Within the current educational environment, students must be able to access to school computers as a means to connect with online content and applications. However, administrators must ensure that their district's budget has enough funding to support technological purchases. Recently, many schools have received used or donated school computers to provide access for students in a cost-efficient manner.

Connecticut districts receive donations
At the start of the new year, two institutions were awarded technology donations to provide necessary resources for students, including Savin Rock Community School and Washington Elementary School.

Savin Rock received 28 used school computers from Choate Rosemary Hall, a private school that kept the hardware in good condition. School principal Taryn Driend said each classroom will receive one of the donated workstations so that every room has two computers. The private school decided to donate their used computers due to the purchase of new devices.

"We do some things nationally and with other countries, but make a point to donate to the local area," said Hillary Nastro, Choate Rosemary Hall community relations manager. "The computers are all in great condition. They're a couple years old. We're happy [that we're] able to do it."

Driend said the donation will allow the school to incorporate more technology into classroom lessons and projects, which is an important goal for the institution as not all students have access at home. Students need to be educated not only in the typical academic topics, but in technology and computer skills are key in many colleges and jobs, Driend said.

"To adequately prepare our kids for opportunities they may receive after graduating high school, we start teaching them about technology at a young age, and this donation will certainly give us a boost in doing that," Driend said.

In addition, Washington Elementary School was awarded two $500 grants from ExxonMobil through the company's Educational Alliance Program. School principal Steven Lopes said the grants will replace other funding that is no longer received by the school and will be used to support student activities.

Prep school rebuilds computers for less fortunate students
Students at Uplift Summit International Preparatory School in Texas were on the other side of technology donations, as their Root 122 after-school service technology club is currently in the midst of a project to restore broken school computers for those in need.

The project is supported by funding from a $500 Catch the Spirit grant awarded by generationOn. Uplift Summit was one of five institutions to be awarded with the grant which has enabled them to rebuild and give away two school computers. The club has plans in place to restore 20 more computers and will raise additional funds with a school-sponsored arcade night. Uplift Instructor Thomas Davenport said he got the idea for restoring the used hardware from Half-Price Books.

"It's that idea of taking things that may originally be considered a nuisance and turning them around to be used again," Davenport said.

Davenport and students participating in the after-school club choose other individuals from the school to give the refurbished computers to through their daily interactions with their classmates. Davenport said those high on the list include those with disabilities, as well as individuals with a passion for technology that don't have at-home access to a computer.

Needs for used and donated computers
While utilizing rebuilt or used school computers can be a cost-effective way to grant Internet access to students, administrators must ensure that these systems are protected from cyberattacks and data leakage. Especially when used for daily classroom activities by students and teachers, decision makers should consider implementing a restore software, such as Deep Freeze, which can reboot the software to predetermined settings in the event of a data breach. Educators can also deploy a whitelist blocking application to help students connect with educational resources and block all unapproved applications and Web pages.

According to research firm McCormick, as students advance through the educational system, they can become progressively disengaged with classroom learning. As many as 40 to 60 percent of high school students are chronically disengaged in educational activities, causing concern among parents and educators alike. However, many institutions are now incorporating a wide range of technological systems, including mobile devices and SMART classroom designs. This hardware can bolster engagement, including the following strategies:

• Trade text for media

As many of today's students are more engaged by visuals, teachers have been using audio and visual technology tools as opposed to presenting material only in text. For example, in addition to assigning students to read a passage about a certain subject, educators can show a video in class to complement the lesson. In addition, streaming media platform YouTube offers a specialized educational channel providing learning materials for students, including material from user-created education channels Crash Course and Khan Academy. In this way, students are presenting with new information in a way that appeals to their learning style.

• Connect with outside experts online

Another way to bolster student engagement in the classroom is to connect with an outside expert on a certain subject matter through technological systems. Teachers can host online conversations or video conferences with experts in the field students are learning about. This allows individuals the opportunity to connect with a previously unavailable source of information, and is a unique way of presenting the lesson.

• Utilize individual mobile devices

A number of schools have begun providing individual mobile devices, including tablets and laptops, for students to use during class time. Last year, one Minnesota school district introduced iPads into 32 classrooms and tracked student performance. According to the results, 23 of the classes showed a boost in student achievement. Another 24 classrooms illustrated an increase in student motivation and 20 classrooms enhanced overall student learning.

Mobile devices for student use can be beneficial in a wide range of capacities, providing new capabilities and uses not previously achievable in a classroom setting. Students can take tests, complete activities and access online materials from their own device, which improves overall engagement in learning.

• Technology to bolster collaboration

Some schools including one North Carolina district have begun deploying SMART classroom technology. These systems can feature a range of collaborative devices, including SMART boards and other workstations. With these arrangements in place, educators can allow students to work individually, as well as in groups, boosting collaboration and engagement. These results were seen recently in an Onslow County district, where one teacher was selected for a SMART classroom makeover. Keith Holland, Camcor and SMART Technologies representative, said the systems can transform education.

"The flexible classroom spaces multiple SMART Boards can offer promotes student centered-learning, small group interactive lessons and together with … [a] 1-1 initiative, individual learning," Holland noted.

• Effective classroom management

However, when investing in new technological systems like SMART classroom arrangements or mobile devices, administrators must ensure a return on investment through effective management. Decision makers can implement classroom management software like Faronics Insight for improved oversight of student technology to guarantee the systems are used to bolster engagement.