iFixit Resources

iFixit Technical Writing Project homepage | Homepage for iFixit’s university technical writing project

Why We Do What We Do | Resources to support iFixit’s mission of self-repair

Reinventing Repair | A video of iFixit’s CEO Kyle Wiens explaining why repair is essential for combating the e-waste crisis

K-12 Safety Tips | Safety information for repairing electronic devices

Tools & Materials | Descriptions of common tools needed to repair electronics

Recognizing & Disconnecting Cable Connectors | An overview of the most common cable connectors found inside consumer electronics

Identifying Major Electronic Components | A guide describing the major components found in most consumer electronics

Screwdriver Best Practices | Tips for using a screwdriver properly

Choosing the Right Screwdriver Bit | Identification of different screwdriver bits and when to use them

Removing a Stripped Screw | Various techniques for removing a stripped screw

Electronics Skills | How-to guides for a wide range of topics related to electronics

Tools Best Practices | Tips for using common tools properly

Videos from the repair community | A collection of videos featuring unique repair stories

Interested in a class visit by iFixit EDU education specialists? Get in touch at education@ifixit.com.

additional Resources

Circular Economy

The Circular Classroom | Resources for educators and students on circular economy

A future without waste - stories of change | STEM Learning | Lesson plan (Grades K-5) 

What is a circular economy? | Ellen MacArthur Foundation | Comprehensive collection of resources on circular economy

Design

The Circular Design Guide | Resources for designing products with circularity in mind

Unschool Design Toolkits | UnSchool | Courses and toolkits for sustainable design

e-waste

E-trash transparency project | Monitour | A collection of reports from a project between the Basel Action Network (BAN) and the MIT Senseable City Lab investigating what actually happens with donated or recycled e-waste

What is e-waste? | US PIRG | Explainer article with links

Death By Design: The dirty secret of our digital addiction | Sue Williams, Director | A documentary film about the negative environmental impacts caused by electronics

Greenwashing and media literacy

How to detect corporate greenwashing | PBS Newshour Classroom | Video, lesson plan, and resources (Grades 9-12)

Analyzing Greenwashing | Subject to Climate | Lesson plan (Grades 6-8)

Is this greenwashing? | Subject to Climate | Lesson plan (Grades 6-8)

materials economy

Buy, Use, Toss: A closer look at the things we buy | Facing the Future, Western Washington University | A two-week interdisciplinary curriculum unit centered around consumption (Grades 9-12)

The Story of Electronics | The Story of Stuff Project | A short film about the damaging effects of e-waste

Mining, Materials, and Natural Resources

Materials Matter | The Restart Project | Activities focusing on the environmental consequences of smartphones

The Briefcase Game and The Briefcase book of daily use minerals | RawMaterials Academy | An interactive resource about mining and minerals

Cellphone Science | Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History | Lesson plans and resources (Grades 6-8)

Mined Materials and Climate Change Educator Guide | MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative | Resources for teaching about climate change, earth science, and energy (Grades 9-12)

Overconsumption

The Story of Stuff | Resources, videos, and activities to inspire positive environmental change

Planned Obsolescence

Questioning our Throwaway Culture | Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility | Lesson plan (Grades 9-12)

Here’s the truth about the ‘planned obsolescence’ of tech | BBC | Explainer article (Grades 9-12)

repair and repair skills

Malvern Hills Repair Café: Education Pack | Malvern Hills Repair Café | Lesson plans centered around repair

Fixing Things for the Future | Rudolf Steiner School, Munich, Germany | Instructional handbook for implementing a repair class (Scroll down and click Download the Handbook for a free copy)

Make It Work! | Djapo, Belgium |Turnkey resources for educators (Grades 9-12)

right to repair

The Intersection of the Right to Repair and Tech Education | Girls into Coding | Explainer article

Right To Repair | US PIRG | Collection of resources by topic

Right To Repair Campaign | US PIRG | Up-to-the-minute news on active legislation and petitions