What role does school administrators have in technology purchasing?
So your technology coordinator comes to you, the principal, and suggests that the school consider purchasing new devices? According to Frazier and Hearington (2017), "When, teachers, administrators, board members, community representatives, and students are all involved, a variety of needs and ideas can be expressed and vetted, and a broad base of support can be established for the plan" (p. 169). A principal must have a clearly defined purpose for the purchase. Are the new devices being purchased as replacements? What is the school's technology plan? If the devices need to be replaced, then a few criteria have to be met. Most notably is the company's past service, the number of equipment problems related to the manufacturer, and its overall quality. If all of the criteria have been positive, the principal will most likely consider re-purchasing the equipment. However, suppose the purchase is for new equipment. In that case, the school principal will expect the coor...