On the other hand, a critical mass is also required. Falling short of critical mass may lead to committing dribs and drabs of funding with no apparent benefit. You may even create a demand or expectation that you can't fulfill, leading to frustration among students and staff. Paying for the hardware is just the tip of the iceberg. The most common first reaction to this is paralysis.
Many schools regard it as the cost of doing business in today's world.
Imagine you are writing an article for the professionals in educational technology. It is important to determine a set of standards which will persist throughout the school, or at least through major portions of the school. If no technology exists now, or if you are essentially replacing an entire technology program, then this is considerably simpler than if competing technologies already exist. These debates are often heated, taking on the qualities of a religious war. They can sidetrack a technology program for months or even years.