There are many ways that schools have used modern technology to reach their students during this time of social distancing. We touched on some in past blogs. It’s not as much fun using Zoom to connect to your teacher and classmates, but it is productive and it gets the job done.

But what about the approximately 14% of school age students that do not have access to an Internet connection? This is a problem facing educators in both large cities where lower income communities can’t afford Internet services and rural areas where there’s just not enough demand for ISPs to bother setting up an infrastructure.

With no end to the pandemic in sight, and it’s looking more and more like remote learning might continue into the fall, school teachers and administrators needed to put their thinking caps on and come up with creative solutions to provide their students with the necessary tools to continue their education.

And they have gotten quite creative finding different ways to get the necessary instructional materials into the hands of their students. One inventive method is to use existing newspaper vending machines to stock learning materials around town that students can pick up and bring home.

Some districts are using school buses, driving their usual routes, to drop off hardcopy learning packets as well as meals that kids are used to getting at school, to the stops they would normally make to pick up and drop off students. Some are using these same buses as mobile hotspots, providing internet services for students. Many districts have the resources to give kids the equipment they need – computers, iPads – but needed to find ways to give them online access.

Other districts are utilizing the existing Internet service at the school and expanding their WiFi capabilities to the parking lot. Families can drive up, download the material and drive away without leaving their car.

Another great resource for schools is public access television. There are districts who have contacted local PBS stations in their area and arranged for distance learning programs to be broadcast. Every child in the area can go to virtual class by turning on the TV.

It seems that Internet access is more of a problem than getting electronic devices into the hands of students that need them. If your business is in an area where this problem exists, you may be in a position to help.

A lower income apartment complex was in a similar situation. They had the devices, they didn’t have Internet service. JitterWorks, and the church across the alley, were in a position to help.

Using technology from Ubiquiti – NanoBeam, EdgeRouter, UniFi Building-To-Building Bridge and a UniFi Cloud Key, JitterWorks was able to generate Internet service by broadcasting a signal (WiFi) from the church to the apartment building. The Ubiquiti equipment was donated, the process was relatively simple for an experienced IT company, the signal was strong and the church and residents were happy. We were happy to help.

If you find yourself in a position to do something similar for a house, an apartment building, a senior living facility, or anyone you know with a similar problem, we recommend you get involved. You’ll be happy you did.