Google Classroom, Kahoot!, and TurnItIn. These platforms all require one thing for students to use them: a source of fast Wi-Fi. Recently, the student-favored network, iMacLab, was removed from the list of Wi-Fi options to pick from at school. This has caused a frenzy, forcing students to resort to their personal hotspots from a phone or wait for APS-GUEST to boot up. As classes become more digitally-reliant, the need for Wi-Fi increases.
The lack of a fast connection has severely impacted the way students are able to do work during the day. Senior Grace Fors has had trouble managing her IB coursework while also finishing college supplementals. It also frustrates her that APS-GUEST does not let her access some websites such as YouTube and Gmail. She remembered the Wi-Fi going out once before during her sophomore year but the network was quickly put back after a few days. Now, she has little hope that she can do all of the work she wants to do while on the North Atlanta campus. The solution is to connect to her personal hotspot, but that takes up the majority of her monthly data. “Whenever I have the motivation to work, I seem to have a very slow connection,” said Fors. “I have to wait until I get home to do any work.”
This problem affects everyone, not just the students. Several teachers are having trouble getting everyone to join review games such as Quizlet Live and Blooket. Some games require students to be grouped together and answer a series of questions together, each using the answers provided on their laptops. If one player’s Wi-Fi goes bad, their entire team can be jeopardized for getting first place and missing out on a vital review. AP Human Geography and IB history teacher Dr. Brooke Dozier enjoys using these games to help students learn and figure out what they need to study. If a game takes too long, then it will take up the rest of class time. “Districts want us to use more technology, but that is difficult when the Wi-Fi doesn’t work,” said Dozier. “We are doing the students, as well as the faculty, a disservice when we do not have adequate access to technology.”
Teachers and students alike hope the Wi-Fi problem will be resolved soon, but there is another option for NAHS faculty and students. The STUDENTWIFI@APS network allows everyone with an APS account to access quick and reliable Wi-Fi. It is easy to use and a strong replacement for the once-loved iMacLab.
