Partnering to put learning in the hands of those who need it most
Thanks to the generosity of our partners GlobalFoundries® (GF®), Acer, the Gateway Foundation and AMD (NASDAQ: AMD), 100 new Chromebooks are now available for use by our students and teachers and those in area schools.
The donated Chromebooks will provide needed technological tools that are in great demand during the pandemic and will be used for online learning. This will help alleviate the cost of purchasing such materials for local students and teachers, thus reducing the barriers to learning during these unique and challenging times.
“This is a tremendous gift of resources, and we couldn’t be more grateful for this support from GlobalFoundries and their generous partners,” said BOCES’ Senior Executive Officer Joseph P. Dragone, Ph.D. “The real winners are our students who now have one-to-one access to devices to fuel their learning in school or at home.”
Most of the devices went to our special education students enrolled at Airline Drive Academy and Maywood School. Some also went to BOCES students enrolled in special education programming in the Guilderland, Scotia-Glenville and Niskayuna school districts.
“With health and safety protocols in place, we have seen the need to shift from in-person to remote learning—sometimes overnight,” said BOCES’ Director of Special Education Caralee Kardash. “These devices will allow students to access their classrooms, teachers, peers and related supports from home. In school, students are taught how to use the devices, educational apps and learning systems so that they can build relevant skills and independence.”
Giving students the tools they need to connect and learn
“As students nationwide have been forced to make the quick transition to virtual learning, it’s absolutely critical that they have access to mobile computing devices,” said Jennifer Wadland, Vice President of Commercial Sales for Acer America. “We are pleased to partner with the Gateway Foundation, AMD and GlobalFoundries to provide Acer Chromebooks to students in need, giving them the tools they need to connect and learn.”
The Gateway Foundation invests in local communities by making leading technology products available to those with limited access to computers. These efforts are primarily in the form of grants requests for computers and other technology products sought by organizations aiming to connect the power of technology to underserved youth and others aided by the organization’s mission and services.
“AMD is proud to team up with Acer, the Gateway Foundation and GLOBALFOUNDRIES to bring the fast and responsive computing power of AMD processors to students, setting them up for success while learning remotely,” said Saeid Moshkelani, senior vice president and general manager, Client business unit, AMD. “This donation of AMD-powered Chromebooks for students is the latest example of AMD working with our partners to help put technology into the hands of those in our communities who need it most.”