Helping students get Internet for virtual learning

Helping students get Internet for virtual learning

THAN EVER...AS MORE SCHOOLSPLAN FOR THEPOSSIBILITY OFVIRTUAL LEARNING...BUT WHAT HAPPENSIF YOU DON'T HAVE IT?N-B-C 26'S ABIGAILHANTKE SHOWS USHOW ONE SCHOOLDISTRICT IS SOLVINGTHE PROBLEM."It was quite an additionalcost."ROSENDALE-BRANDON SCHOOLDISTRICT...KNOWSJUST HOW IMPORTANTINTERNET ACCESS ISFOR VIRTUALLEARNING..."And not just access buthigh quality access."THEY TRIED IT OUTLAST YEAR, WHENTHINGS STARTEDSHUTTING DOWN DUETO COVID."We tried this past year todo all of our lessons in anasynchronous fashion.

Sothey can download themand watch them whenthey have better access.That was frustrating forthose families that wantedlive access."WHILE THE MAJORITYOF THE DISTRICTSAYS THEY DO HAVEINTERNETACCESS...THAT'S NOTEXACTLY EVERYBODY.FOR FAMILIES THATNEEDED HELP, THEDISTRICT BOUGHTMIFIS, AND SIGNED AFEW INTERNETCONTRACTS USINGREALLOCATEDFUNDS...TO HELPSTUDENTS GETACCESS TOLESSONS...BUT AGAIN,THE DISTRICT FOUNDA FEW PROBLEMS."In some places even aMiFi won't work becausethere is no cell phoneaccess.

So we'll do theanalog approach and we'llhave to call on a good ol'fashion landlinetelephone."SO GOING INTO THISSCHOOLYEAR...SUPERINTENDANT WAYNE WEBERSAYS THEY HAVE ALITTLE BIT MORE OF APLAN..."Our intent this year if wego virtual again, thosefamilies that don't haveaccess, we providehotspots, MiFi's for them."ADDING...THEY'REDOING THEIR BEST TOBUILD ABUDGET...WORKINGAROUND THEUNKNOWN."The MiFi's themselvesare free but then it's thetwo year contract to signon to provide that.//That isagain what we're lookingat this year, is anticipatingthe unknown and preparefor it."ABIGAIL HANTKE, NBC26AS OF LAST WEEK...THE ROSENDALE-BRANDON SCHOOL