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Wi-Fi School Buses Turn Rides into Class Time

by Tim Stevens on December 29, 2009 at 10:18 AM

WiFi School Busses Turn Rides into Class Time
We've seen how Wi-Fi-endowed buses in San Francisco (and elsewhere) are turning peoples' commutes into more productive time -- or at least more entertaining time. But, workers aren't the only ones stuck using mass transportation to get to their daily occupations. The same idea is now being applied to some school buses, letting students be a little more productive during those lengthy rides to school.

Many rural students across the country are faced with 60-plus minute rides into class in the mornings, and such is the case addressed by one pilot program, the Aspirinaut Initiative, in Arkansas. It provides Apple MacBooks and iPods to advanced students, enabling them to watch classwork-related videos and information while on the bus. Ethan, a student involved in the program, told the Wall Street Journal, "It's not just for big-city people with good connections."

Do you think school buses should come equipped with Wi-Fi?
Yes121 (45.3%)
No125 (46.8%)
I don't know21 (7.9%)


But, many students are dropping out of the program, which isn't particularly surprising to us -- between the road-sickness and the flying spitballs, we're not sure we could concentrate there, either. [From: The Wall Street Journal]


Tags: bus, connected, education, school, school bus, SchoolBus, wifi

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