It's really exciting to be able to have what I think is going to be a major effect on computer access for students in this district using supplies that are essentially free. It's a good way to learn and have fun at the same time. Tucked in the basement of Oakland Technical High School, down a flight of stairs shod in cracked linoleum, the Technology Exchange is housed in what used to be the school junk room. On one side of the warehouse-style room sit the incoming computers, a beige plastic graveyard of CPUs, monitors and keyboards. On the other side of the room sit the results of the students' work, a stack of Internet-equipped computers waiting to be shipped out, their buffed screens gleaming in the dim light.
Nothing goes to waste here.
Computers that can't be made to work are salvaged for parts. Anything left over is sold as scrap to a recycler. Students who work in the program start with a 30-hour internship. Once they complete that they get to take a computer home with them. After that, they get paid for their work.