND CATEGORIES

Account classification structure: In order to define the data elements in the financial area conveniently, there are two sorts of financial activities: incomes and other sources of funds; and expenditures. Both incomes and expenditures have a number of aspects or dimensions:
  • Incomes (Revenues): The aspects of incomes include fund; revenue source; project/reporting code.
  • Expenditures: The aspects of expenditures include fund; program; function; level of instruction; operational unit (building); subject matter; job classification; special cost center.

Fund: It consists of set of accounts recording cash and other financial resources. It also contains all related liabilities and residual equities or balances. Funds are established to carry on specific activities or attain certain objectives by providing essential technological tools and learning environment. Seven fund types are recommended in Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems including;
  • general fund;
  • special revenue funds;
  • capital projects funds;
  • debt service funds;
  • enterprise funds;
  • internal service funds; and
  • trust and agency funds. (http://nces.ed.gov/,2003)

Unit Record Structure

The unit records reflect many states in which finances are typically analyzed based on the expenditure catalog and record time period. The catalog of expenditure and record time period are determined by the technology planners and administrators.

Direct technology expenditures:
  • Expenditures for new computers per pupil.
  • Expenditures for upgrades to existing computers per workstation and per pupil.
  • Expenditures for maintenance and support to existing computers per workstation and per pupil.
  • Expenditures for new software per workstation and per pupil
  • Expenditures for updates to existing software for building total and per pupil
  • Expenditures for network access per pupil.
  • Expenditures for assigned technology personnel and support per workstation and per  pupil (http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/tech_schools/,2003)

Professional development expenditures:
  • Average cost of professional development includes;
  1.      Total for district
  2.      Per building (e.g. high school and middle school)
  3.      Per teacher-hour received
  4.      Per administrator-hour received.