CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools opening their doors soon, many parents will purchase their student a laptop computer for school work. The problem? Laptop computers cost anywhere from $150 to well over a few thousand.
So what do CMS students really need?
“The $150 computer that you’ve seen is absolutely satisfactory in almost every circumstance for a kid. These days, CMS kids do all of their work and keep it in the Google Cloud,” said Pat Millen CEO of E2D, or Eliminating the Digital Divide.
E2D holds fundraisers to purchase or refurbish computers to give to CMS students whose families cannot afford one.
“That’s what the starter computers are made for.”
Millen says a more expensive computer isn’t a bad thing but urges parents to really know what kind of projects or school work will require an expensive upgrade, like Power Point or Photoshop, before buying a much more expensive computer.
“If kids advance into high school and begin to take on more substantial projects, or take classes that require advanced lab work or computing, it’s probably a good idea to upgrade the computer to have more memory on the computer itself, as well as specific software to accomplish those projects.”
Millen believes computers are no longer an optional tool for a student, however, too many families in the Charlotte area struggle to afford to purchase one.
“We need to work as a community to find those solutions. What we do at E2D is exactly what needs to happen. Now a computer is just as essential as a pencil was 50 years ago.”
E2D is delivering 500 laptop computers to ninth-graders enrolled at Garinger, Harding, Vance, West Charlotte and West Meck on October 1. It will mark their largest donation to date.
[Source:- WCNC]
