What do you think (and why) is the most overlooked factor contributing to the Total Cost of Ownership?
By the way - I recorded the video from our broadcast. If you go to www.mogulus.com/jbillings and click on Menu button, then go to Browse Videos, then TCO - cool..... BTW, the audio/video is very good, after you get past my echo gig.....
Assignments
• Day 1
Read the Horizon Report (2008).
Post a blog on what technological trend you feel will become most prevalent in K12 learning within 5 years and why.
(see Rules of Engagement)
• Day 2
Please watch both of the Sir Ken Robinson videos linked below. Then post two slides on the shared presentation: 1) one way schools kill creativity, and 2) one way schools foster creativity.
Do schools kill creativity?
Creatively Speaking
• Day 4
Assignment 1 - Wikipedia - see post below.
Assignment 2 - Colliding Forces - see post below.
• Day 5 and Day 6
Live Broadcast - post a response to the blog below on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Day 7 and Day 8 - Surprise.....
Your assignment is optional - you will receive credit whether you email me yes or no, but you do have to email me. I do not believe in zeros, nor in failure as an option. However, you get what you put in, so I encourage you to say yes....;-)
If you email me yes, here's what you are committing to. Give me your email address at work, what grade level or content area you teach, whether you are an administrator, whatever. What school you are at and a short resume/introduction of yourself. I will leave your name and contact anonymous until I find another teacher/educator/administrator in PVUSD who might like to work with you on REACH, and in turn you with them. I will make an intitial email introduction of each of you to the other - from there, you are on your own to put into practice the communication, collaboration and creativity of 21st century teaching and learning, using information technology to bridge time and space constraints.
REACH (Real Experiences Advancing Childhood Humanities) is an initiative our district is implementing with other educators/administrators outside of our walls. We are connecting students/teachers/administrators, from differing classrooms, differing schools, cities, states, countries, using technology to communicate/collaborate/create in whatever ways possible and appropriate to postively impact student learning - totally up to you and your PVUSD counterpart on what you think would be useful - how big, how small, how deep, how thin, is up to you.
It does not have to be high tech, with tons of technology - in fact, the technology is not the point - learning with and about others is, being creative and taking a risk is the experience. One simple internet connection and a Google account can do wonders (you should now know that), to connect students, teachers, administrators, whatever. I suspect your kids, your school will be richer for the adventure and you will cross into something I believe is profound and necessary in education - REACH'ing beyond the walls......
So, if you want to REACH, give me the details and I will personally try to connect you with an appropriate counterpart. Then, you have the opportunity to extend your coursework learning into actual practice - the point of taking a class. Email me yay with details, or nay. What I wish for you is to REACH beyond this ASU class, throw optimism into the wind and see what emerges in your participatory networking experience.
Jeff......
Read the Horizon Report (2008).
Post a blog on what technological trend you feel will become most prevalent in K12 learning within 5 years and why.
(see Rules of Engagement)
• Day 2
Please watch both of the Sir Ken Robinson videos linked below. Then post two slides on the shared presentation: 1) one way schools kill creativity, and 2) one way schools foster creativity.
Do schools kill creativity?
Creatively Speaking
(see Rules of Engagement)
• Day 3
Assignment 1 - See Blog entry on Web 2.0 Directory below for instructions.
Assignment 2 - See Blog entry on P21 Skills below for instructions.
• Day 3
Assignment 1 - See Blog entry on Web 2.0 Directory below for instructions.
Assignment 2 - See Blog entry on P21 Skills below for instructions.
• Day 4
Assignment 1 - Wikipedia - see post below.
Assignment 2 - Colliding Forces - see post below.
• Day 5 and Day 6
Live Broadcast - post a response to the blog below on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Day 7 and Day 8 - Surprise.....
Your assignment is optional - you will receive credit whether you email me yes or no, but you do have to email me. I do not believe in zeros, nor in failure as an option. However, you get what you put in, so I encourage you to say yes....;-)
If you email me yes, here's what you are committing to. Give me your email address at work, what grade level or content area you teach, whether you are an administrator, whatever. What school you are at and a short resume/introduction of yourself. I will leave your name and contact anonymous until I find another teacher/educator/administrator in PVUSD who might like to work with you on REACH, and in turn you with them. I will make an intitial email introduction of each of you to the other - from there, you are on your own to put into practice the communication, collaboration and creativity of 21st century teaching and learning, using information technology to bridge time and space constraints.
REACH (Real Experiences Advancing Childhood Humanities) is an initiative our district is implementing with other educators/administrators outside of our walls. We are connecting students/teachers/administrators, from differing classrooms, differing schools, cities, states, countries, using technology to communicate/collaborate/create in whatever ways possible and appropriate to postively impact student learning - totally up to you and your PVUSD counterpart on what you think would be useful - how big, how small, how deep, how thin, is up to you.
It does not have to be high tech, with tons of technology - in fact, the technology is not the point - learning with and about others is, being creative and taking a risk is the experience. One simple internet connection and a Google account can do wonders (you should now know that), to connect students, teachers, administrators, whatever. I suspect your kids, your school will be richer for the adventure and you will cross into something I believe is profound and necessary in education - REACH'ing beyond the walls......
So, if you want to REACH, give me the details and I will personally try to connect you with an appropriate counterpart. Then, you have the opportunity to extend your coursework learning into actual practice - the point of taking a class. Email me yay with details, or nay. What I wish for you is to REACH beyond this ASU class, throw optimism into the wind and see what emerges in your participatory networking experience.
Jeff......
Sunday, November 23, 2008
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16 comments:
I think the most over looked factor in the total cost of ownership is the 2-2.5 multiplier. You would think that if you get a quote for 20K that that would be your final amount. If the multiplier is not considered it would be easy to end up not being able to afford a software program for more than the initial first year. It is important to take into consideration the hardware costs, back up costs, and annual fees for software programs. It would surely be an interesting conversation to have with the representatives of the software company you are working with.
I think the bigger issue really is professional development for the teachers. My school has just about everything except the laptops with cameras and in most classrooms they just collect dust. By the time a teacher that is willing to use this new technology gets into those classrooms, the existing technology will be a thing of the past. Teachers need to be given time to explore and use new technology.
I would asy professional development. As Billing's said the staff needs to be mobilized and motivated to implement the chosen program and because teacher's are required to do so much professional development I feel like a lot it is not implemented or is watered down.
If a district or school is going to adopt a new instructional devise time for professional development needs to be built into the equation.
I do like how Jeff said that the culture of PV is to not withhold any devise from a teacher because they haven't finished their hours of PD. A teacher may feel belittled by such a consequence and frankly, at times, I'd rather take the manuel home and figure it out myself than sit through Suzie Q's after school presentation.
I really enjoyed the format of class tonight!
Gobble gobble :)
I am sure the people in Ed Tech within my district are much more knowledgeable than I am about the Total Cost of Ownership, but I would think that the annual licensing charges would have been something overlooked. I would have thought that when you purchased a piece of software that the license would have been good for a certain amount of time like three to five years. Having to pay an additional 20% of the total initial cost, is huge. I think the fact that it must be paid out of M&O monies is also something that if over-looked could cause problems later with how tight budgets currently are.
Why do technology costs come out of M&O money? Does the state regulate that? What other budget funds are available? I suppose we'll learn about that in our budget/cost course.
I think that the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) costs fully exceed anyone's beliefs. Jeff said that it runs $200 for a new data jack and that the district usually does it. If a teacher decides to rearrange their room and needs a jack in a different location then it could cost upward of this amount.
I think electricity is wasted everyday to a ridiculous amount in our schools. I'm now starting to see some changes with the "going green" ideas and it's a start. Who pay's the bill for daily operation expenses never crossed my mind before I became a teacher and with the overide in my district last year I learned a great deal more about it.
I'm starting to see and understand the T.C.O is a much bigger puzzle than I had first realized.
Good question Christie! I was thinking the same thing.?
I think I've posted quite enough to appear arrogant, self-indulgent, and narcissistic for the entire class.
So my answer to the assignment will be brief: I agree with everyone. 2.0-2.5 multiplier, annual costs, professional training, etc.
Multiplier costs, hidden costs are one thing to consider but the biggest cost to consider is the percentage of use/per dollar. If you consider the teacher training and the costs previously mentioned and the usage of that product isn't close then its a deficit cost of ownership. That is the problem of all technology is how often is it used, what purpose is it used, and are the results of that technology improving the quality of education. If so, then multiplier costs, training, and hidden costs that are not seen by schools are justifiable if the percentage of use is higher than that cost.
All of the associated costs that factor off of the initial purchase.(installation,upgrades,training, maintenance,etc.) What happens when the funding for it is cut ? Is there a penalty if you can't afford the 20% imposed after year 1 by the end of year 2?
When I tried Q's posting of , letmegooglethatforyou.com. It brought up the storage component.
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/magazineFeature/0,296894,sid5_gci1258054,00.html
and
productivity,product,and process factors.
http://www.labmanager.com/articles.asp?ID=12
I think the most overlooked factor is professional development. What is the point of spending money on programs if teachers don't know how to use them. I think when looking at TCO there needs to be money set aside for this. I also agree with everyone else about the ratio of "upkeep" for the software.
Sorry I missed the class but I just got back into town and so I am trying to catch up. I listened to the video and even though I couldn't talk with anyone it sounds like you guys had a good conversation. Wish I could have participated.
My answer to the question would be staff development. To me this is such a long process that takes time to implement. You have to make sure your staff "buy into" the program and then teach them. With every teacher at a different level of technological abilities how do you accomodate those that can't catch on? This is why to me this takes a long time. Because technology is constantly changing and upgrades are being made, teachers have to be informed and trained continually.
This was a great topic for me because I am in the process of making decisions for my school on this very issue. We are very behind in our technology and I need to know the TCO before I decide. Thanks for the info.
I think that district should look into how much can we "GET THE BIG BANG FOR THE BUCK". TCO is like managing your bank account and how much can you regulate expenses circulating around the products are you purchasing. For example, if I buy a pair of "Name Brand" jean, then I need to figure out what kind of detergen I have to buy to maintain the original condition of my jean. Plus I also need to figure out if I gain another pound or shred a few pounds, then I can't wear my jean anymore; plus I have to buy a new jean to wear. It's a matter of budgeting and maintaing what you own.
I really like the class on SUNDAY night. I have never done any online class like this kind. I found it's very fun and exciting. I was looking forward to be online and see how's the dynamic from an online versus in class. I think after Sunday, I'm thinking taking an online classes. THANKS PROFESSOR BILLINGS. :):):):)
I agree with everyone that said professional development was the most overlooked cost. There are so many great programs out there for educators like Study Island, AR, and taskstream. We also have these wonderful computers with programs on them that allow us to create videos, podcasts and slideshows. Unfortunately, if a teachers is not comfortable using technology, they will not try any of these things unless there is detailed professional development on how to implement them. In addition, even the teachers that feel comfortable with technology like myself and are not afraid to experiment, don't know all of the nuances of each program. The good thing is that I think most teachers are willing to learn and use with their kids if they know the have support in case they need help.
I think it is the materials that schools need to run their everyday operations that are overlooked. I am a victim of thinking short term at times and I don't see the full impact of certain decisions I make that will affect the long term. I was looking into the cost of maintaining our office copier. We leased it for 5 years at $9000. We have a yearly $2000 maintenance package cost. We have toner that is purchased at $125 a pop every 4 weeks which comes to a yearly total of $1500. Then there is the PM kits used 3 times a year at $2400 a pop and staples at $52 a box changed out once per month adds up to $600. These costs don't include things not covered under the maintenance package or excessive use causing an increase in usage in material. This becomes quite complex. The initial $9000 investment turns into nearly if not more close to $20000 dollars with all factors considered. This is staggering!
In my opinion, implementing and sustaining are the most overlooked factors contributing to the Total Cost of Ownership. Yes, everyone uderstands the cost to buy the technology but not all are aware of and understand the "hidden costs."
Professional Developement is needed to train teachers, so they can learn how to fully use and implement the new technology. Computers and programs can be difficult to understand, and teachers need to attend several workshops to properly use their new devices.
Technology is changing and upgrading all the time. Extra money is needed to keep up-to-date with the most recent and effective technology. It's like with cells phones and digital cameras... You think you have the best and most useful phone and then within a few months an even better one come out.
Jeff's broadcast really opened my eyes to costs that I never even thought about it. If taxpayers saw the broadcast, I think they would understand a bit more where their hard earned money goes and how it can benefits schools.
I agree with almost everyone on this subject. I think that Prof. Dev. costs are overlooked ( I think that time is a factor as well - there are so many things to train on and so little time).
The costs to update and maintain are difficult as well. Some of our programs were moving to web based services (some of the night school programs we were using) which required us to have more band width and such...a cost that was once overlooked.
The overall cost of just keeping everything up and running seems to be difficult. I don't know what we would do without our e-rate grant and that doesn't even cover half of the things we need.
Kimberly
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