Mobile EdTech 101: 3 Things You Should Know About the Mobile Education Trend

Lesson #3: Get The Piggybank Ready
Even with special discounts for educational institutions, cost is often number one on the list of challenges for schools looking to implement mobile. Just imagine you’re the Los Angeles Unified School District, which planned to purchase approximately 45,000 iPads. Even though the district received a $200 discount off each standard iPad, the cost for the district was still estimated at $30 million.

And purchasing devices is only where the cost of mobile edtech starts. Broken and lost equipment can also lead to additional financial burdens for schools and other educational institutions. For that reason, it’s important for schools to consider the life of the device and not just the purchase cost.

Educators should ask themselves:

What will be done when a device breaks?
Will devices need to be shipped out for repairs?
How long will the school be without the device?

Sure, a mobile device repair center might be a good option, but it will be important for schools to consider those potential costs.

School administrators should also consider what happens if the device cannot be repaired. Some schools may choose to budget for replacement devices while others may opt for a mobile protection plan that covers damage for any reason. Budgeting for both replacements and protection plans addresses potential mobile edtech issues, but each approaches the lifecycle of a device differently.

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