Please help Goose Green Primary by donating old laptops

[nell79]

Morning Everyone!

The Friends of Goose Green Primary School are looking your help please.

We have a huge number of children at the school who have no access to a computer at home, and haven't been able to join in home schooling during school closures or self- isolation, and also are not able to use online learning resources that the school uses for general home learning. The Government scheme promised lots of computers, but the school has since been told they will receive only six, and that is only if more than fifteen children test positive for Covid-19.

In addition to our fundraising, we are also asking for donations of any old laptops you might have at home, which we could reformat and turn into Chromebooks, to lend to families. This is usually possible with laptops up to about ten years old.

If you have got a new computer, and have an old one lurking at the back of a cupboard (as we did!), that you would be willing to donate, please let me know, and I will come and collect it from you with great thanks. Laptops can also be dropped off at the school if that's easier for you.

Thank you so much!

Helen

[Penguin68]

This is a really good idea - but make sure you wipe any data or programmes from the hard drives - you don't want to jeopardise any personal or proprietary data and if you 'give away' a programme, such as office, you can't continue using it on your current machine.

[alex_b]

Can you make use of old Macs?

[nell79]

Yes, I understand its possible to convert Macs to Chromebooks too. So yes please!

[motorbird83]

Is there a link where we can donate cash rather than a laptop? This is very disappointing on government's part as its clearly going to exacerbate disadvantage. I get the country's finances are a mess but these types of issues should be a priority.

[nell79]

Thank you so much for your support. Friends of Goose Green have a Just Giving Page, and any donations are gratefully received.

https://www.justgiving.com/goosegreen-primary

[nell79]

Just in response to the helpful post about being cautious to remove personal data. We can absolutely help by talking anyone through the process of how to commence a reformat, which wipes the computer. Please don't be put off donating if you aren't sure how to go about it!

[Penguin68]

We can absolutely help by talking anyone through the process of how to commence a reformat, which wipes the computer.

No it doesn't - what it does is to erase the address tables - and I quote 'However a computer specialist would be able to recover most or all the data that was on the disk before reformat'. It is more secure than simply erasing (i.e. dragging to the bin and emptying it) the data on the disk (one pass) - but you should disk wipe or disk scrub. And whatever you do, don't use 'quick format'.

https://uk.pcmag.com/how-to/88534/how-to-wipe-your-hard-drive

[nell79]

Sorry if I haven't got the language right, but the school has someone who is able to help to make this a safe process for anyone able to donate. I want to make sure people know this as I wouldnt want anyone to be put off!

[Penguin68]

I wouldn't want to put anyone off either. Data can be wiped securely but it must be done properly. A simple reformat won't do it.

[nell79]

Just a quick update. We had about eight laptops donated in response to this post, which was amazing - thank you so much to all those who donated! We were able to wipe them, turn them into chrome books, and they are already in use by children at the school.

Goose Green school is still in great need and its anticipated that the Government scheme will nowhere near meet the needs of children at the school in term of laptops. Now we have had confirmation that the school will be switching to online lessons for at least two weeks, we are again in great need of any donations of functioning laptops we can prepare to lend out to families in need so children aren't further disadvantaged by having no access to online learning platforms. We had one laptop that was 13 years old and really slow, but once it was wiped and converted to a chrome book, it's perfect for what the children need.

So if you got a new laptop for Christmas or are buying one in the sales, everyone at the school would be immensely grateful if you would consider donating your old one to us to lend to a child in need.

We can pick it up from you in a socially distanced way of course.

Thank you so much for giving this some thought.

Helen (on behalf of the Friends of Goose Green school, PTA).

[NoodlesRL]

Hi Helen

I have 3 laptops here, 2 macs and 1 PC. I'm more than happy to loan; however, I would need to get them professionly unlocked and backed up first, they haven't been used in a while and I can't remember the passwords!

PM me to discuss

Nic

[nell79]

Thank you so much to all of you who have got in touch with the offer of laptops. Following tonight's announcement that the lockdown will be ongoing until the middle of February, we are more in need than ever of laptops to help our most at need families access education for their children. So if you have any laptops gathering dust (our only plea is that they do work!) that you could donate, we would be immensely grateful, as we are nowhere near being able to help all the families at the school who need to borrow a computer.

Also, if anyone works for a company with an IT department that might have replaced some laptops and not disposed of the old ones, please ask them too! Your generosity and effort will not be forgotten, and will always be greatly appreciated xxx

[gkb]

I have an old laptop you are welcome to have, please PM me to arrange how I can get it to you.

[cw_1984]

I have an old Macbook laptop, happy to loan this for as long as needed. I think I can figure out how to wipe it. Feel free to DM me.

[James Barber]

And of course those without spare laptops can make a tax efficient donation to support this via

https://www.justgiving.com/goosegreen-primary

OR via Charities Aid Foundation - https://www.cafonline.org/system/charity-search-results

With no charges to anyone. A Charity to help charities.

[ianr]

What of other primary schools in the area?

[handh]

I have 2 laptops happy to donate, I've sent you a PM

[LJC56]

Have also PM?d you

[johnie]

An old laptop can be given a new lease of life by replacing the old hard drive with a new, faster, solid-state drive. SSDs can be picked up for about ?20 now.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ADATA-Ultimate-SU630-240GB-Solid/dp/B07KQXKK12/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2QMSPY10O38L7&dchild=1&keywords=ssd+240gb&qid=1610107922&s=computers&sprefix=ssd%2Ccomputers%2C184&sr=1-4

If people are worried about their data being lost or compromised that might be an answer.

[nell79]

Update 09/01/21

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated a laptop. So far we have got over 20 computers wiped, converted to chromebook, and in use by a child at our school. Goose Green have been offering a really comprehensive online programme, so these laptops are being put to maximum use!! It also means the we still urgently need to get machines to many more children, especially now that a lack of home computers means children are having to go in to school, unable to learn at home.

If anyone still has a laptop to donate that needs collecting, I can come any time this weekend. We also have a few computers with no chargers that we are struggling to get, so if you have a old Mac, Acer, or Dell charger no longer in use, we would appreciate these too. My number is 07958 748 247 if its easier to text than use messaging on the forum.

Thank you so much again in advance. Your help and generosity has been incredible, and so much appreciated. X

[ianr]

I see that "From Monday, children will be provided with three hours worth of primary school lessons every weekday on CBBC and at least two hours for secondary school pupils on BBC Two." https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/55552432?collection=cbbc-top-picks-today That's from 9-12. Schedules at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9r/

If there are any households having difficulty in getting any school-produced work msaterial, I guess there'd be folk here willing to help with printing and/or distribution.

[Jellybeanz]

ianr Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What of other primary schools in the area?

I think all primary schools are in need right now - perhaps those in East Dulwich are better off compared to those in some neighbouring areas, so worth contacting Oliver Goldsmiths and others in Peckham and other neighbouring areas, who I am sure are in dire need right now.

[Jellybeanz]

ianr Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I see that "From Monday, children will be provided

> with three hours worth of primary school lessons

> every weekday on CBBC and at least two hours for

> secondary school pupils on BBC Two."

> https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/55552432?collectio

> n=cbbc-top-picks-today That's from 9-12.

> Schedules at:

> https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9r/

>

> If there are any households having difficulty in

> getting any school-produced work msaterial, I

> guess there'd be folk here willing to help with

> printing and/or distribution.

I looked at both channels this morning - CBBC is learning based programmes and BBC2 was over an hour of news, so not entirely sure this is as good as I had hoped!

[tiddles]

Not sure if already done but it could be worth contacting the large companies in the city (banks/financial institutions) and see if they have old devices paying about? They could wipe and pass on?