The Chromebooks, donated by Stichting De Verre Bergen and Coolblue, were configured for use by IT Campus Rotterdam.

Now that school children are receiving digital lessons, a laptop or tablet is indispensable. However, not all Rotterdam pupils have the equipment they need. That is why Stichting De Verre Bergen and Coolblue donated three thousand Chromebooks. The Rotterdam Municipality asked IT Campus Rotterdam to prepare the laptops for use. The network organisation registered the Chromebooks, installed the correct software, delivered the laptops to the schools and also set up a helpdesk for pupils, parents, teachers and schools.

After an appeal from the municipality of Rotterdam, Stichting De Verre Bergen and Coolblue donated three thousand laptops. The brand-new Chromebooks still had to be installed before they could go to different schools. To this end, the municipality enlisted the help of IT Campus Rotterdam, a network organisation that is committed to more and better IT talent in and for Rotterdam.

Installing thousands of laptops

IT Campus Rotterdam summoned its network to help prepare the laptops. The organisation works closely with schools and companies. Immediately after the appeal, the offers poured in and the IT Campus Support Team was a fact. Most Chromebooks have now been registered and the school’s teaching software has been installed. IT Campus Rotterdam also found volunteers to deliver the Chromebooks to the schools.

Preventing falling behind

Many children from poor families don’t have a laptop or tablet available at home. Now that schools are teaching online, this is causing problems. The children cannot participate and are falling behind their classmates. The Rotterdam Municipality made an appeal for material to be made available. Because the Chromebooks have now been delivered to various schools, this group of children can also participate in digital home education.

Helpdesk

The families where the Chromebooks end up do not always know how to use them. Daphne Swart, ad interim programme manager at IT Campus Rotterdam: ‘That’s why we set up a helpdesk. Children and parents can contact us, even with the simplest questions such as: “How do I turn on the device?” and “How does a mousepad work?”. We consciously chose to work with a telephone line because we think it’s very accessible. We are ready for all questions, including those from teachers and schools.’

Accessible and free

‘We hope that children and parents know they can contact us,’ says Daphne Swart. ‘We sent a letter with the helpdesk phone number with every laptop, and the teachers also know that we are here. The service is completely free of charge thanks to the voluntary commitment from professionals and students from our network. For example, students from Techniek College Rotterdam and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences are helping, and KPN is offering its telephone services free of charge.’

More IT talent in Rotterdam

The role of supporting students in the field of digitisation is perfectly suited to IT Campus Rotterdam. The network organisation is committed to more and better IT talent in Rotterdam and has close contact with the municipality, education institutions and the business community. Their goal is to improve the digital skills of Rotterdammers and to prepare them for the future.

People can register to help via support@itcampus.nl. You do not have to be an IT expert for this, some basic digital knowledge is sufficient. The IT Campus Support Helpdesk is available on school days from 8:00 to 18:00.

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