What is the Value of Educational Technologies In Schools

Understanding the costs as well as the value of educational technologies in schools is important for school leaders to be able to strategically lead school development processes. This paper outlines some of the findings from the first case studies emerging from the international project, Measuring the value of educational technologies in schools, involving a school in each of USA, UK and Australia. The Measuring the value of educational technologies in schools research project is examining the relationships that exist in schools between educational technologies or ‘tangible information technology (IT) assets’, and ‘intangible assets’ such as the capabilities of teachers and schools leaders. The project is investigating how the value of both tangible and intangible assets in schools may be measured with a view to informing how approaches to measurements of ‘value’ of technologies in schools can be synthesized to inform leaders’ decision-making. The development of the case studies has been informed by the views of education leaders (both principals and administrators), teachers, students, librarians, technology specialists, and finance officers in the schools involved in the first stage of this project.