According to a new report, there are steps schools and districts can take to help improve their students’ home WiFi performance — some at a cost, some using IT staff expertise and legwork.
The current FCC definition of home broadband — 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds — is inadequate for at-home learning, according to researchers who conducted a first-of-its-kind study of district data for students engaged in remote learning.
As education institutions aim to become more flexible to meet modern demands, teachers will continue operating under hybrid learning models — making the need for disruption-free virtual lessons and network access all the more critical. To best accommodate these needs, investing in a flexible IT infrastructure that can support remote-learning, especially as our country undergoes one of the most pivotal time periods in history, will be an important factor.
District digital initiatives have included a 1-to-1 device program, to provide students with iPads, Windows devices and Chromebooks, and a virtual "Backpack of Success Skills" platform for students, to demonstrate learning and collect artifacts such as pictures and video with Google tools. Assessments are done online. And the schools 3,000-plus IP-connected cameras with gunshot recognition capabilities and electronic access control.
Starting now, electric school buses from IC Bus, a subsidiary of Navistar, will be adding WiFi as a standard feature, in a new agreement with Kajeet, a company that produces devices for internet access in education.
Malicious actors have disrupted remote learning by targeting school systems in their ransomware, malware and DDoS attacks.
Microsoft has co-launched the "Education Open Data Challenge," to establish the link between broadband access and K-12 learning outcomes.
A Texas county with an all-digital public library is taking on the job of developing a private wireless network to support its rural and economically poor students.
A network that connects Utah's K-12 schools, colleges and universities, public libraries and healthcare providers is forging ahead with plans to set up a private LTE network, to address the digital divide.
10G offers the promise of delivering 10 times the current most prevalent maximum speeds offered to consumers.