District Administration - January 2010 - (Page 34)

Technology Cutting Technology Costs with Preowned models at reduced prices fill some districts’ needs— and stay out of landfills. By aLan dessoff any district administrators are finding that they can save money on computers by buying preowned ones instead of new ones. The practice has other benefits as well: it allows districts to give more computers to more students who need them, and it also promotes good environmental practices by keeping the machines out of landfills, where they otherwise might wind up. The preowned computers, which some vendors market as “prematurely retired,” are top-tier models that corporations and other organizations, as well as individuals, want to dispose of because they no longer need them or are replacing them with newer machines. The preowned models have been refurbished so that they can continue to provide basic capabilities, including word processing, e-mail and internet access. some districts get refurbished computers from companies such as cdi, while others get them from nonprofit organizations dedicated to educational or environmental improvement, such as computer recycling center (crc) or Pc rebuilders & recyclers (Pcrr), which has a “computers for schools” program in which students can learn about computers and then keep them. some administrators think refurbished models are all most students need anyway. “Let’s face it—this is the way to go,” says dennis crowe, director of technology in the gorham (maine) school department. “most of the time in K12 education, you don’t need the best of the best. you don’t need the latest and greatest processor of all time. you need a good, solid, workhorse machine that will do 95 percent of what you have to do, and these machines are tremendous for those functions and at a price that saves an immense amount of money.” New England’s Deal crowe’s maine district is a member of the new england international society for technology in education (neiste), which includes any new england district that wants to join. many districts in the region are signing up to take advantage of an arrangement neiste has worked out with toronto-based cdi, which is among the largest distributors of refurbished, brand-name computers in north america. districts can get brand-name computers—iBm/Lenovo, hP or dell—at prices that average below $250 for a Pc and below $400 for a notebook. “They can sometimes get two or three computers from us for the price of a new one of the same model,” says saar Pikar, cdi’s general manager. refurbished computers come with three- to five-year warranties, compared to the one- to three-year warranties that come with most new ones. norm chapman, a former computer and technology coordinator for the narragansett (r.i.) Public schools and now executive director of the rhode island society of technology education (riste), brokered neiste’s contract with cdi last year after visiting the company in 2008. “it was a fascinating experience, observing the process of retro34 January 2010 District Administration M Technicians and warehouse staff at CDI use a 12-step process in refurbishing computers in a factory outside Toronto. It starts with testing the computer on the conveyor system, and ends with a dust containment machine blowing out the dust from the units.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - January 2010

District Administration - January 2010
Table of Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Health Update
Curriculum Update
District Profile
The Feud Over Food
Discipline Gets the Boot
Cutting Technology Costs with Refurbished Computers
Will Pensions Bankrupt Your District?
Tech Disruptions
Crisis Response
Supervisor’s Opinion
Product Focus
New Products
Online Edge

District Administration - January 2010