Integrating Technology Without Breaking the Bank

School budgets are tighter than ever, but that doesn’t mean your classroom has to go without state-of-the-art educational technology. Instead of wondering where your next piece of equipment of software will come from, why not take a proactive approach to procurement and funding?

Dustin Devers, instructor, business technology, at Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater, Okla., has taken that approach, and shares a few of his best tips for integrating technology into the classroom without breaking the bank:

♦ Seek out open source software and/or materials that will be free for personal and educational use. Moodle is a popular classroom management program, for example, and wikis provide free website setup and management tools that you can use to get your students interacting and collaborating online.

♦ Contact vendors, or companies in your area, that are disposing of old equipment that you might be able to use or integrate and employ as tools for your classroom. Approach them, explain your situation and figure out a win-win way to infuse your classroom with technology.

♦ Contact or send a letter to your student’s parents about recycling their old computer or electronics equipment to use in your classroom instead of just letting the equipment collect dust on a shelf somewhere in the house.

♦Don’t overlook the many grants and large corporations, such as Microsoft, that will help teachers fund projects that meet the organization’s specific guidelines.

For More Information

Moodle
www.moodle.org

Microsoft Education Programs
http://www.microsoft.com/education/educationprograms.mspx