A Benton Foundation report entitled “The Sustainability Challenge” has just surfaced. As the title implies, the report offers an analysis describing the concern that the underutilization of technology, growing budget issues in many states, and the flexibility allowed by No Child Left Behind to shift money from proposed funding categories may combine to encourage a slippage in technology commitments.
A number of useful issues and concerns are raised.
a) Budget issues – does the edtech committee understand the total array of costs that should be considered – Total Cost of Ownership
b) The disconnect between what students gain through quality educational uses of technology and what approaches are currently used to evaluate achievement
c) How we think about sustainability – is technology supposed to replace anything?
One personal irritation – I read these reports partly to identify useful primary sources. I want to access the research and documents that report writers are using to justify their claims. This paper has plenty of names and dates, but no actual citations.
