Current Events > Google wants schools to teach Chromebook repair classes

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/02/google-launches-a-chromebook-repair-program-for-schools/

Hey kids! Want to help out your school and learn a bit about electronics repair at the same time? Google is launching a Chromebook repair program for schools. Chromebooks are wildly popular in schools due to their simple OS and easy management, but the hardware in any education environment really takes a beating. So why not learn to repair them yourself?

Google's new repair site has a guide on setting up Chromebook repair facilities, recommending schools set up a dedicated space for repairs, a front desk for "customers" to drop off broken devices and describe issues, and a skill-tracker board for students.

Acer and Lenovo are the only two OEMs participating in the repair program, and Google has disassembly instructions up on the Chromebook repair site for select models. The repair guides are great, with tons of detailed pictures and drawings showing the location of every screw and cable and instructions for how to make a USB recovery stick. The guides also warn that you'll be voiding your warranty if you attempt a repair, but you're probably not doing self-repair if you still have a warranty.

The site doesn't offer much guidance on where to buy parts or what tools you'll need for repairs and just directs schools to "visit your device manufacturers support sites" for help. The guides also all stop at screwdriver work and won't cover things like replacing components with a soldering iron.

Google says a school repair program wouldn't just get the schools' computers back up and running for cheap, it would also provide valuable repair skills for students and might even be an introduction into an IT career.

Okay, this is kinda cool.
"Shop Class" died at the altar of standardized tasting, and this is probably more relevant to modern times than another kid losing a finger on the bandsaw.

I would have loved having a computer repair class in school. Thats what I was doing with my spare time anyway.

I host a radio show about labor issues and our most recent episode was a discussion of stuff like this. Tech companies have bought their way into classrooms under the guise of promoting STEM education but it's really just so they can offload training costs to schools and ensure they have a steady supply of workers to keep labor costs down.

Antifar posted...

the ways tech companies have bought their way into classrooms under the guise of helping education but really just so they can offload training costs to schools

This was a Simpsons episode.

But really, destigmatizing vocational training is something that needs to happen. Actual marketable skills are you get away from McJobs, maybe even start making things here again.

I'm all for teaching hardware/computer repair skills, but attaching these classes to one single brand name is really something to avoid.

Antifar posted...

I host a radio show about labor issues and our most recent episode was a discussion of stuff like this. Tech companies have bought their way into classrooms under the guise of promoting STEM education but it's really just so they can offload training costs to schools and ensure they have a steady supply of workers to keep labor costs down.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Specified and specialized hardware repair doesn't really cover much beyond the rote process of, y'know, repairing that specific hardware. Plenty of bozos can repair iphones without knowing what most of the bits inside even do.

Or how about teach kids about money management, changing tires, or shit like that so they can go buy new cheapass chromebooks instead.

gtfo

This shit ain't free, and school bonds never pass. If a tech company wants to play some alleged long-game to get a name on the football field, why not?

Hornezz posted...

I'm all for teaching hardware/computer repair skills, but attaching these classes to one single brand name is really something to avoid.

Cut school funding to nothing and letting our corporate overlords take over is the end goal here. Get ready for Larry and Sergey Elementary School because thats the future.

divot1338 posted...

I would have loved having a computer repair class in school. Thats what I was doing with my spare time anyway.

The schools could - and are - doing a lot worse.

Sure, why not?