Wireless Networking in Schools
Wireless networking works well in all types of school – and can bring
major educational benefits. This is the powerful central message of this
publication. Given a well thought-through strategy for its introduction,
and especially when used in combination with portable computers, a
wireless network extends the benefits of ICT for learning:
- To more children;
- In more subjects;
- In more areas of the school;
- For a wider range of purposes.
A wireless network can help teachers to:
- Work more efficiently;
- Better support their pupils’ learning through their own use of ICT;
- Use ICT to extract greater value from their teaching;
- Work wherever and whenever suits them best, in their school.
The flexibility of wireless networks and portable computers means that
lessons using ICT in depth can take place in ordinary classrooms, allowing
it to serve children’s learning needs and not dominate them, and to
improve teachers’ confidence in innovating. Schools have found that the
flexibility of wireless networks supports both teachers’ teaching and
administration responsibilities highly effectively.
For smaller schools, wireless networking can offer a cheaper, more
rapidly installed way of giving increased access to ICT school-wide.
For larger schools, wireless extensions to existing wired networks can
bring campus-wide coverage with the flexibility to provide temporary
additional coverage in unusual areas.
What is wireless networking?
Wireless networks connect computers to each other like a traditional
network – and can connect them to the internet – via radio waves,
without wires, using technology built into each user’s computer.
Increasingly, the technology is built into laptop and handheld
computers and if not, it can be added by installing a card and some
operating software. All the benefits of the connectivity that networks
bring are then available wherever the computer is used or installed,
as long as it is within range of an access point. These are installed in
the building either permanently or temporarily. To extend the
network beyond the school, one access point has to be connected to
the internet. Increasingly, we are seeing homes with more than one
computer in use. For teachers’ or pupils’ home use (more likely to be
feasible as laptops etc have wireless networking fitted as standard)
their mobile computer can be linked wirelessly to a desktop PC by
fitting a wireless adapter to the latter (cost about £60) and/or to the internet through a modem or internet gateway. The last mentioned is
the most appropriate method when a home is connected to ADSL
broadband – which is also becoming more common.
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Source: British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta)
- www.becta.org.uk