March 2008 — News
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Open Source Computer Donation Program Aims To Go Nationwide
The equipment may be old and too outmoded to run high-overhead software that's designed to force new hardware purchases, but with low-overhead, yet modern, systems--particularly the likes of Ubuntu--old machines can perform at the same levels as newer machines running commercial operating systems for common personal, office, and education-focused software. ACCRC machines are presently in the 800 MHz range (technology from the late '90s to early '00s). You wouldn't want to render 4k image sequences on them, but you can easily use them for writing, browsing the Web, compiling presentations, and so on with no trouble, especially with an OS that's designed to excel on minimal systems.
According to Burgett, about a third of computer donations come through the front door as casual dropoffs. Another third comes from contracts with state and county agencies. And the final third comes from ACCRC's haul-away service, which sends trucks out to collect electronics from local residents and businesses. He's currently looking for donations from "everybody who's looking at throwing a computer away right now." (See contact information at the end of this article for more details on donating.)
Too Cool for Some Schools?
Once the machines are ready to go, Burgett keeps them handy for a few days to ensure that they're in proper working order. Then they begin to be distributed. Schools interested in receiving the computers merely fill out a form, and then they're put on a list, with priority going to the more needy of the applicants.
"I have a list of schools going back over the last three years. We're looking at what we've got, and we're looking at how the machines fit in and going from their," Burgett told us. "I know of right now five classrooms that are receiving machines, and we've got the books open to see what else fits in right now." It will work out to up to 100 computers per month deployed.
Schools currently signed up to participate include Ascend School, Bella Vista Elementary, Casa Grande High School, KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy, Lockwood School, Mission High School, and Whittier Elementary School, all in Northern California.
Teachers and students, of course, appreciate the technology donations (especially given that teachers often spend a considerable amount of money on classroom tools out of pocket). But it doesn't always fly with administrators. Burgett cited one example of an administrator causing problems. He'd finished a complete classroom deployment, bringing computers in and setting them up at no expense to the school. Then an administrator walked in an put the kibosh on the whole deal and "[stuck] the whole thing in a closet."
"There have been obstructive administrations, IT departments that seem to think that if they deploy free software they will lose chunks of budget," Burgett said. "The 'if its free, it can't be any good' school of thought is also popular. We also (in my opinion) have teachers who have been so traumatized by our school system that they are unwilling to think outside the box or even acknowledge that the box exists.
"On the other hand," he continued, "we have teachers and admins who are willing to try something new rather than embrace an old and ongoing failure. These interestingly enough tend to be on both extremes of the financial spectrum while thin in the middle. Wealthy schools can afford to make mistakes, and very poor ones have nothing to lose."
Extra Credit The Alameda County Computer Resource Center is looking for schools, organizations, and individuals who want to get involved with taking this initiative nationwide. Below are some links to resources for requesting equipment, donating equipment, and volunteering for the effort. Technical mastery is not required for volunteering. Volunteers can include everyone from hardware gurus to users of open source software to people who just want to help out by cleaning up the machines themselves. You can also contact James Burgett or Andrew Fife directly with further questions at the e-mail addresses below. Contact Information Volunteering Donations
Requests for Equipment --D. Nagel |
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About the author: David Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's online education technology publications, including THE Journal and Campus Technology. He can be reached at dnagel@1105media.com.
Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at dnagel@1105media.com.
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