Introduction
We are fortunate to have a very supportive community. On occasion, community members will offer to donate used or new equipment. Where this equipment facilitates teaching and learning, and doesn’t cause support or equity issues, we are most appreciative. In general, things that meet this criteria include DVD/VCR players, LCD projector screens, InterWrite tablets and similar devices,things which a building might purchase on its own if it had the funds to do so.Donations of Equipment
Every donation carries an associated cost, and we need to be certain that these costs represent a wise investment of technology dollars.
In the consumer market, manufacturers replace PC models very frequently in order to offer the latest and greatest equipment and compete in the marketplace. Typically, the lifespan of a given model is 6-9 months, and the parts used for constructing that model are subject to variation. Conversely, in the institutional market, models have a 12-18 month lifespan, and parts are more stable. Institutions need this stability in order to ensure that equipment functions properly within a networked environment. For example, each different type of desktop and laptop computer must be set up and an “image” developed. This entails installing all of the necessary software applications, setting defaults, and ensuring that everything works as intended – a fairly lengthy process. Once set, this “image” is copied onto every machine of the same type in the district. As we have hundreds of each type of machine and the copy process is much faster than manually installing all of the needed applications, we save time and achieve uniformity, which is a key element in problem-solving when hardware/software problems arise.
Historically, one way to deal with the problems of creating non-standard networked machines has been to use them in a non-networked manner. Unfortunately, this too creates problems:
- How to factor in these non-standard devices when trying to ensure equity across buildings?
- Who to service when hardware or software problems arise?
- What to do (replace/ignore) when instructional programs have been built around these devices and then the device ultimately wears out?
In the past, we have described our PC donation criteria. This has effectively created a series of hurdles against which nobody is likely to pass. In truth, because of the different nature of consumer vs. institutional machines, the environments in which they operate, and support and equity issues, we can not make cost-effective use of donated PC’s (new or used).
Disposal of Equipment
Our goal is to work with community support organization(s) to set up a donation processing center as a clearinghouse for donated computers and those cycled out from the District. If a donated computer is adequate or could be cost-effectively refurbished, it could be re-distributed to the community, based on a needs assessment. Otherwise, it would be the responsibility of the clearinghouse to dispose of the equipment in a legal and socially acceptable manner. This approach saves the District money in various ways:- It minimizes or eliminates the cost of equipment disposal.
- With appropriate district-based software in place, it facilitates electronic communication with parents (e.g. grade reports, etc.), thereby reducing paper and postage costs.