Students go to work on donated used computers

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Students at Area Technical Trade Center will have their hands full this week.

Juniors and seniors in Richard Kirkland's afternoon computer technician class will spend class time assessing and refurbishing used computer equipment donated last week by Lockheed Martin Systems Support & Training Services.

The IBM-compatible equipment, which was donated to the Public Education Foundation, is valued at more than $40,000 if bought new, according to Judi Steele, executive director of the foundation.

"That's what Lockheed estimates the equipment to be worth," Steele said. "Since it's surplus and used equipment, there is a book that we can use to give us the current value."

Regardless of the value, Steele said the foundation is "always pleased to get recycled equipment. We're happy that they stepped forward."

Included in the donation are 20 keyboards, 20 printers, 19 monitors, 16 disk drives, 12 processors, 12 modems, seven keyboards with a mouse, five work stations and one Xerox copier.

"Most of the equipment is in good shape," Kirkland reported, adding that any item that can't be made to work will either be scrapped for parts, recycled or discarded.

In addition to the computer equipment, Lockheed has donated the services of a computer technician to assist in the evaluation and repair, Steele said.

Once ATTC students have completed necessary repairs, the items will be distributed to schools throughout the Clark County School District who demonstrate the most need.

Any remaining equipment will be donated to the Assistive Technology Center, a nonprofit organization that provides computer equipment for handicapped persons.

Since he depends on computer donations to use in training students at ATTC, Kirkland was thrilled with the Lockheed donation.

"I love it," he said. "This is how I'm able to train my students in trouble-shooting. If I didn't have parts or computers coming in, then I wouldn't have anything to play with. I'd have to have something that I could break," Kirkland joked.

Steele said she hopes to someday have enough businesses donating computer hardware and software that the foundation will be able to establish a lending operation for area students.

"At some point we're hoping we have so much recycled equipment that we can use them on loan," she said. "But that's off in the future. It is a very important goal. When students have access to computers at home, it really enables them to do a lot of learning."

Surplus computer equipment may be donated to the Public Education Foundation by calling 799-1042.