They all had at least 16 megs of standard RAM, plus fans and overdrive chips. One man adopted our school and shows up almost once a week to tweak things. Every so often he does 'triage' on whatever has walked in the door lately. They understand how fortunate they are to have the equipment and how much work goes into the computers before they land in the classroom. The ingenuity of teachers and the largesse of a few organizations can propel our nation's schools only so far.
More involvement is necessary.
If more organizations donated surplus computer equipment to schools, the United States could reduce that ratio significantly. Using surplus computer equipment is not for everyone. For some, the repairs and upgrades outdated equipment needs are an annoyance or a drain on already-strained tech resources. For others, the equipment provides much-needed extra access, permitting schools to reach more kids. For teachers such as Joy Hogg and Melanie Natal-Lewis, surplus computers are a godsend.