Education, Unplugged: Schools Make Cable-Free Connections

Fortmeyer, R. (2007). Education, Unplugged: Schools Make Cable-Free Connections. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/school-wireless-devices-networks.

This article is about what kind of hardware networks schools are choosing to use. Most have both wired and wireless systems, to allow students to use laptops wirelessly. The article also discusses how adding both can be easy for new construction, but in old schools there often isn't enough space to dedicate an entire room to servers and cables. The author talks about how a lot of schools are using laptops, since it allows for the flexibility of students being able to work on assignments from home using VPN. It is also easier for older schools to implement laptops, because they don't have to make room for computer labs. The article also mentions that smartphones are gaining popularity in schools, as a way for students to work on assignments on the go.

I definitely see wireless technology as being very useful in schools. At Squalicum High School they have carts full of laptops that teachers can check out, so students can work on assignments in their own classroom. I think it is more efficient than dedicating an entire room as a computer lab when it could instead be used as a classroom. Also, using laptops in the classroom allows for more group work, since students can re-arrange their desks to sit together. The section in the article about smartphones is interesting because the article was written in 2007. I wonder if smartphones are more prevalent in schools now. Certainly anyone with a smartphone at least uses it for email, which means teachers and students can contact each other more quickly when they're away from their computers. I don't know if they would necessarily be useful for doing assignments, since most smartphones are focused on the internet, not other programs like Microsoft Word, etc, that can be used for assignments. Plus, as far as I know, the technology isn't there yet to link smartphones to school networks, so students wouldn't even be able to access assignments they had already started. The possibilities are interesting though.