What are minimum technology requirements for classroom?

This is a question that is asked a lot especially when classroom or school budgets are being discussed. Now I have a primary classroom, for years 5 and 6, so my technology requirements will be different from not only other grade levels in my school but also from secondary classrooms across different key learning areas or subjects.

Generally I believe that classrooms should have:

• Computer or laptop connected to a projector
• Sound system connected to this laptop/computer

That is it. Everything else I believe is wonderful to have but is not a necessity. BUT WHAT?!?!? I can hear you asking. What about the 21st Century learning requirements of technology? What about students moving into new ages? What about their requirements to learn new skills? Yes yes, I hear you, I understand that technology is fantastic to learn and use, personally I embed a lot of technology that I have access to in my lessons BUT I do not believe it is a necessity for learning.

Now access to technology across the school I believe is needed if the requirement is there i.e. I understand that around the world there are different requirements of education and therefore of technology needed. Currently teaching in Australia there is a need for technology use as the majority of the students I teach will go out into the world and get a job interacting with this technology, this may not be the case with other countries and areas.

Currently I have

• 4 desktop computers (slow but useable)
• 6 iPads (great when working but I think a little overpriced)
• 7 laptops (again slow but are definitely a plus)
• IWB attached to computer (mainly used as a projector although I am getting more into the IWB uses)

All this technology is fantastic and I do love it and use all of it a lot but I do not believe it is a minimum requirement for a classroom. I would love to have one to one technology but at the moment the school system could not support it in terms of bandwith and resource allocation.

Anyone else have ideas about minimum requirements for classrooms? What do you think?

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