Hi all,
I've recently figured out how to use unused resources from other schools to help my school. I found out that a school was getting rid of their old SMART boards when they upgraded theirs. Since my school only has projectors, I found a way to get them installed by the district carpenters, and I'm running around trying to get them wired now.
One thing I've noticed through my journey is that it's a thankless job. People don't appreciate things because they're not brand new, or they expect full service installation (like I don't have my own classes to teach) or they don't pay me for my extra time. Either way, I'm glad I'm bringing new technology to my school, but it's not easy and it's pretty thankless. In future, I might only upgrade myself and a few close friends who will appreciate what I do.
I wonder, though, how many pieces of technology (or just resources, for that matter) are sitting in storerooms waiting to be used. It kills me that my students have not had smartboards for 2 years, while these have lain unused in a storeroom. I imagine that somewhere else in the district are computers that are less than a decade old, printers that actually function, and other supplies that might make things better in the schools if only they were utilized well.
Extrapolate this to life, and you get hoarder communism. In essence, if you upgrade, it's on you to find a good home for your less than optimal thing. For instance, I just upgraded my hammock. The old one will go to some hammock aficionado who doesn't have a cool hammock yet. If everyone in the world of privilege I live in did this, I wonder how many hungry children would be left in the world?
Anyhow, some food for thought. Have a great day,
~Mark
