After the tornado on May 22, 2011 Joplin Schools received a huge donation enabling them to buy a laptop for every high school student. These laptops are used instead of traditional textbooks--each class has a set of e-textbooks and other online resources for the students to use. While they are in school, the students use the schools' wifi to access their assignments and textbooks, but once they are off school grounds, they are on their own to find a suitable internet connection. Many students have internet access at home, but many do not. The school has some strategies in place for these students, but it seems like it is much easier to do well in school if students have internet access outside of school.
Yesterday, I spoke with two high school boys who come to the Library almost every day after school about how they use our wifi. Both boys said they don't have internet at home and don't drive yet, so their only source for free wifi is the Library. Of course, they both use our wifi to play games and use facebook and other social networks, but they also use our wifi to do their homework and access their textbooks. They told me that if it weren't for the Library's wifi, they would have a harder time completing their school work.
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