In responding to educational and administrative needs discussed in previous sections, educational institutions develop budgets. Budgets by their nature assign tangible value to both the tangible and intangible concerns of the institution.
Budgets force educators to prioritize.
The 2000 Plans to Purchase Survey sought data on potential educational technology dollars by asking respondents to indicate the funds budgeted for specific technologies. For microcomputers, Dell, Apple Macintosh, and Gateway were the preferred brands. In the notebook category, Compaq, IBM, and Dell were recognized above other brands. HP, Canon, and Epson were the preferred printer brands for both black and white and color printers. Sony brands took top honors in the Videoconferencing category.