Free is a pretty good price to pay for anything, but how does building an entire computer lab at no cost sound? Technology teacher Robert Litt of Oakland Unified tells us how to get it done by going to hardware recyclers like OTX West and using Linux to get the machines up and running. He challenges teachers to embrace failure, try open-source software and reject brand consciousness in technology. "I think of the scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey where the humans are starving--and there are pigs around--but they don't know that they can eat meat," he says. "We're starving technologically and educationally in the midst of plenty."
