School districts looking to make one-to-one technology a sustainable reality need a strong five-year technology plan.

Year over year, educational technology costs in the U.S. steadily climb, with reports showing that national spending topped an incredible $13 billion in 2019. There’s a good reason for this trend: studies indicate that classroom technology can expand access to quality education, improve engagement and information retention, and reduce teacher burden.

In particular, one-to-one (1:1) technology has gathered steam in recent years. “One-to-one” refers to the idea that equipping each student with a dedicated laptop or tablet can increase technological literacy, opportunities for personalized education, and overall engagement. In 2013 and 2014, school districts purchased more than 23 million laptops and tablets for student use, an encouraging step toward equipping every public school student in America with a dedicated device.

But if the school districts that made these large investments in 1:1 initiatives six years ago failed to outline and implement a detailed five-year tech plan, they’re now likely scrambling to deal with the end of these devices’ lifecycles. Suddenly repairing or replacing a full districts’ worth of laptops or tablets can be overwhelming or even impossible, especially if it wasn’t built into the budget well ahead of time.

What Is a Five-Year Tech Plan?

To ensure that districts will never be taken by surprise, proper planning is required to implement and scale district-wide technology efforts. A five-year tech plan can allow administrators to fit new devices into their budget and funding requests well ahead of schedule. That said, planning for the future is easier said than done for administrators who are facing the demands of a busy day-to-day.

A five-year tech plan can map out just when and where new devices will be implemented, upgraded, or replaced, minimizing surprise expenses and near-guaranteeing preparedness. Implementing 1:1 device initiatives in schools inevitably results in a lot of moving parts, and it’s up to district administrators to ensure nothing slips through the cracks — and a five-year tech plan can help.

The first step in creating a robust five-year plan is taking inventory, creating a full breakdown of a district’s devices and their predicted lifespans so that replacements can be worked into the budget well ahead of time. This inventory should include teacher devices, as well — many districts focus their energy on 1:1 initiatives and make the mistake of overlooking this vital component of their tech plan until teacher laptops have already ceased to function.

Districts also need to take careful stock of their network, the often-unseen infrastructure that keeps devices up and running. In fact, network inventory is often where districts find their tech plan most valuable. Pulling lifecycle information for servers, switches, backups, routers, and other backend devices can bolster E-Rate applications and help schools receive 50-60% discounts, or as much tens of thousands of dollars in state funding each year.

How Vinson Managed Services Can Help

The benefits of a five-year tech plan are difficult to deny — so why aren’t more schools using them? Truthfully, most school districts don’t have enough staff resources to take complete inventory of each school’s devices and their respective lifecycles, much less create a well-documented and effective five-year tech plan.

Districts that wish to implement a five-year tech plan tend to make a few common mistakes. Firstly, and most frequently, their device inventory is cursory or incomplete. Secondly, their inventory is skewed by inaccurate lifecycle management. Recording based on purchase dates or device lifespans can leave districts in a sticky situation when they realize that lack of compatibility with new software versions renders their devices unusable in the education space.

Finally, many districts fall into the trap of creating tech “plans” that are more like nebulous tech ideas, lacking detailed timelines, clear budgets, and attainable goals. That’s where an expert partner like Vinson can help. The Vinson team offers IT managed services dedicated solely to K-12 school districts, meaning our expertise in supporting education technology is unmatched. Our experienced technicians work alongside administrators and officials to create functional, forward-minded tech plans that grow and change based on your district’s evolving needs.

The Vinson team are also experts in E-Rate funding and EMIS reporting, which can help ensure that you not only know what lies ahead, but you have the budget to ensure it’s possible. With our team acting as your personal tech coordinator, your district is in an ideal position to receive the state funding to which it’s entitled, plus a detailed plan to put it to use.

To learn more about Vinson’s technology consulting services, contact us today.