New Web tool calculates tech costs. (District plus: tips and ideas for successful district leadership).

New Web tool calculates tech costs. (District plus: tips and ideas for successful district leadership). As anyone who buys computers and related education technologyknows, calculating true costs is confusing con��fuse?v. con��fused, con��fus��ing, con��fus��esv.tr.1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off.b. . Sure, it is easy enough tolook at the retail price for, say, 1,000 new laptops and estimate thetotal a district will spend on the hardware. But school districts rarelycalculate the not-so-obvious electricity costs, or the amount of staffhours (and salary) that should be allocated for training others andmaintaining the new technology. Now, two K-12 technology groups areoffering the K-12 TCO (1) (Total Cost of Ownership) The cost of using a computer. It includes the cost of the hardware, software and upgrades as well as the cost of the inhouse staff and/or consultants that provide training and technical support. See ROI. Calculator calculatoror calculating machine,device for performing numerical computations; it may be mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic. The electronic computer is also a calculator but performs other functions as well. . This free online tool automaticallyevaluates the true cost of technology and gives a five-year spendingprojection projection,in psychology: see defense mechanism. See rear-projection TV, front-projection TV and LCD panel. (theory) projection - In domain theory, a function, f, which is (a) idempotent, i.e. . Technology coordinators and others using the calculator must firstanswer an extensive questionnaire questionnaire,n a series of questions used to gather information.questionnaire,n a form usually filled out by patients that provides data concerning their dental and general health. that covers all relatedexpenses--obvious and otherwise. Users may have to review electricitybills, salaries for technology staff, projected hardware and softwarepurchases and other details. But once these financial details are filledin, the calculator will automatically calculate all related technologyspending and issue a downloadable report. The report is also designedfor school board presentations, say its developers. The calculator is a joint project of the Integrated TechnologyGroup and the Advancement of Emerging Technologies in Education group.www.iaete.org/tco