Next Year's Technology Fees Explained
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
In November, Darlington announced that it would expand the technology integration pilot program in 2012-13 to include students in grades 4 through 9. Although the school's plan for technology integration is rooted in curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment improvement, discussion usually trends toward that of laptops, tablets and cost. Today, that is particularly true as Darlington announces its technology fees for next year, so I'm going to offer some details regarding what the fees will cover.
Next year's technology fees are $475 for grades 7-9 and $250 for grades 4-6. The fee was established after simply calculating the hard costs of the program by student. That fee basically covers the cost of the device, a standard set of software, a case, warranty, and insurance, all considering a device lifetime of three years. Also worth noting is that the amount of the fee will be reevaluated yearly to make sure we continue to cover program costs. The fee and program in general will be reevaluated after three years.
For those who are interested in numbers, let me break them down. The $475 technology fee for grades 7-9 will include a 13" MacBook Pro with three years' warranty, Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite and a case. The chart below breaks these numbers down.
The $250 technology fee for grades 4-6 will include an Apple iPad 32 GB with three years warranty. In fact, we'll be offering a longer warranty than you can get from Apple.
You'll see in the chart below that both fees break even compared to the cost of buying the resources individually, even before the cost of insurance is even added.
| Technology fee grades 7-9: $475 Cost breakdown below if purchased individually |
|
| MacBook | $1,099 |
| AppleCare Warranty, 3 years | $183 |
| Microsoft Office for Mac | $90 |
| Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection |
$799 |
| Protective case | $50 |
| Insurance (3 years from reputable provider) | $360 |
| Total |
$2,581 |
| Technology fee grades 4-6: $250 Cost breakdown below if purchased individually |
|
| iPad 2 32GB | $599 |
| AppleCare Warranty, 2 years (third year not possible) | $79 |
| Software: Pages, Keynote, Numbers, iMovie, Garageband | $40 |
| Protective case | $40 |
| Insurance (3 years from reputable provider) | $196 |
| Total | $954 |
I've already had some questions that I'd like to answer for everyone.
- Will students be able to keep the device over breaks and the summer?
Yes, starting next year. Having these devices be important in our student's digital lives is part of the program and we want you to feel like this can be your student's only computer.
- What happens to the computers at the end of the three years?
When a device comes to the end of its three-year life, it will still have value. The school will offer these computers for a negligible cost to interested students who have been invested in the program. Certain software or other information may be removed prior to sale as required by licensing restrictions. The remaining devices will be used in mission-appropriate ways by the school.
- What other costs may I expect?
The insurance included in the fee covers damage outside normal wear and tear and as with any insurance, it comes with a deductible. We'll release full information on this with the devices. For example, accidental damage such as broken screens or keyboards has a $100 deductible. Simple loss of a device would also incur full replacement cost. Additionally, software, textbooks, or other resources that may be required for individual classes would be additional.
On top of how these numbers add up to be a great benefit to parents, there are other benefits that come with this fee and having your student be a part of a Darlington program of integrated technology. You will not have to worry about what to buy, when to buy, and how to repair it if that time ever comes. Your student will be with other students and teachers with the same device and will use it to a potential you will be impressed to see. These and many other reasons led us to go with a school-owned approach versus having every parent buy their own device, but I will go more into that discussion in my next blog! In the meantime, if you have questions, please post them below or send me an e-mail.
