Is WiFi Access in School Necessary?

In today’s world, a good WiFi connection is important for students in school on their computers or their phones. The internet is used every day in the classroom to do research, take quizzes, and complete assignments. These all require a good connection to WiFi. It can be argued that phones are a distraction in school and can have negative effects on academics and social development (US News). However, it needs to be accepted that technology is a big part of the world today, and that carries over to schools. The internet is a great tool for learning, and digital literacy should be taught starting at a young age because it is so important in our world today. (Student Tutor).

PSD One is the WiFi network students are connected to on their laptops, and many times, students have trouble getting things to load. Pennridge English teacher, David Brown, said that he has a good connection on his laptop, but “kids repeatedly struggle on canvas and Quizlet. Sometimes it works when they disconnect and reconnect, but sometimes they have to restart their computers completely or go to the help desk.” Many students struggle to get their laptops to connect to the Wifi, especially after they’ve switched classes. Brown is on the WiFi network psd.pennridge.org, so it seems students are on one network and teachers are on another. It must be easier for the computers to load with just the teachers on one network instead of  2500 students trying to connect to PSD One at the same time. Pennridge High School student, Ryann Bennett, said it can be “very frustrating” when trying to get her computer to load in school.

It is also important for students and teachers to have access to WiFi on their phones. Students are not supposed to be on their phones in class, but they can still have them in the hallways and cafeteria; sometimes, students need to get in contact with their families. Bennet currently has a concussion, and she said, “I always text my mom my symptoms because she likes to be updated, but it can not always be done because of the school WiFi.” When asked if he ever tries to contact his family during the school day, Brown said, “I rarely do, but when I do, it never works; I have to restart my phone to get access.” Brown and Bennet both said they would feel better having secure WiFi access on their phones in case of an emergency. Brown said he has “zero service in the Daily Ramble studio.”

A good solution to this issue would be to have a separate WiFi network for each grade. This way, only about 600 students are trying to connect to a network rather than 2500.

https://student-tutor.com/blog/cell-phones-in-school/

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/cellphones-in-school-what-to-know