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Student Owned Devices

The buzz in the educational technology world is student owned devices. There are many aspects of this issue, everything from network security to accessibility.

There seems to be an appetite in Alberta to have students supply their own educational technology. This sounds great if you have a stretched budget and would rather buy servers and infrastructure than desktop or laptop computers. This paper will examine the various aspects of the issue.

Network Security

Compatibility

Standard Equipment

Accessibility Alberta has weathered many cycles of the boom and bust as energy prices rise and fall. The citizens have experienced this same cycle. We are currently in a situation where we may be coming out of the bust part of the economic cycle. This means that the parent may be able to afford an inexpensive laptop or handheld device for their child. With prices of this type of equipment ranging from $200 for an Apple iPod Touch to $500 for an average laptop to $1200 for a top of the line laptop, there seems to be a price point for everyone. That assumption may be right for the average family, but what about the 25% of children in Alberta who live below the poverty line. We hear stories that support the advertisement on television stating that families have to choose between electricity and food. While that may be rare, there are a lot of families that have to choose food or to pay school fees. What if we bump up the school fees by $500 per child? While it may not actually be school fees, it is a cost associated with going to school. Those schools located in the parts of town with the lower socio-economic status would surely notice the discrepancy between the haves and the have nots. It is the province's responsibility to create an level playing field; this may tilt the table so far that it is unreasonable to expect students who live in poverty to ever escape the poverty cycle.

Responsibility of educational jurisdictions to provide the essential equipment for education.

School fee increase or tax on families