Networking & Wireless

Interactive Map Shows What Percentage of Classrooms Are Connected to the Internet

• By Christopher Piehler
• 07/13/15

Technology provider CDW-G has created a new interactive map designed to show what percentage of classrooms across the country have wired or wireless connections to the Internet. According to the company’s K-12 strategist Chad Stevens, CDW-G launched the “K-12 Connected Heat Map” on June 30 to capture data about connectivity not just to schools, but to individual classrooms.

To get started, CDW-G surveyed 400 IT professionals, 77 percent of whom represented public schools of various sizes. According to the latest map, Nebraska leads all states with 95 percent of its classrooms connected to the Internet, while Florida trails with 53 percent of its classrooms connected. As of today, 20 states plus the District of Columbia have not reported enough information to be given a connectivity percentage. Stevens said that CDW-G invites IT leaders to update the map with their own information.

The initial CDW-G survey also asked IT leaders about their priorities for improving connectivity in the near future. In answer to a question about their plans to upgrade their wired connectivity over the next 3 years, 61 percent of respondents cited increasing bandwidth, 47 percent mentioned improving or implementing network management and 46 percent said they planned to increase their budget.

When it came to planning for improvements to wireless connectivity, 52 percent of respondents said they want to increase bandwidth. Forty-one percent said they plan to increase their budget, and 40 percent said they would like to increase the number of access points on their networks.