E-Rate?

Does your school have E-Rate?  Are you signed up for E-Rate?  Have you filled out the paperwork for E-Rate?  Wait...What.Is.E-Rate? 
I have heard about E-Rate for about 3 months now and been asked the above questions, repeatedly...and honestly I thought "We don't have it now, we don't need to worry about it".  Well, that was until I started working on that dreaded thing called BUDGET and I realized that we needed to find some ways to save our school some money.  So, I questioned one my colleagues that asked if I was using E-Rate for our school, what exactly is E-Rate.  Her response was a simple one that I liked..."it is a way for your school to save money on their telephone and internet bill"!  YES!!! Save money, sign me up!  That is when I started doing research (and lucky for me, it fits into my EDU 617 class!).
So, the question is what is E-Rate..."E-Rate is the commonly used name for the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund, which is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (SUAC) under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission(FCC)" (From Wikipedia).  Got it?  Question answered? Probably not....So, let's try again.  E-Rate is a program that provides discounts to assist schools and libraries in the United States to obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access.  A great way to help your budget by saving you money on your telecommunications.  Though the Archdiocese of Omaha has cautioned that you do not incorporate the E-Rate discounts into your school budget because funding can vary from year to year. 
Okay, so now how do I receive the funding?  Thankfully the Archdiocese has complied a great brochure called Understanding E-Rate (or if you will...E-Rate for Dummies), thank you Doug Zauha!  In order for your school to be successful in establishing E-Rate funds, it takes time, effort, and patience; it is even suggested to establish an E-Rate Team at your school (I have a team, it includes me, myself, and I).  There are two categories associated with E-Rate, Category I and Category II.  Each has its own requirements for filing (which I am talking more about in my paper) and the filing window goes from late November through March (so I have plenty of time to get this finished up)!  ;)  Also, within the Categories, you have Form 470, Form 471, and Form 486, all of which have different guidelines and requirements to file for their specific benefits.  Thankfully I have been scheduled to talk with an E-Rate expert tomorrow (not sure on the time yet) to help me learn about and how to file for E-Rate.  It is suggested that I compile a binder which includes Build Entity Number (BEN), BEN password, and patience.  Do you think it is a bad thing if I have no idea what a BEN is, not to mention the password.  (I will let you know how this meeting goes).  I have the patience part of the equation!  I have also done some research so know a little more about this than I did a month ago.  I also think that had I been aware of this prior to us installing all our new infrastructure, wiring, etc. we could have gotten a discount on some of those costs; I do intend to ask if it is still possible to ask for assistance even though they have been installed.
So, I hope you have learned a little bit about E-Rate, I am going to continue my research and get this E-Rate business figured out before the filing window closes!  I am not sure you learned anything from this blog, but it was entertaining for me to put what is going on in my head down on "paper".  Please pray we don't get any snow here, I put the shovel away!  God Bless.

Being in the rural area of Nebraska and at a Catholic school, both of which I LOVE, my technology experiences are limited!  (I didn't even have Twitter until this class).  I don't feel like we are in the stone age when it comes to technology, but probably far behind most schools.  We currently are in the middle of receiving new technology for our schools through an Ignite the Faith Grant through our Archdiocese, which we are very excited and grateful for. 
Currently, we have a computer lab full of desk top computers, most of which do not work and cause frustration for teachers and students!  We have SmartBoards in our classrooms (which I have been told are "old news"), desktops for student use and each teacher has a laptop.  Our new "stuff", which we are anxiously and impatiently waiting for, includes AppleTVs, new projectors/screens/speakers, iPads (set of 20 for each building), laptops for our computer lab (and use in classrooms) and new laptops for our teachers.  All our products will be Apple, which is a switch for us.  We are all willing to learn and excited to try something new...a few are apprehensive about letting their old laptops go, but I assured them, they will be okay!  Why did we choose Apple?  We previewed different brands and wanted AppleTVs, so we thought sticking with one brand for compatibility would be best. 
The world of technology is always changing, and that is scary (for me)...I think because I look at it as a mom and all the possibilities, good and bad. When it is well balanced with non-technological things, like the outside world, I think it is a good thing...but I sometimes feel a lot of children don't have that balance.  Our students do need to have exposure to technology and use it daily as their world will be much more digital than it is now.  So, for me this class is going to open my eyes to new possibilities for our school, which excites me! 
I like to think personally I know technology...but I think I know enough to "get by".  I have a lot to learn and am excited to learn new things in this class that I can use to better our school and help myself and my staff.  I hope to learn ways that we can use all the "new stuff" we are getting and make it an enjoyable learning experience for everyone involved and an amazing resource to our already fantastic classrooms.