“What a smart Alex!”
"Tools for schools" is a social initiative aimed at helping businesses help schools. In its first year 100,000 pupils benefited from the scheme. KPMG has so far donated 2,000 computers through the project. Here, young journalists from Children's Express have tracked down exactly what has happened to one particular KPMG computer.
THE DIARY OF A KPMG COMPUTER CALLED SMART ALEX
| My classmates say many lessons would be less enjoyable and more boring if I wasn’t there. |
My name is Smart Alex and I reckon I'm probably the most popular member of class 5 at Salusbury Primary School in North West London.
I left KPMG in the summer of 2000 - replaced by a newer, updated model. But I'm really enjoying my "retirement" with a class of 9 year olds. Firstly they gave me a name. I think Smart Alex is really cool.
Never before have I had such adoring fans. The kids use my vast knowledge to help with their school projects, and recently we've studied Ancient Egypt and the Tudors together. Class 5 gets only 45 minutes a week in the school's IT room. Thanks to my help the pupils can finish off their computer projects in the comfort of their own classroom.
Our teacher, Miss Rice, says my arrival has made a big impact in the classroom and has helped make her job easier. What really pleases me is that not only do I help the children learn, but I make it fun too. I'm their gateway to a world of information. Using the Internet and CD ROMs they learn by using moving images, photos and information that would not normally be available in the classroom.
My classmates say they're all really grateful to KPMG for donating me. They say many lessons would be less enjoyable and more boring if I wasn't there. In fact they're always saying that school life wouldn't be the same without me! But I reckon I get as much out of being there as the kids do.
I do get a bit lonely in the evening when everyone goes home, though. I've been thinking hard about this and I reckon that what I really need is a bit of company… perhaps from a friendly printer!
About the team
Smart Alex was talking to Jennifer Salmon and Danyel Edwards, 15. This article was published in Positive Action, a KPMG publication.
