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Getting laptops to kids for homeschooling

Why you should act now in lockdown and how to do it …

What we are doing

During the first lockdown my kids were set work to do over a week. This was not too intensive from a laptop resource perspective and often involved printing worksheets for our youngest to complete. Lockdown three though was different for many, teaching has evolved hugely with live online lessons for secondary schools and even primary schools are now using more online teaching.

At that point we realised there was going to be a massive issue for families where kids and parents would battle for computer time, that’s why we requested laptop donations from our villagers via Facebook to recycle and provide to families for home schooling.

We have received over 160 donations! Not all went out the door with Windows 10, some have had a Linux build and others sadly have been recycled where possible for parts. The key is a solid state drive costing less than £20 which helps bring more back to a useable state.

We are not the only people doing this, there are hundreds or thousands of people doing the same, please consider giving it a go if you have the skills! Below are some of the articles about what we are doing and why you should do it too:

Rebuilding a laptop

DISCLAIMER: ENSURE YOU HAVE ALL THE REQUIRED DATA OFF THE LAPTOP BEFORE STARTING!!!!

If you have a laptop less than 10 years old there is life left in it, obviously older machines may be slower but they are still good for home schooling. The process we defined below differs slightly if you are donating or building your own, mainly from the data removal and account creation steps.

IF DONATING ENSURE THE DRIVE IS PROPERLY WIPED BEFORE STARTING!

Before starting, if the machine is for someone else please ensure you wipe the drive beforehand with DBAN, this will overwrite the data on the disk in 3 passes so recovery tools will be unable to recover the data which was on the disk.

Windows 10

For licensing you’ll need to have a Windows 7 or Windows 8 computer to upgrade the license from.

Laptop for yourself or family. If you are building a laptop for yourself the process is a little different as you can use existing accounts and data wiping is not as critical.

Laptop for donation. If you are building a laptop for donation this will help you, it details accounts to configure and how to wipe data.

“Chromebook” Neverware

For older computers (or new ons if you like) Neverware which was recently purchased by Google turns the computer into a “Chromebook”. A top security expert friend rubber stamped this as a good option, it does need internet connectivity to work which could be an issue for those with limited data or no broadband. Find out about Prem who is rolling these out across the UK, official instructions below.

Neverware “Chromebook” guide

Mint Linux

Mint is the option Cambs Youth Panel use, they have rolled out over 800 laptops. It is a user friendly version and quiet Windows like in appearance, this is their process they use.

Linux Mint laptop build

There are lots of flavours of Linux you could also install, personally on older machines if the Neverware solution works may be a bit easier. A local Histon resident built Raspbian on a 2006 MacBook for me with 1GB ram – pretty good going.

Help if you need a laptop

If you need a computer there is help available. My advice is to first contact your school, they may have a bank of laptops available or know of a local organisation who can assist. If you child is unable to access homeschooling remotely they may also provide the option for them to attend school. There are also charities who can assist, they may be inundated with requests but get your name on the list. You could also ask a friend or relative if they have an old unwanted computer you could rebuild or get help with a rebuild from someone you know (see above).

First place to get help or a laptop:

  • Ask your local school
  • Ask your workplace if you can borrow one, we help our staff out
  • Ask friends or family or on Facebook if someone has an old one (then build as above)

Charities who can help (local to Cambridge):

Donate computers

If you can, please donate and do it now! We are right in the middle of a pandemic and kids may be homeschooling until Easter. Companies I encourage you to donate, the computers which are often not up to spec for your staff are perfect for kids to learn on. You can also get your IT department to wipe data or even better pop a new SSD drive in for under £20 per device adding speed and solving any worries about data removal.

If you are donating ensure you remove the data or know and trust the person wiping the computer (see FAQs). Also ensure they are doing what they say in terms of getting laptops into kids hands and also dispose of waste correctly if items are not salvageable.

Where to donate:

You can also donate funds to help assist the funding of the building of computers, a great place locally is Cambs Youth Panel’s Go Fund me Pages, see details.

About us

I’m a middle aged geek who doesn’t mind getting old but never want’s to grow up. I have a passion for IT, help people in my community, my family and friends. I love problem solving especially when it involves real life example.

Anya enjoys school, playing football for her local team (when we are not locked down) and loves her cat – sometimes more than me I think 🙂

I believe technology should be an enabler, not a barrier!