[LINK] Lenovo, Microsoft, Adobe win NSW schools contract

[Anthony Hornby]

I wonder what the incentives are in all of this? I don't know how
primary / secondary education IT is funded or how decisions about
platforms / software / hardware are made but I get the feeling from
discussions on LINK this is decided by education departments and not
individual schools - is that correct?

If the schools had direct control over the technology options they
adopted and any $$$ savings in infrastructure and support costs
directly flowed to their budgets for teaching / buildings / other
things with local impact they care about this would be a strong
motivator to try new and more cost effective approaches that require
some retraining / new approaches.

If the decisions are being made for them by middle management
somewhere in a department and the schools themselves don't see any of
the potential savings from alternate technologies & approaches there
wouldn't be much motivation to look outside the established status quo
(Microsoft + other commercial products) would there?

Can someone fill me in on how IT for primary / secondary decisions are made?

Regards Anthony

2009/4/2 Marghanita da Cruz <marghanita at ramin.com.au>:
> The premier's site includes the list of Microsoft and Adobe products the
> students will get....this sounds more like an advertising/endorsement than a
> tender contract.
>
>> The digital education revolution is here
>>
>> 1 April 2009
>>
>> Premier Nathan Rees today announced that a $150 million contract to build up to 267,000 laptops has been awarded to Lenovo (Australia and New Zealand) Pty Ltd.
> <snip>
> <http://www.premier.nsw.gov.au/Newsroom/Articles/2009/April/090401_The_digital_education_revolution_is_here.html>
>
> --
> Marghanita da Cruz
> http://www.ramin.com.au
> Phone: (+61)0414 869202
>
>
>
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