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Ask HN: Chromebook leads for K-8 school in need?

46 points by techteach00 ↗ HN
Hi, I'm a K-8 technology teacher in NYC. My students are in desperate need of new hardware. The Chromebooks they use now are so slow that they make the children agitated when using them.

I'm aware of different grant opportunities that exist, I just thought it was worth inquiring here for a potentially faster solution at acquiring them new hardware.

Thank you for listening.

22 comments

[ 2.5 ms ] story [ 44.6 ms ] thread
krapht
This post makes me sad for two reasons:

1) kids k-5 are using laptops 2) websites are so bloated today that browsing on a Chromebook is causing agitation

Otherwise I don't have anything topical for this post, but good luck OP

fakedang
Is it possible to acquire used refurbished laptops over new Chromebooks? A lot of companies tend to swap their corporate laptops every few years or so, and those usually happen to be solid Dells or ThinkPads with no faults whatsoever. If you can get a hold of any such corporate entity and work with them, you might be able to secure them for as low as ~$250 per piece.

I am currently using a refurb for personal use right now and I've been using it without any issues since 2023, not because I'm wanting for money but because you don't replace what hasn't broken yet.

locusofself
I realize this does nothing to solve your problem, but for the sake of discusion, internally at Microsoft, pretty much all the developers I know have switched to using "Devbox", which means we use a remote desktop client to access our dev machine.

A lot of us resisted this at first, but then just kindof came to accept it, and it made it so we have a lot more capable machines to do development on than the laptops that we would have to recycle every couple years.

I know there have probably been a lot of "thin client" products/services in the education space in the past, but I think it might be time to try again.

Like another poster here, I think it's "sad" that kids are using laptops. Laptops have small screens and poor ergonomics.

A thin client setup with a good keyboard, mouse and monitor could be better and more affordable / future proof.

CodeBit26
For a K-8 environment, it might be worth looking into local e-waste recycling non-profits or university surplus programs. Often, large institutions rotate their hardware every 3-4 years, and they are usually happy to donate older but functional Chromebooks to schools in need. Also, check out 'DigitalEquity' initiatives in your area; they often have streamlined pipelines for this exact scenario
dzdt
In New York the biggest driver behind technology is the state testing regime. Make the case to your administration that the chromebooks are insufficient for the state testing program and they will come up with the funds for upgrades.
with
I don't have any solution for you, but I want to say thanks for caring about your students like this.
techteach00
This resonates. I'm in agony because I'm constantly up against IT and admin who seem to only care about lawsuits so they create an absolutely painful computing environment for the students. I see how using locked down slow machines makes them irritable and frustrated in my class and I just can't anymore. It's a losing battle really. But I need to collect a paycheck lol. In the meantime, anything I can do to make their situation less aggravating I will pursue.
dugvuivnhuihnvu
If you haven't already looked into PCs for People, they might be a low-cost option for your school: https://www.pcsforpeople.org/tech-for-nonprofits/#Eligibilit...

PCs for People is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bridge the digital divide (e.g. through sales of low-cost refurbished computers, internet access, and digital skills training).

They refurbish and sell computers to eligible organizations, including schools and offer bulk orders (6+ units) via email at "partner [at] pcsforpeople [dot] org".

If the order is 5 units and below, you use their publicly available online store link at pcsrefurbished.com/sales/salesHome.aspx

manjose2018
https://chromeos.google/products/chromeos-flex/

1. Find older Intel Core Based Windows Laptops (at least 6GB of RAM) 2. Put ChromeOS Flex on them 3. Students will be sad it is still ChromeOS, but they will be happy it is like 3x faster.

I had an old Windows laptop laying around and I did this for my 80 yr old parents and they were super happy.

fsckboy
what type of school, private or public or charter or anything else in particular? whether donations are tax deductible is important, as is education philosophy, as are communities served.
cjbdndjc
Which hardware are the current chrome books running on? I'm fine running current Chrome on 15 year old hardware
techteach00
Ya. I'm starting to this it's the content management software running over the OS and not the hardware per say.
LarsDu88
Quite honestly, those kids will get more technology education out of using 15 year old linux machines or slow as hell raspberry pis than the eternal distraction machine that is a modern laptop wired to the internet and youtube/tiktok/instagram.

The real problem is that chromebooks are designed to run web applications which you rely on and which have become more bloated over time.

The real question is what are the students supposed to learn on those laptops? Is it how to type? Use Google Docs? How to program?

A Chromebook has sufficient hardware to do all that. Heck, a 20 year old laptop is sufficient for doing that.

I'm 37, and remember learning how to type on wildly out-of-date Apple II machines in the mid 90s.

techteach00
All 3 "Is it how to type? Use Google Docs? How to program?". You nailed it. In addition to being comfortable taking state exams on.

I used to do a deep dive on settings and browser extensions until IT locked the devices down further. The kids can't even access settings. But I give them credit for finding work arounds, ways to get past restrictions.

LarsDu88
I think the problem here is relying on Google docs.

The absolute best programmers today got started on command line. You can linux command line on a literal potato. There are vape pens that have more computing power than what I grew up learning on in the late 90s.

You're students need less distractions not more. Even the most powerful AI applications like Claude Code run in CLI.

You can absolutely learn how to program on a $17 raspberry pi zero w connected to an old monitor and keyboard nowadays. Its not about the hardware, it's about what you do with it.

techteach00
Thank you for the suggestions.

I think I realize the problem after reading many of the posts. What's slowing these devices down is the management software running over them. GoGuardian and whatever else IT has on them.

We also aren't allowed to use an ad blocker anymore. I used to have Ublock installed on all the devices before GoGuardian prevented it. It's a really depressing situation that I imagine will only get worse with time.

As to a few replies asking why students in this age group would need laptops, I'll explain. I start teaching Python in 6th grade. Grades 3-5 use Scratch. Grade 2 uses code.org. K-1 Scratch Jr on Ipads.

We have expensive mac desktops in the computer lab but they drive the students completely insane for two reasons. The keyboard is and mouse are terrible to use. Anti-ergonomic. The second reason is the amount of notifications and questions the students are bombarded with when they turn the macs on. I'm talking like 15 different pop ups or windows opening asking them to agree to this or that. I should probably have a lesson on just closing windows. I could say more but I don't know about social media anymore. I just wanted some suggestions and I appreciate the ones I received.

ralphc
I don't know your autonomy with regards to IT within the confines of your classroom but if you can't install ad blockers on the Chromebooks can you set up something like PiHole and direct DNS traffic through it? It won't solve the overall slowness of the Chromebooks but it will help with some web sites.