Phillip+A


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 * February 11, 2010
 * Wi-Fi Turns Rowdy Bus Into Rolling Study Hall
 * By: Sam Dillon
 * Education
 * As a field test, district officials from Vail, Arizona put Wi-Fi access in one of their buses. Vail, Arizona is a district which has 18 schools and 10,000 students that is spread across a vast area, so typically bus rides are long. Karen Cator, director of education technology at the federal Department of Education, thought that using buses would expand the technology use outside the classroom walls and extend learning outside school. The “Internet Bus” took shape by Mr. Federoff when he was home sitting and watching a commercial for wifi in the car. He thought if it was possible to put the same technology in a bus to boost academic productivity. A earlier test was put in to place when the Bus No. 92 carried a boy's soccer team to a tournament that was about 4 hours away. When the boys had down time, between games and what not, coached notice everyone on their laptops doing homework, sending emails, and actually doing work. Ever since then the same bus has been providing Wi-Fi for the students it is driving. District Officials have notice ever since then that homework is getting done and bus rides are more quieter and less rowdy, according the bus driver.
 * Adding Wi-Fi on buses, in my opinion, is a great idea because 1) it would definitively improve homework productivity, 2) it would make it a lot easier for the bus driver since the students will be occupied with something other then yelling out and causing disruption, and 3) like it said in the article, sport teams that go along way to go to games or tournaments and spend quite some time over there will have something to do and probably boost grades. The bias of the author seems to be very supportive of the idea of having this sort of technology in bus, given that he provided many examples of the use of it. This will be important in the near future because districts that are as big as Vail, can consider the use of this technology.