Converting old IT kit into some useful CPD for your school

In today’s blog Chris Chaffey, Education Director at Computeam shares a light-hearted look at a serious topic in schools, what to do with old redundant IT laptops and desktop computers.

We’ve all seen it before and still do…crammed into that out-of-the-way cupboard, hidden behind the pantomime costumes, once shiny and effective, now a mass of redundant black plastic and metal, it’s new smell and gleaming case dulled over time and long forgotten.

Go on, admit it, you’ve seen this before, only last week when you needed to read the electric meter, and turned your back on it, “I’ll deal with this later” you thought, but knowing deep down, later was a long way away.

Don’t stop reading, face up to it, don’t be shy.

What am I talking about? Yes, it’s that pile of old IT kit that has been replaced over the years and gathered dust in that miscellaneous cupboard; laptops, screens, desktops, chargers, cables, scanners, printers…you could probably add to this list.

How did it come to this?

The IT graveyard, don’t worry, we’ve all got one, even at home, never shrinking, always growing, a burden.

Well, now you can do something about it, in a feeling good about the planet, reducing your carbon footprint, environmental kind of way, that benefits everyone!

You can benefit by getting all that space back, the planet can benefit by getting all those valuable resources recycled and reused, and your school can benefit by getting some training credits that can be used for a variety of tech based CPD.

Computeam have just launched Trade2Train, a brand new service that enables schools to turn their redundant technology into Computeam Engage Training for Educators vouchers.

What is Trade2Train?

·         A free collection and recycling service for redundant IT equipment in schools, with full data destruction carried out as standard.

What do you get?

·         Free collection from your sites of most types of IT equipment.

·         Fair residual value for the equipment which is given back to the school as a Trade2Train voucher to be spent on a wide selection of training services available as part of Computeam Engage Training for Educators.

What are the benefits?

·         Turn old technology into valuable training for staff

·         Recycling reduces carbon footprint, reduces landfill

·         Fully GDPR compliant data destruction as standard

Of course, if you think that there might be some life in the old kit yet, you can always re-vitalise those laptops and desktops by converting them into Chromebooks and Chromeboxes using Neverware’s Cloudready product that we blogged about in a post that you can find details of here.

So, if that mass of old kit is unreliable and unusable and you want to feel those potential benefits, then head over to the Trade2Train page to find out more or contact us, and we could help turn that unsightly tech graveyard into something beneficial for you and your school.