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Report: [IL] schools tossing Chromebooks designed to expire after four years
The Center Square ^ | 4/24/23 | Kevin Bessler

Posted on 04/25/2023 7:02:37 AM PDT by AT7Saluki

A new report has found that the millions of taxpayer-funded Chromebooks that flooded schools during the pandemic are being discarded because of their expiration dates.

Chromebooks were an affordable way to help educate students during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they weren’t programmed to last. Chromebooks have a built-in “death date,” after which software support ends. Once laptops have “expired,” they don’t receive updates and can’t access secure websites.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund shows replacement parts are both expensive and hard to obtain. In numerous cases, replacement keyboards would cost around $90, roughly half the cost of most Chromebooks. As a result, schools are now tossing the devices, creating a massive amount of electronics waste.

(Excerpt) Read more at thecentersquare.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: chromebook; education; illinois; laptop; school; waste
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To: Organic Panic

“I despise the new windows and their forced background updates”

I’m not aware of “forced background updates” on Windows 10. My systems are set to “metered connection” and don’t update, foreground or background, until I want them to.


41 posted on 04/25/2023 5:22:13 PM PDT by steve86 (Numquam accusatus, numquam ad curiam ibit, numquam ad carcerem™)
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To: Myrddin

“If you have a good line on how to update the Chromebooks to a Linux distro, you could probably make some decent money buying lots of “discarded” Chromebooks, updating with Linux and reselling”

I know the local school district is contractually obligated to recycle out-of-service Chromebooks through a specific program. No opportunity to sell or donate. Not sure if this is the case with most or all districts.


42 posted on 04/25/2023 5:29:49 PM PDT by steve86 (Numquam accusatus, numquam ad curiam ibit, numquam ad carcerem™)
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To: steve86
I wouldn't be surprised to learn there was a recycling arrangement baked into the device life cycle for the school. My company IT takes possession of a computing device when taken out of service and ensures all media is thoroughly wiped before dealing with equipment recyclers. Our latest hardware employs full disk encryption using the potted TPM keys on the motherboard. The media won't work anywhere else.
43 posted on 04/25/2023 10:15:53 PM PDT by Myrddin
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To: Myrddin

Make sense and keeps the troops happy...


44 posted on 04/26/2023 2:46:31 AM PDT by EVO X ( )
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