Why Is Quality WiFi So Important for Education?

In this day and age, internet access in schools isn’t just important, it’s expected. With digital and inclusive learning styles becoming a more prominent part of education, a high quality network connection needs to be accessible for students.

Despite this, many schools and learning establishments still use wired technology as opposed to WiFi, bringing on a plethora of setbacks, restrictions, and exclusions. Where commercial establishments and UK homes have long upgraded to wireless networks, schools have not – leaving them trailing behind.

The Education Secretary recently announced plans to roll out lightning-fast gigabit broadband across the UK, with the aim for all schools to have high-speed internet by 2025. To support this, the Government has announced a £150 million fund to help schools upgrade their WiFi connections.

Considering the setbacks of relying on wired technology, why exactly is quality WiFi so important for education?

It teaches students essential life skills

The internet is a common part of everyday life – and this isn’t set to change anytime soon. While most students will already have access to the internet on their mobile phones, iPads, and home laptops, it’s unlikely they’ve had training in internet skills and safety.

Students will also need to use WIFI for everyday tasks like banking and money management, applying for jobs or universities, submitting tax returns, and much more. Numerous daily tasks are now carried out on the internet, so teaching students these skills early on will ensure they are prepped for adult life.

Additionally, using WiFi can encourage teamwork and collaboration – any iPad or laptop shared between multiple students can allow for interactive learning or problem-solving as a team.

It allows for an inclusive learning style

Everyone has a different learning style. Some people react best to completing hands-on tasks, whereas others strive better in a traditional note-taking environment. Thanks to WiFi and today’s technology, educational establishments can now cater to all different types of learning styles.

Whilst WIFI allows teachers to create engaging presentations that are easy to understand, studentscan find answers and research at their fingertips and learn in a way that best aids their development.

It makes learning more accessible

Remember when the internet was only accessed via age-old computers in the IT lab? Well, not anymore. Nowadays, students have the option of accessing the internet and learning wherever they want. Allowing them to use their own devices for learning means they can access this at home or on the go, making homework and studying outside of school hours much easier. This accessibility also has endless benefits for remote learning and home-schooling.

Though certain subjects (P.E comes to mind) may not benefit from onlinelearning like others, it can make more modern subjects, such as graphic design or media, more accessible. And there’s no doubt that being able to connect to WiFi in the classroom can enhance learning. For example, science lessonsinclude fun experiments, but what about experiments that can’t be safely conducted in a classroom? The ability to present videos of these broader demonstrationscan keep students engaged.

It allows greater access to learning materials

With a reliablenetwork connection, you can find a multitudeof learning materials such as:

• Presentations and videos
• Interactive workshops
• Learning games
• Webinars
• Infographics
• Digital books

…and more! By moving away from traditional textbooks, students become more engaged and can learn faster with accessible, digital learning. That’s not to say that schools are getting rid of textbooks altogether – after all, some people still prefer putting pen to paper.

It saves time and resources

There’s nothing worse than a bored classroom of students waiting for a teacher’s presentation to buffer and continue. They’ll quickly lose attention and motivation. Quality WiFi eliminates the problem of patchy network connections or work being lost, helping teachers save time when it comes to lesson preparation.

It can also cut down on resources – rather than restocking bulk loads of stationery, investing in quality laptops and tablets means they can be used time and time again, lasting much longer and allowing work to be stored on them.

How can Nortech help?

As a learning independent provider, Nortech specialises in network services, wireless networks, audio visual, support, security, network cabling and electrical.

Our wireless networking services rely on our many years of experience installing and supporting wireless networks in the education, healthcare, leisure, business, industrial, and government sectors. We work with a number of suppliers who we know and trust to help wireless LANs increase productivity, mobility, and efficiency.

Get in touch today:

Telephone: 01604 259467
Email: sales@nortechservices.co.uk