ICT Costs!

 Through a combination of resources expended and/or acquired there are costs and benifits involved; 

• time
• effort
• money
• knowledge & skills
• emotional resources

Even though costs and benifits may be realised over time there are many fianancial implications.

Some common costs

• Making the technology available.  Consider as an examples using an available PC to write simple notes or a PC plus digital camera plus printer to produce pictures of students on paper, when a pencil or Polaroid camera would be more cost-effective for an isolated task (if the Polaroid and film were also readily available!!. Where this is part of more complex project and the image will be used in a number of different ways for a number of different purposes then the relative cost=effectiveness of the Polaroid might be reduced.
• Frustration can be a cost and has been mentioned very often - it equates to a psychological cost or 'penalty' while attempting to use technology. It comes in several forms including the unwanted distractions associated with managing the technology, disappointment when windows of opportunity for teaching and learning are lost as a result of unreliable technology and blows to self esteem when one fails to use the technology successfully.
• Time.  Teachers consistently report that the amount of time required to find and become sufficiently familiar with suitable ICT based applications and material is often quite substantial. In many cases so much so that the effort is abandoned. Certainly few teachers report being able to attend to this aspect of their work at school. Thus an internet connected computer at home is important as is 'membership' of a professional learning group that is able to share knowledge, resources, successful practices and experiences thus saving each other time.

http://www.educ.utas.edu.au/users/ilwebb/Research/cost_effectiveness_ICT.htm viewed 15th October