Schools struggle to keep up with technology

This week my group is presenting a PowerPoint on Smartboards. I walked into last weeks class not even knowing what a Smartboard was and walking out thinking every classroom should have one. I was really motivated to find out why I had been working in a school for two years and attending college for quite some time now and I didn't know what a Smartboard was. I was really shocked to learn that some schools in the area have one in every classroom. This got me thinking....I wonder how schools can afford such expensive equipment?? I think that the lack of funds has definitely contributed to my lack of knowledge of new technology. I consider myself to have a fair amount of skills in working with technology but I am finding out more and more that I don't know near as much as I did a few years ago. As I was discussing the information I had learned about Smartboards with a teacher I work with, she was very interested. She thought it was such an interesting topic that she spoke with our superintendent about how to obtain some of the smartboards. She learned there was a list of places the smartboards would be purchased for first. Places like the library, media center, and computer labs were top on the list. It is the goal to one day have smartboards in every classroom in the school. However, as I was thinking about what she had said I realized this would not be happening soon. Small schools just do not have the funds to purchase expensive equipment like that in bulk without some kind of grand or government funding. This is so sad since there are many students who may not get the technological education they may need to work after they graduate.