El Parque Nuez

img via edvc on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edvvc/1248693031/

I posted this as a comment on @mbteach’s blog post today over at edutopia. I want to help others aggregate these resources. I totally believe that it’s unfair distribution of resources that keeps learners from the stuff they need, and one of our responsibilities is to go and and redistribute it.

I would recommend scavenging thrift stores, pawn shops, craigslist, etc. for used equipment. Might not be a lot, but you will find some gems of video cameras, digital cameras, ipods/mp3 players, etc. In an afternoon of work you can cheaply pull together some really great stuff.

Have lots of conversations with friends about buying new technology. Urge them to upgrade if they are able, or to go buy that new gadget, as long as they donate the old version to your classroom. I have 3 (albiet older) video ipods and 4 digital cameras from this. Laptops too. Any laptop with at least 256MB of Ram and less than 8 years old can run a lot of internet applications. People have these laptops in their basements.

Throw a “techluck” party where friends bring their old digital cameras, video cameras, laptops, microphones, headsets, etc. You cook and provide hospitality. This interaction also provides a community of people interested in what you do. They’ll be fans of your classroom and can interact with your kids.

These new tools make a huge difference in how my kids can share their learning.

Lastly, I recommend finding the 10 largest companies in your city.

Explain to them you are a teacher with limited resources and how laptops (I only recommend laptops, since they have screens, mice and keyboards built in, and are portable) will fundamentally transform the world you can open to your kids.

Tell them that laptops will provide students with a depth of thinking not found with paper and pencil.  Tell them everything you believe in (but be concise).

Send this email to the human resource person at each of these companies, asking that person if there are any laptops that have completed their IT cycle, or if there is a program for computer donations to schools or organizations. If you email 10 (or more) a few will bite. I know of 3 people (including myself) who were able to piece together 1:1 classrooms in similar ways.

Don’t be shy, and be creative.

We are not suffering from a scarcity of resources, but rather an abundance of resources that are not equitably distributed to the most important users: learners.