Barriers to Implementing a 1 to 1 Program

Sorry, guys! I accidentally posted this under my other class!

Implementing a 1 to 1 program would provide many benefits to students and teachers. However, several barriers could make such a large project prove to be impossible. First of all, the cost of such a huge implementation would be overwhelming for most districts. Funding a computer for every student in every school could easily cost millions, depending on the size of the district. Add to that the cost of ITS personnel to maintain that equipment. Also, licensing fees for software could be quite daunting. I know at my school alone it is a $50 fee per additional computer for Office. All in all, I think cost would be the major deterrent in implementing a 1 to 1 program. Once funding was achieved, then the district would face the obstacle of maintaining the laptops. On top of this is the challenge of making sure students do not abuse the laptops, etc. The program sounds awesome, but what happens in three years when the laptops are way outdated? All that money would have already been spent. Do they spend it again? We all know how computers function after being used for awhile. I would LOVe for all my students to have a laptop, but I just don't know how practical the program is.