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Technology Summer Institute
by Jon Zemanek

This summer, the School District of Philadelphia, Communities in Schools and YouthWorks co-sponsored the Urban Technology Project's six-week summer institute in which 14 Philadelphia students were hired as technology interns. Each student worked in the tech center, refurbished computers, mentored middle school students and received extensive training in computer hardware repair, web design and digital movie-making.

For nearly five years, room 518 of the former Roberto Clemente Middle School, now UrbanTech, has been known as a place where good uses for slightly used computer equipment are found. Edison Freire, the founder and lead coordinator of the Urban Technology Project, began using the space to teach a class on computer repair, service-learning and civic responsibility. Over the past year, both the physical space of the facility and the scope of the program have increased vastly.

UrbanTech has traditionally focused on hardware repair and computer refurbishment. In some ways, this summer was no different. Each intern spent adequate time working in the shop on tasks ranging from receiving and cataloging donations, to rebuilding and reprogramming computers for use in schools and homes in Philadelphia. This summer, however, each intern received training and curriculum materials to pass the CompTIA A+ certification exam. A+ certification is recognized by information technology professionals around the world as the equivalent of six months' experience as a computer technician and as the educational foundation of nearly every information technology career.

The newest addition to UrbanTech is the state-of-the-art multimedia lab, containing the equipment to create a myriad of creative technology projects including fully interactive web pages, computer graphic animation, three-dimensional digital art and live action digital movies. Each intern completed a digital portfolio consisting of websites created with Dream Weaver and Flash, and a resume and catalogue of creative and technical work. Using iMovie software and digital movie cameras, students created two distinctive movies: a tutorial of basic filming and production techniques and a documentary about the Dell TechKnow pilot program held at UrbanTech. Under the tutelage of PSLA AmeriCorps*VISTA member, Greg Dean, and UrbanTech staff member, Juan "Kenty" Burgos, students learned the technical skills and creative thinking needed to complete these projects.

This summer also marked the beginning of the exciting new program, Dell TechKnow, a joint venture between the School District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance, Dell Computer Corporation and GearUp that is designed for middle school students. Each student was given a used computer and required to spend 40 hours in the workshop learning how to take it apart, reassemble it, and load and use productivity software. The summer interns, already hardware troubleshooting specialists, mentored the younger students. The effect was incredible for both groups; the middle school students had positive role models and the interns were given a chance to truly give back to the community by directly educating its residents in technology and service-learning.