My Account
Stanmore Bay’s Jonathan Morgan has a background in technology, but he says the idea that he could help students obtain the devices they need, only came up when he got a dog.
Walking his dog, Takkie, through Whangaparāoa College grounds, Morgan met another dog owner, teacher Jono Dempsey. While the dogs played, the owners talked tech.
When Morgan realised that many students were struggling because their devices could not run the software needed for their courses, he decided to do something about it.
Using his network, he found companies that had old, working devices that they would happily donate. And so The Laptop Drop came into being.
That was a year ago, and recently came a milestone – the 100th laptop found its way to a student that needed it, free of charge.
He says setting up and running The Laptop Drop has taken about one hour of his time per device. He connects the two groups and the devices are handed over direct.
Starting with two schools – Whangaparāoa College and Primary – around 12 now benefit from the scheme.
Morgan says the demand is unlimited.
“Not being able to afford the kinds of devices students need now to run certain software is a huge issue,” he says.
What The Laptop Drop is doing is matching unwanted working devices with schools that reach out and ask for them.
“One company had 30 old laptops in a cupboard that it didn’t know what to do with,” Morgan says. “They could have been recycled or put in landfill, but they had a lot more use left in them. Giving them to a school was a win-win.”
He says it’s up to teachers what happens to the devices and how they are shared out to students, generally on loan.
The need from students is such that Morgan needs more companies to get on board.
Any company that has old, but working, devices is welcome to contact The Laptop Drop – it is particularly appreciated when those donations can be ongoing.
“Our ultimate goal is an ongoing relationship to continue to supply laptops to schools through a reverse marketplace.”
Info: www.thelaptopdrop.nz/
