If you’re not on summer vacation yet, hopefully you’re at least very close! As teachers, however, we know you’re always thinking about what you can do to improve your classrooms and offer your students a more exciting and relevant learning experience in the fall. Naturally, our first suggestion is to add new EdTech and STEAM tools. But, we know that it’s tough for many teachers to work these kinds of things into their budgets. Luckily for you, we also offer free budget consultation services and are about to hit you with some end-of-year budget tips!
How to Make the Most of your EdTech Budget
School principals, superintendents, and teachers are constantly trying to find ways to maximize the money they have by using it on innovative programs and learning tools for their students. In many districts, however, this tends to be a bit of a struggle. For low-income school systems, the importance of stretching the academic budget is extremely high and, as it comes time to think about next year’s budget, they will once again be tasked with this challenge. Just like in a political campaign, each student’s individual outcomes tend to improve with every dollar their district spends and many schools can take advantage of Title I funding or grant opportunities, so there are ways to find money. It’s knowing where to look and then using it strategically.
In order to stretch budget dollars at the end of the school year and acquire tech tools that will help students in the fall, the first thing that should be done is deciding what to buy. Not every school district will benefit from purchasing a dozen 3D printers (although some will) and not every district will benefit from adding some robotics tools (though, again, some will). It’s all about the needs of individual schools and the concepts teachers hope to focus on in the new year. Maybe schools already have some STEM tools and need updated devices (Chromebooks, tablets, etc.) to support them. Don’t just spend money on the first cool products you see. Take some time to decide what would provide students with the most opportunity at the best value.
School leaders can also try appealing to board members or to the community of parents and other citizens to try to secure some extra funds. This does sometimes work because everyone in the community tends to agree that spending money on improving education and, thus, improving the futures of students is a good thing. Some school leaders will also advocate for saving money in some areas, such as investing in current faculty and training them to teach students in new ways rather than hiring a bunch of new staff members. There is nothing wrong with this either—they already know the school system and the students, presumably. Once plans are in place and implemented in the classroom, it’s then up to school leaders to track the progress and decide to either spend more to make more improvements, scale back, or maintain a steady flow of spending to help students achieve more without sending the district into debt.
Creating a Makerspace on a Budget
Makerspaces—as innovative as they are—certainly do not have to wind up costing schools a ton of money. The most expensive component of the makerspace usually is constructing the space itself, but for schools that already have the space and are just looking to repurpose it, there are plenty of budget-friendly ways to get started. Today, students need to be proficient in so much more than mathematical formulas and what pieces make up the composition of a sentence. They need certain STEM skills that aren’t necessarily academic—skills they can begin to learn and develop in a makerspace. Makerspaces help teachers bring rote learning to life, encourage kids to become lifelong learners, and help them bolster problem-solving skills. Whether in a school or in the community, makerspaces serve as places where innovative people gather to brainstorm, solve problems, and create with technology.
Like any aspect of innovative education, makerspaces can be created and maintained even for schools with tight budgets. As we just mentioned, makerspaces are oftentimes very much community centered and those members of the community will probably be real excited to hear about one being developed in a school. Parents and other members of the community often have a bunch of what we would normally refer to as junk they’d like to get rid of and things like that are perfect to use in a makerspace. Once they hear about the makerspace design, there will probably be plenty of people looking to give you stuff and, if not, it’s not uncommon for educators to look for and ask for donations. Just about anything is usable in a makerspace and the power of persuasion can help educators get some good stuff for starting out.
To stretch your dollars even further, teachers can also make use of supplies and materials they already have. There are probably tons of old things lying around the school, in various classrooms, and at home to help get you started. Chances are your school also has a recycling program, where there could be a whole bunch of good stuff. Cardboard boxes, plastic bottles (when clean), and old art supplies are ideal for makerspaces. Since something can be recycled, there’s a good chance it can also be repurposed to help spur student creativity and problem solving in the makerspace. And, finally, teachers should take advantage of sites like Donors Choose or GoFundMe, where they can create a cause and receive donations from people who’d like to support it. These are some solid ways to get that makerspace started!
Even on a Budget, VR in Education is Possible
If you’ve seen or tried any virtual reality systems, there is a good chance you’ve tried something like the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive—both of which are incredibly powerful and vivid. There are also headsets like the Gear VR or View-Master, which are much less intense and more for users just starting out with this new medium. In both cases, virtual reality is likely not as expensive or as complicated to install as you might think. For example, the Oculus system with the headset, CPU, sensors, mouse, and keyboard comes in at under $2,800. For the power of this product, that’s not too much of a haul. Plus, there is tons of educational content available for both the Rift and the Vive for any educators interested in going that route. On the other hand, headsets like the View-Master and Gear VR are much more affordable, but also less engaging and exciting.
Whatever kind of budget you’re working with, however, there is something in the educational VR field that will fit into it. With knowledge of your budget in mind and foresight of any factors that might hinder the addition of virtual reality, it’s much easier for teachers and school leaders to plan how they will introduce it into the curriculum. Google Expeditions is another option for teachers to consider. Although some of the setups come with a hefty price tag, it’s important to keep in mind that these systems are designed to cater to a whole class of students (up to 30 at a time) and can be used by every class in the school throughout the year. If they choose, educators can also put together their own kits using cardboard viewers and research free apps that can run on school Wi-Fi, making the overall installation less of a hassle and less of a financial burden.
Along with the Gear VR and View-Master, other tech giants are also introducing new and affordable VR headsets. Though they may not be intentionally designed for use in education, each can certainly be adapted in the classroom. Companies on this list include Google, Microsoft, Lenovo, and Acer—all of which come in at under $300. It’s also important to note that these cheaper headsets can also run on mid-range computers (if necessary) rather than the high-end machines needed for devices like the Oculus. As more new tools continue to emerge, the overall cost of virtual reality will continue to fall, making it a more practical option for educators. The content that’s available will also improve and both students and teachers should see more benefits from the virtual reality that’s affordable to them.
Maximizing School Budgets as Dollars Increase
School budgets are generally thought of by teachers and the students they serve as pretty much nonexistent. Educators and students are often heard complaining that their school hardly allots any money for the improvement of facilities, learning materials, and even things like food and athletic fields. Of course, we know that schools are doing everything they can to maximize the money they do have in order to equip teachers and students with the latest tools for 21st century learning. Many school systems have even hired budget managers or grant coordinators to help ensure they are doing everything they can to give their students as much as possible. Now, as many schools will see an increase in funding that’s available, it’s important they continue to manage their money wisely whether they have only a little or a bit more.
Since passing the ESSA a couple of years ago, many school leaders have been eagerly awaiting additional federal funding to bolster their school’s programs, specifically when it comes to technology. The flow of federal dollars will benefit a number of schools, including those that already receive Title I dollars. This is a great way for schools to receive additional and much-needed funding, but they still have to continue to maximize these dollars. Rash spending on end-of-life tech products is not going to be very beneficial to their students and neither would purchasing a bunch of tools their teachers don’t know how to use. It’s important for school and district leaders to do the research, find out which technology will fit in their classrooms, and develop a plan to complement their learning goals with the money they receive.
Another thing budget departments should be doing is looking for grants. Grants are everywhere. I mean, absolutely everywhere. Ranging from a couple of hundred dollars up into the 6-figure territory, grants present an incredible opportunity to teachers who are willing to take the time to construct thoughtful proposals. Of course, if you win a grant, you wouldn’t have to worry about the school’s budget as much with the addition of these funds, which is great because then that budget can be used on other things. A quick Google search will turn up hundreds of hits from the federal government to smaller education companies that provide grant opportunities for teachers. And, hey, we just revamped our own grant program, so now you can have the opportunity to apply for a $500 tech grant on our website every month! You just have to know where to look and the opportunities for funding will appear.
Eduporium Budget Consultation Service
Oh, bet you didn’t see this one coming. The fifth suggestion on our list of ways to maximize your end-of-year budget has a lot to do with us. Our team may be small, but not only are we experts in educational technology, we can also help create a custom budgeting plan for your school or class. The best part about this service is that it’s 100 percent free. So, how’s it work? Well, we’re interested in finding out what you hope to accomplish with technology, what kind of budget you are working with, and your vision for creating a 21st century learning environment. After we get to know you, we’ll continue to work with you and provide tech recommendations and customized services as you need them.
Aside from our budget consultation, as you might already know, we also offer an Educator Discount program to help reduce the costs of new technology. With discounts of as much of 20 percent, we’ll be sure to find tech tools that qualify for the largest discounts while remaining within your parameters. And, since our store is home to hundreds of different EdTech products all in one place, it’s super easy to create custom bundles for you as well! Whatever you need, there’s a good chance you can get it from us and, as we said, we’ll always be conscious of your budget limitations. All you have to do is get in touch with us and we’ll take care of the rest! To get started, you can visit our website and look for the bar at the top to enter your email. Then, we’ll reach out to you to get the conversation started.
The final plug we’ll make before we let you get back to planning for your summer vacation is in regards to our new EdTech Grant program. Just launched last week, we will award one $500 technology grant per month to an educator who shows an eye for innovation and who can demonstrate financial need. The $500 award can be used on any of the STEM tools in our store and the program is open to all educators, including classroom teachers, administrators, makerspace leaders, tech directors, librarians, and professors. Discovering and acquiring new STEM tools shouldn’t be a burden for schools and teachers. Eduporium’s monthly grant program makes it’s a little bit easier. To learn more about the program or to apply for this month’s grant, visit our grant page. Now, have a happy summer.
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