cannot purchase ANYTHING. Our computers are so slow, need memory, and keep
crashing. Doesn't matter because we can't buy anything!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Taffee" <Steve_Taffee@castilleja.org>
To: <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2008 9:04 AM
Subject: Economic Recession and Tech Budgets
Hello everyone -
I am curious to know if and how the economic recession is affecting your
technology budgets and programs for the coming year.
We are re-examining a number of our practices including email (FirstClass
versus Google), productivity suites (MS Office versus Open Office and Google
Docs), databases (FileMaker client versus FileMaker web access), web servers
(hosted site versus our
own Drupal server). These are good things to examine, anyway, and we would
have done so. But there's no doubt that the economy has built a fire under
us to look at these sooner rather than later.
On the hardware front, we'll be purchasing more RAM to nurse computers along
for at least a year beyond their normal retirement schedule (typically 3
years for laptops, 4 years for desktops), and will think twice about
CPU-sucking upgrades to
applications and OS that we would normally roll out on an annual basis.
Our administration has heard from other schools that they, too, are
retrenching by delaying hiring, minimizing tuition increases, setting aside
more funds for tuition assistance, and - cutting tech budgets.
So the challenge for us, perhaps others as well, is to keep moving forward
with technology initiatives, to continue to provide great professional
development, and not lose sight of "21st century" learning and teaching.
Indeed, as an environmentalist I
have often thought that much of the 21st century could well be marked by
scarcity rather than the abundance we've grown so accustomed to.
So once again my question to the group: how are you coping with the current
situation as you plan for the coming year?
s
-----
Treat each piece of paper as precious and reduce waste - don't print
electronic documents.
-----
Steve Taffee 650.470.7725 (office)
Director of Technology 415.613.6684 (mobile)
Castilleja School 650.326.8036 (fax)
1310 Bryant Street steve_taffee@castilleja.org
Palo Alto, CA 94301 www.castilleja.org | taffee.edublogs.org
Women Learning, Women Leading
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