If you are a business person, who may travel here and there, you probably are familiar with hotspots. These portable, palm-sized devices convert a cellular signal into a Wi-fi network that can connect your device -- think smartphone, tablet, or laptop -- to the internet immediately, thereby giving you access to browse the web, send an email, join a video conferencing call, or stream music or videos. Even if you haven’t used one, you may have seen a fellow traveler slip one out of her bag or pocket to easily jump online.
During the pandemic though, a whole new generation of users were introduced to hotspots: students. With the inequalities of internet access -- heightened along income, race, and geographical lines -- some districts, like New York City public schools, provided students with hotspots so that they could access the internet to download resources, browse the web, watch videos, participate in live classroom sessions, and upload assignments during COVID-19’s remote learning, a.k.a., from their homes. However, as the ancient adage proclaims, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Students nowadays are schooled in digital literacy and citizenship. Yet developmentally, they can struggle with the ups and downs of digital life. So as schools scrambled to make sure that all students could continue to learn and progress despite the upheaval of the traditional school day, they also encountered many practical and logistical hiccups:
Other dilemmas were tied to the everyday constraints of edtech adoption in general:
MAPLE, a manufacturer of hotspots since 2017, has re-architected their hotspot solution to meet the unique and diverse needs of schools. Their newly released hotspots provide schools the flexibility, support, security, and control to optimize students’ learning anytime, anywhere. From assistance in applying for and securing Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) support to the management-friendly dashboard to the 24/7/365 customer service available in English and in Spanish, MAPLE’s school-based solution meets school community members where they are to address an ongoing need: access to the internet. Although schools have reverted to a traditional school day or hybrid model, most are taking advantage of lessons learned during the pandemic when it comes to adopting edtech for more personalized and individualized learning. Thus, the access to reliable, high-speed WiFi is no longer a nice to have, but a must have. Take a look at the distinct feature set of MAPLE’s hotspot service:
Opening soon is the EFC’s third wave of emergency connectivity funding: applications welcomed April 28-May 13. Connect now with Michelle Mirshokri (michelle@mappleconnect.co), part of MAPLE’s education-focused team, to learn more about how MAPLE can hand-hold your school through the application, setup, rollout, and management of hotspots for continuous learning for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Learn more now to start the next school year with a learning for all mindset.
