Student wifi access
Story by hannah riggs
Some days when you have a big project or assignment coming
up, its easy to wish you could bring your computer to school and work on
research in your free time. But, if you have ever tried this before, you soon
realize you cannot access wireless internet from your computer. Many students
wonder why we are not able to access the student designated wireless internet.
“My understanding from the technology department was that there was a tremendous amount of student access. Most of it was not authorized, passwords were being shared,” head principal Ted Horrell stated.
But even with this heavy usage, many students do not see what harm was being done.
“I don’t think they should eliminate the use of it for students. I think they should find a way to limit the access of it,” senior Chase Williams stated.
This idea of limiting the access would also eliminate other problems as well.
“It was overloading the server, so it was slowing down the overall internet. We had situations where visitors and teachers weren’t able to get on and it was difficult to regulate,” Horrell stated.
This is the main concern with student WiFi access, but it may not be a problem that could not be overcome.
“If the student were able to buy a server for Germantown High School, why not? I think it would be a great idea,” math teacher Leslie McNamara stated.
While this does seem like a good plan, it has potential problems as well, since technology must be approved by SCS.
“It’s an interesting thought, depending on the cost and feasibility, but I hate to this, I have a feeling the technology department would not approve that. But I’m not opposed to the concept,” Horrell stated.
So while this may be something in the future, it is easy to see the pros of this idea. The school computers need constant updates, and if students were to bring their own, some believe money could be saved.
“It would save the district a lot of money if they were to say ‘yes, bring your own computer’. They have to keep them up, and if they aren’t their computers, they wouldn’t have to do it,” McNamara stated.
Even though this plan would solve many problems, not all students are able to bring laptops to school, which is where school computers would be useful. But, if students were able to bring laptops, it may alleviate some extra stress some students feel.
“Most work now requires the use of the internet to get the information you need. I know many people have things after school that keep them busy, so having this access at school would provide them with more time as well,” Williams stated.
While having the internet would make a positive impact on students, it is not a matter that can be immediately changed. So now, we are to take advantages of the internet on the school computers.
Some teachers may not know it is possible for them to attain the WiFi password for their students for the day. Dr. Horrell said that teachers can fill out a form to request the password for a day. This knowledge could be very useful for teachers who wish to provide their students with research days when the library is full.
Even though at times, it may be frustrating to a student who cannot gain access to the internet on their own personal computers, there are other possibilities. The library does offers internet access on their computers and teachers may choose to gain access to the WiFi password for a day. So while it may be inconvenient to some students at the present time, it is possible to cope with the current situation.
“My understanding from the technology department was that there was a tremendous amount of student access. Most of it was not authorized, passwords were being shared,” head principal Ted Horrell stated.
But even with this heavy usage, many students do not see what harm was being done.
“I don’t think they should eliminate the use of it for students. I think they should find a way to limit the access of it,” senior Chase Williams stated.
This idea of limiting the access would also eliminate other problems as well.
“It was overloading the server, so it was slowing down the overall internet. We had situations where visitors and teachers weren’t able to get on and it was difficult to regulate,” Horrell stated.
This is the main concern with student WiFi access, but it may not be a problem that could not be overcome.
“If the student were able to buy a server for Germantown High School, why not? I think it would be a great idea,” math teacher Leslie McNamara stated.
While this does seem like a good plan, it has potential problems as well, since technology must be approved by SCS.
“It’s an interesting thought, depending on the cost and feasibility, but I hate to this, I have a feeling the technology department would not approve that. But I’m not opposed to the concept,” Horrell stated.
So while this may be something in the future, it is easy to see the pros of this idea. The school computers need constant updates, and if students were to bring their own, some believe money could be saved.
“It would save the district a lot of money if they were to say ‘yes, bring your own computer’. They have to keep them up, and if they aren’t their computers, they wouldn’t have to do it,” McNamara stated.
Even though this plan would solve many problems, not all students are able to bring laptops to school, which is where school computers would be useful. But, if students were able to bring laptops, it may alleviate some extra stress some students feel.
“Most work now requires the use of the internet to get the information you need. I know many people have things after school that keep them busy, so having this access at school would provide them with more time as well,” Williams stated.
While having the internet would make a positive impact on students, it is not a matter that can be immediately changed. So now, we are to take advantages of the internet on the school computers.
Some teachers may not know it is possible for them to attain the WiFi password for their students for the day. Dr. Horrell said that teachers can fill out a form to request the password for a day. This knowledge could be very useful for teachers who wish to provide their students with research days when the library is full.
Even though at times, it may be frustrating to a student who cannot gain access to the internet on their own personal computers, there are other possibilities. The library does offers internet access on their computers and teachers may choose to gain access to the WiFi password for a day. So while it may be inconvenient to some students at the present time, it is possible to cope with the current situation.