Measuring the Value of Investment

I didn't get to go to the seminar titled 'Measuring the Value of Investment for Technology Projects,' but I did stop by the room and get the powerpoint notes for it. (Profcast anyone? Would be the perfect time to use it.)
Anyway, here is the description in the conference brochure of the seminar:

'Implementation and costs of technology initiatives can be estimated, as can the savings in terms of reduced expenditures and staff productivity. This return on investment approach falls short when value is aligned with qualitative elements of the school's mission. We will discuss measuring and aligning the value of technology projects with school goals and identify some of these areas of value.'

Sounds interesting, but I do think that (in part at least) there is a product advertisement hidden underneath. I think that this would be a good thing to explore once we get at least initial pieces of technology in our school. Probably we would want to use this tool once we have a more substantial technology budget or are talking about implementing technology for a greater number of students and staff.

Here are the websites discussed:
www.cosn.org

Go to www.edtechvoi.org for:

• CoSN-Gartner Tool, Data definitions and case studies
• White papers and presentations
• Additional tools and resources
  

Go to www.classroomtco.org for:

• articles and presentation
• One-to-one case studies
• technology project cost estimator
• project benefits worksheet

An email contact (the presenter?) for further info is: k12tco@alyrica.net. I believe that if you email him with a specific situation, he will email you back suggestions.



As an addendum:

What is a White Paper?

The term white paper is an offshoot of the term white book, which is an official publication of a national government. A famous white paper example is the Winston Churchill White Paper of 1922, which addressed political conflict in Palestine.

A white paper typically argues a specific position or solution to a problem. Although white papers take their roots in governmental policy, they have become a common tool used to introduce technology innovations and products. A typical search engine query on "white paper" will return millions of results, with many focused on technology-related issues.

White papers are powerful marketing tools used to help key decision-makers and influencers justify implementing solutions.

(taken from http://www.stelzner.com/copy-g-HowTo-whitepapers.php - Wed, Feb 14th, 3:33pm)