I am putting an article from Rueters in here verbatim (link at the end) because it talks about WIFI and how it will transform schools. At my urging, we got a WIFI node and a class set of laptops we can use with Journalism students in any classroom. We are eagerly awaiting the library's wifi so we can send the students out on reporting missions to the library and around the city, with their trusty wifi laptop as part of their "backpack."

Mon April 21, 2003 01:52 PM ET By Yukari Iwatani CHICAGO (Reuters) - Sarah Wille didn't get sick when she dissected a fetal pig in science class, because she'd seen its innards before. The 12-year-old had studied the diagrams ahead of time on the Internet over a wireless laptop computer. "Lots of kids were nervous about what the pigs were going to look like and pretty confused because we'd never looked at the inside of anything. It was much easier when we knew what to expect," Sarah said. On Mondays, she uses the same laptop to work on math quizzes structured for her ability level on a Web site. Sarah is a student at Winston Campus in the Chicago suburb of Palatine, which is part of a growing number of schools that are incorporating laptop computers and wireless Internet technology into their buildings and classrooms. Most U.S. public schools are equipped with desktop computers and computer labs, but the relatively new wireless Internet technology called WiFi gives pupils instant access to the Internet to help with any subject in any classroom. WiFi is already available in many universities, which generally have more vast resources, but now the technology is trickling down into lower-level schools. It is one of the fastest-growing budget items for technology. LEARNING WHEREVER AND WHENEVER WiFi, or 802.11b, is an ultra high-speed wireless Internet connection usually available within a radius of a few hundred feet. By setting up multiple access points or "hot spots," schools can make wireless Internet access available throughout their campuses. "A big part of what wireless makes possible is the flexible reconfiguration of classrooms, so students can take with them whatever tools they need and use them wherever they happen to be," said Chris Dede, a professor specializing in learning technologies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. WiFi technology is already used in many businesses and homes, and wireless operator T-Mobile TMOG.UL DTEGn.DE offers the service in Starbucks 2712.OJ cafes, Borders bookstores and airports. At Independence High School in San Jose, California, where sophomores were assigned laptops to use for the school year, Principal Cari Vaeth said she sees students with their laptops open at picnic tables outside during lunch time. "It really has expanded the amount of time they really can be learning," said Vaeth. "The work they're doing is in greater depth and has involved more critical thinking and research." Such technology can level the playing field among students of different abilities ranging from learning-disabled to advanced, said Drex Maggio, a librarian at Winston Campus. "You can have Web sites that are a little easier and some that are more challenging, so you individualize the class ability-wise," Maggio said. "NEXT-GENERATION AT A LOWER COST" Over 90 percent of students attend the 110,000 public schools throughout the United States from kindergarten through 12th grade. These schools combined spend about $6.2 billion a year on technology needs, including hardware, software, networking equipment and staff development, according to EduVentures, the leading U.S. educational consulting firm. Of that, about $500 million was spent on wireless technologies in the 2001-2002 school year, but that is expected to double in 2002-2003 and quadruple the following year. Companies such as IBM IBM.N have honed in on the potential of this niche market, establishing teams that specifically help schools like Winston and Independence. Gearmakers such as Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO.O and Symbol Technologies Inc. SBL.N also stand to gain. "I'm spending more time, energy and resources in this area," said Norm Korey, vice president of wireless services at IBM. Korey said schools find wireless networks to be significantly cheaper to install than wired connections, which is limited to areas with power outlets and other necessary equipment. Even schools with fewer resources in rural or urban areas managed to find funding for it through government measures such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was reauthorized in 2001 to close the achievement gap between the so-called "haves" and "have-nots." TREMENDOUS CULTURAL SHIFT While installing WiFi connections appears to be a no-brainer for schools, EduVentures analyst Matt Stein said the technology also raises a whole set of new issues. "It takes a tremendous cultural shift for (teachers) to start thinking of giving students this power in their hands," Stein said, adding schools might also be overwhelmed by the complexity of the technology and its rapid pace of change. Some teachers have also complained about greater student distraction as they use their laptops to play games or surf the Web during class. Others simply object to seeing a sea of laptops with faces down instead of looking at them. Even students themselves have admitted to their grades suffering as a result of too much e-mailing or instant messaging during class. For that reason, the more cutting-edge schools are turning to personal digital assistants, which they prefer because they are smaller, cheaper and less disruptive. At Wake Forest University in North Carolina teachers "beam" a question to students' PDAs during class, so they can get immediate feedback on their comprehension level, Stein said. Stein believes schools might eventually move toward slate-like tablet PCs that allow users to write directly onto the screen with a pen-like device. "People within schools are continually feeling that pressure to prepare students for what they're going to face after high school and college and wireless technology is certainly becoming a bigger piece," he said.

Schools Look to Wireless to Boost Learning