Put your company's old laptops to work; increase access to technology for our tamariki.
“I would love to say thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to now work on my Photography at home and I am so grateful for that, so yet again thank you. “
“Thank you so much for the laptop which we are sharing in our electronics workshop. It means we can actually use a computer near our project and program directly. It makes it so much faster.”
Current Projects
Rongotai College
We are looking for both low and high-spec laptops that help address digital inequality in classrooms and set learners up for success whatever subjects they want to pursue.
Currently, the school has a BYOD policy, but not all families are able to provide devices for their children. Any device will be useful, but we are looking to support students whose families can't provide high-spec machines that meet the needs of more technically demanding subjects. In particular, Year 13 students that take advanced courses in design, photography and media require a relatively powerful device to utilise the software supplied. For some students, it limits their choices of subjects. Some top students are struggling not due to lack of effort or knowledge, but because they don’t have access to the same devices as their peers. The goal is to provide a number of laptops with a 2ghz processor and 16GB ram for photography, design and media to further close the gap of digital inequality.
30% complete
Northcote College
Northcote College is looking for Chromebooks and laptops to provide equal learning opportunities for all students, regardless of financial situation.
The school has a BYOD policy. This year, they estimate that around 80 students will need to be supplied a device. The school has already loaned out 48 devices on a long-term basis. Unfortunately, there are still students on the waiting list, so they are seeking to provide an additional 30-40 devices, including both high spec laptops and Chromebooks, with at least an i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD.
These devices will be available to use in the classroom and at home. By providing these devices, they aim to ensure that all students have access to the learning tools they need to succeed academically and prepare them for the digital world beyond school.
32% Complete
Edmonton Primary School
High spec laptops with good battery life are needed to support digital learning opportunities for Year 5 and 6 students.
Currently, each classroom has around 10-12 Chromebooks of varying ages and models, which are shared among the students. However, teachers would love to provide 1:1 devices for each student, in order to enhance their learning experience. It is not feasible to ask students to bring their own devices.
Year 5 and 6 teachers are particularly interested in using Minecraft as a tool for learning, and the software runs best on a Windows laptops or MacBooks. By having more Windows laptops in our school, we would open up richer digital learning opportunities for these students.
The school is seeking around 45 devices with a minimum of i5 processors, 8 GB RAM, and 128 GB SSD. Good battery life would also be advantageous to support learning both in and out of the classroom.
40% Complete
Forrest Hill School
High-spec laptops that enable students to unlock their potential in Digital Technology classes.
The school's Digital Technology Centre is a hub for Minecraft, basic video editing, Make Code, mBlock, Lego applications, and more. Some of the current laptops are over eight years old, and are struggling to keep up with the demands of the programme. This year, they were able to purchase 10 good secondhand laptops, but still need additional devices to meet the needs of students.
The school is seeking high-spec laptops with a minimum i5 processor, 128GB or higher SSD drives, and at least 8GB of RAM (preferably 16GB). The school aims to ensure their students have access to the tools they need to thrive in their Digital Technology classes and beyond.
5% done
Manurewa High School
Mid-high specification laptops to provide to students to meet BYOD requirements.
The school has a BYOD policy and an existing scheme to provide devices to students who are unable to supply their own laptops. They are seeking devices to supplement this programme and ensure that no students miss out. They are seeking devices with i5 or better processor, 4gb+ RAM and 256gb or more of storage.
16% done
St Mary's College
High specification laptops to lend to students to meet BYOD requirements.
The school has a BYOD policy and an existing scheme which allows students to borrow devices from the library on a daily basis. They currently don’t have enough devices to lend out, and students are being turned away.
They are seeking 20-30 devices with 8gb+ RAM and 256gb or more of storage.
Longburn Adventist College
Mid-high specification laptops to provide to students to meet BYOD requirements.
The school has a BYOD policy. Senior students require access to a device outside of school hours in order to complete assessments and assignments.
Longburn is seeking 8 devices to supply to students unable to afford their own devices in order to address inequity in access to technology.
Kawaha Point School
KPS is a primary school in Rotorua. We are currently poorly resourced in terms of technology. While the senior school has access to Chromebooks, the middle school, have no student-facing devices (there are approximately 25 Ipads flagged for the middle school, but these have not been deployed). With a curricular focus on writing, we are seeking devices with keyboards to support this initiative. With approximately 90 students enrolled in the middle school, 50 devices would give us a 1:2 device ratio that would be adequate to allow us to bring digital elements into our literacy program. Low-spec chromebooks would be sufficient for this project.
56% done
How it works
Schools/kura can register a project with The Laptop Drop to increase access to technology for tamariki. As companies depreciate and replace laptops, instead of sending the still well-functioning laptops to the recycle centre, they provide them to the school/kura directly to be used in classrooms.
Companies that register with The Laptop Drop will be listed on our site and can show The Laptop Drop stamp on theirs. Our ultimate goal is not a one-off donation, but an ongoing relationship to continue to supply laptops to schools/kura through a reverse marketplace.
Companies that have donated already
FAQ
What happens to laptops?
Laptops are donated to schools registered with The Laptop Drop. Really the only requirement is that they must be used for the tamariki in an education setting and requested by a teacher or school leader. We are not education specialists and so want to leave the details around the what and how to the people who are providing our children’s education. Some recommended approaches for schools/kura are: extra devices in classes, loan laptops for students for the year or giving them directly to the students/families.
What if we don't have laptops available now?
Register anyway, we understand that it may be weeks or months before you are refreshing your laptops. All we hope is that when you do, you give the ones that you don’t need any more to a school/kura.
Can I register for my own child?
Sadly no, but if you talk to a teacher they can register and the issue can be solved that way. There are a number of other organisations supplying devices directly to children.
Can you take broken laptops?
No sorry, we only take well-functioning laptops. Neither we nor the schools/kura are set up to repair laptops.
What laptops do you take?
Well-functioning laptops of any type, ideally reformatted with the original operating system. All high spec laptops go to secondary schools for design, photography, art or technology and the lower spec laptops are suitable for primary or junior schools to be used as chrome books.
The Minimum ChromeOS spec is:
RAM: 4 GB.
Internal storage: 16 GB.
Bootable from a USB drive.
BIOS: Full administrator access
Why do companies have laptops to give away?
About every three years most IT developers request or require a new, usually high spec, computer. After this time, laptops are fully depreciated and so have no book value for the company anymore. We can’t speak for every company, but from experience managing engineering teams, we would often store them for a “just in case” scenario in a cupboard. After spending a couple of years unused in the cupboard, the laptops would be sent away for recycling. Instead, during this time they could have been used in schools/kura where there is an actual need.
Can we donate money to The Laptop Drop?
We are not a registered charity and we don’t accept monetary donations.
However, there are other ways you can help. Some laptops do not come with chargers so if you don’t have laptops but want to give your support, we can provide you with a weblink to the chargers needed and the school/kura address to send them to. Some schools/kura also have a lack software and we are happy to introduce you to them. They can provide donation receipts for this.
Otherwise donate to KidsCan https://www.kidscan.org.nz/donating-to-kidscan/
How is The Laptop Drop funded?
The website and fixed costs are funded by the team at ResolvePay see www.resolvepay.co.nz
Can I volunteer to help?
The Laptop Drop is a really streamlined operation that fortunately doesn’t need lots of volunteers. If you know of any companies that are keen to get involved, or schools that require laptops, we would love you to send them our way.
If your interesting in helping reach out through the contact us.
What if we don't have desktops and 3D printers etc?
Great, let us know and we’ll try to find a school/kura that would gratefully accept them.
How many laptops does a school need?
Mmmm depends on the setup in each school, but generally speaking 20-30 extra laptops in a school with a BYOD policy will make a huge impact.
This doesn’t mean a single company needs to donate this many laptops. Even if you only have 1 or 2 to spare, this can make a huge difference in the lives of children who need them.
Can we as a company supply one single school/ kura ongoning?
Sure, we just want to improve access to technology. If a company wants to create a long-term relationship with a single school that’s great. If you need an intro to a school let us know.
How did this idea start?
During the school holidays, Jono (in tech) walked his dog named Takkie through Whangaparāoa College. Takkie would quite often play with another dog called Shire who happened to be owned by another Jono who happened to teach at the college. As normally happens with dogs, they played and the Jono’s talked. One day, the conversation centred around tech in schools and how students were struggling because their devices could not run the software needed for their course. Jono (in tech) decided to see if he could help and that week he sent emails to three companies. Mark Heine, from EROAD, emailed back offering to help and a week or two later Jono (teacher) had four laptops for his design students. Jono (in tech) thought “That was easy!” and sent more emails...and more laptops came. Finally, multiple people told Jono (in tech) to set up a website. Aaron Ward from AskNicely came up with a name and here we are...
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