Financing the Networked School Community: Building upon the Home Investment
Mal Lee, Glenn Finger · 2010
Over the last decade there have been numerous government initiated and funded programs across the developed world based on the idea of school-wide student use of computer laptops, 1:1 or 'ubiquitous' computing and, more recently, Netbooks. Ten years later than Dede's statement (quoted above), the education authorities in Okanagan School District in Canada made the 'startling' observation that not only could the district not afford the 1:1 laptop program, but the students already had the technology in their homes (Vancouver Sun 2008). And all this was before the 2008-2009 global financial crisis and the substantial debt accrued by most developed nations. While at the time of writing the authors were unable to identify how many other Okanagan examples had transpired, it is likely that many other school districts across North America and the rest of the world now realise that they cannot afford to maintain laptop or 'ubiquitous' computing programs and, also, that most of their students already have better technology in the home.