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North Kansas City schools to equip a few buses for Wi-Fi access
KC Star Online ^ | 12/25/2012 | Mary Sanchez

Posted on 01/11/2013 6:21:20 AM PST by mykroar

Stepping aboard a school bus will soon be the same as taking a seat in class for some students in the North Kansas City schools.

In January, the district will begin wiring four school buses that are used for longer trips with Wi-Fi access. It’s believed to be the first such effort locally.

The innovative move is just one more example of how local districts are adapting to keep up with technology and use it for the benefit of students.

“We are living in a digital age,” said Eric Sipes, information technology executive director for the district. “We are at that point where we have to embrace it.”

The idea to wire the buses with industrial grade wireless 3-G Internet systems was initially proposed several years ago by Lon Waterman, assistant director of transportation.

Waterman wanted to recoup instructional time lost to travel.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/25/3981619/school-buses-ride-along-to-21st.html#storylink=cpy

(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Miscellaneous; US: Missouri
KEYWORDS: bus; city; kansas; wifi
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The cost is about $700 per bus for the equipment and $50 in monthly Internet access charges.

The lottery proceeds must be working. /sarc

1 posted on 01/11/2013 6:21:30 AM PST by mykroar
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To: mykroar

I mis-read that as North Korea.


2 posted on 01/11/2013 6:27:35 AM PST by VAFreedom (maybe i should take a nap before work)
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To: mykroar

Bus full of kids on one 3g card? oh ya.. that’ll work. Who is the brainiac who thought that one up?

3 kids streaming netflix can bring a 3g card to it’s knees.


3 posted on 01/11/2013 6:30:30 AM PST by cableguymn (The founding fathers would be shooting by now..)
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To: mykroar

Anything to keep the little darlings sedated.


4 posted on 01/11/2013 6:32:24 AM PST by brownsfan (Behold, the power of government cheese.)
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To: mykroar
Yes, it is be very important that kids have accesss to Facebook while in the bus. Great use of taxpayer money. No matter how much we give them, it will never be enough.
5 posted on 01/11/2013 6:34:23 AM PST by MPJackal ("From my cold dead hands.")
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To: mykroar
This is an area served by the Google gigabit service. Not all buses will be converted but just the long distance buses used by band and athletics.

They have several routes that are an hour long, looking for a way to recoup dead time. District is also looking to implement BYOD like many districts.

Upscale district, to be sure.

6 posted on 01/11/2013 6:36:26 AM PST by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: mykroar

I guess the kid’s smart phone won’t cut it for 20 minutes.


7 posted on 01/11/2013 6:37:38 AM PST by Huskrrrr
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To: mykroar

It will keep them quiet and focused on tweeting.


8 posted on 01/11/2013 6:40:20 AM PST by struggle (http://killthegovernment.wordpress.com/)
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To: mykroar

Still no seat belts ?

Follow the money


9 posted on 01/11/2013 6:40:28 AM PST by maine yankee (I got my Governor at 'Marden's')
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To: texas booster

Is this area so thinly populated kids need to be on the busy for an hour?

How bout sending the kids to a closer school or.. gasp.. give them a book to read.


10 posted on 01/11/2013 6:47:29 AM PST by cableguymn (The founding fathers would be shooting by now..)
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To: mykroar

The answer to every question with the word ‘school’ in it is home school.


11 posted on 01/11/2013 6:50:38 AM PST by lurk
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To: struggle

No, no, no. Read the article. They’re going to all be doing homework. /rolleyes


12 posted on 01/11/2013 7:02:02 AM PST by mykroar ("I'm afraid I can't use a mule. I have several hundred up on Capitol Hill." - Ronald Reagan)
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To: MPJackal

It depends how it is used. Although it will probably be wasted by most kids, the smart ones will use that time to work on their homework.


13 posted on 01/11/2013 7:03:36 AM PST by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults.)
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To: MPJackal
Yes, it is be very important that kids have accesss to Facebook while in the bus.

It is very simple to lock out Facebook (and other popular problem sites like YouTube) when you control the router and firewall. The price actually sounds pretty reasonable. Those kids that choose to use the time welll would be able to. The good with the bad are stuck on those buses.
14 posted on 01/11/2013 7:06:24 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("C'est la vie" say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell. -- Chuck Berry)
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To: mykroar
Stepping aboard a school bus will soon be the same as taking a seat in class

Stepping aboard a school bus will soon be the same as taking a seat in A GAME ROOM.


15 posted on 01/11/2013 7:06:58 AM PST by Iron Munro (I Miss America, don't you?)
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To: brownsfan

“Anything to keep the little darlings sedated.”

POST OF THE DAY!


16 posted on 01/11/2013 7:10:02 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set...)
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To: mykroar
If it keeps the little mostes from pummeling each other all teh way to school.....
17 posted on 01/11/2013 7:10:47 AM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: Dr. Sivana

correct they “could” lock out facebook and the like but.... what do you think the chances are that they will? Next to nil I am sure. hmmm a reasonable price? what is a reasonable price to the taxpayer who has to provide food, clothes and shelter to their family and is already going to see increasing taxes and inflation.

doesn’t seem reasonable to ask the taxpayer to pay up so that little Johnny can tweet and like things on Facebook instead of taking out a good novel.


18 posted on 01/11/2013 7:39:08 AM PST by longfellowsmuse (last of the living nomads)
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To: mykroar

What a well-conceived idea.


19 posted on 01/11/2013 8:49:04 AM PST by IbJensen (Liberals are like Slinkies, good for nothing, but you smile as you push them down the stairs.)
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To: longfellowsmuse
what is a reasonable price to the taxpayer who has to provide food, clothes and shelter to their family and is already going to see increasing taxes and inflation.

So many times we have seen insane expenses associate with pensions, cadillac insurance coverage, extra admins, etc. $700 for hardware, figuring it is good for three years, $50/month connection ($600/year), those are decent numbers compared to what the private sector would pay for comparable. At $833/year divided by ten months of school at average 20 kids per bus, that comes to a little more than $4 head per month, or under a quarter a day.

If this was selected by the local board, it is less a problem for what the hard paying taxpayers put up than if it were a state or fed program.

The kid is stuck on the bus. He can certainly take out a good novel, if he can concentrate with all the noise on the bus. Some probably have their own private 3g connections. For others, it could be a trip to FR (for the older ones, due to occasionally salacious photos and material not suitable for youngsters)or Heritage.org or it could be to get a start on homework, which for many requires the Internet.

My first choice would be policies to greatly reduce the need or demand for public schools. Second choice is small neighborhood schools within walking distance for most. That said, when I compare this expenditure to the $100K plus that a broke school district (Rockford Dist. 205 in Illinois) spends on a Michelle Obama garden (we're in farm country ... take them to a REAL farm!), I am mildly impressed that they kept the expenditure for the year well under five figures.


20 posted on 01/11/2013 9:51:58 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("C'est la vie" say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell. -- Chuck Berry)
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