900 San Diego Students to Get Always-Connected PCs

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/08/20

A grant from Qualcomm Technologies, a San Diego-area company, will enable the San Diego Unified School District to deploy 900 new personal computers to students. What's unique is that the units have built-in cellular connectivity. The company has also committed to a one-time $141,000 donation to cover the cellular connectivity costs for the devices.

Since the closure of school facilities in the face of COVID-19, the district has distributed about 50,000 district-owned devices to students, to enable them to participate in remote learning.

The latest models include a Qualcomm chipset — the Snapdragon — which has the cell connectivity built in as a standard feature, enabling users to remain connected without WiFi.

Qualcomm's donation to the San Diego Unified School District features the company's Snapdragon chipset, which provides for cellular connectivity. Source: Qualcomm Technologies

Qualcomm's donation to the San Diego Unified School District features the company's Snapdragon chipset, which provides for cellular connectivity. Source: Qualcomm Technologies

The grant will be presented to the district's board of education later this summer. Once approved, the district will develop a plan to distribute the "always connected" PCs.

This isn't the first time Qualcomm has worked with the district. Previously, the company ran a program to help prepare students for careers in tech by installing a Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab at their corporate headquarters and in several schools throughout the county. The labs allow students to do hands-on activities in engineering to help them experience STEM and to help educators learn how to engage students in STEM.

"We are deeply committed to closing the connectivity gap," said Superintendent Cindy Marten, in a statement. "While we continue advocating for additional state and federal support, Qualcomm has stepped up and shown why San Diego really is America's finest city. This partnership goes a long way at supporting our students and teachers."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • laptop screen displaying a typed essay, on a child

    McGraw Hill Acquires Essaypop Digital Learning Tool

    Education company McGraw Hill has announced the acquisition of Essaypop, a cloud-based writing tool that will enhance the former's portfolio of personalized learning capabilities.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • The AI Show

    Register for Free to Attend the World's Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU

    The AI Show @ ASU+GSV, held April 5–7, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center, is a free event designed to help educators, students, and parents navigate AI's role in education. Featuring hands-on workshops, AI-powered networking, live demos from 125+ EdTech exhibitors, and keynote speakers like Colin Kaepernick and Stevie Van Zandt, the event offers practical insights into AI-driven teaching, learning, and career opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into classrooms while exploring innovations that promote equity, accessibility, and student success.

  • A child surrounded by glowing, fluid virtual patterns and holographic shapes, illuminated in a dark gradient environment of blue, purple, and pink.

    ClassVR Gets Expanded VR/AR Content Library

    Avantis Education has announced a new content library for its ClassVR virtual and augmented reality platform. Dubbed Eduverse+, the library features four content suites — EduverseAI, WildWorld, STEAM3D, and CareerHub — that can be tailored to suit a variety of educational levels.