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College students entering and returning school this fall are finding their institutions of higher learning attempting to tap into the technology young people have come to master in communicating with their friends, family and the world.
Ultra-thin laptops, tablets and smart phones are leading colleges to use integrate mobile technologies into the college experience, said Jamal Simmons, chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, a national coalition that promotes broadband for all Americans. The alliance launched a drive this fall encouraging college students to sign its online petition for the expansion of broadband technology.
“Students know they still have to go to class, but many of them wonder why their colleges aren’t better equipped to allow them to use the technology that makes them more efficient learners,” Simmons said. “As with desks, dorm rooms, and running water, wireless broadband access is assumed to be a fixture of the modern college campus, a utility that the current students’ parents could never have dreamed of.”
Several colleges and universities have already taken the lead in promoting mobile computing on campus. Long Island University and Seton Hall University are among many institutions providing iPads to all incoming freshmen. Like any new education investment, supplying the hardware tools and meeting the broadband demands can come at a significant cost for many universities. But the students have spoken: one survey found more than 90 percent of American college students believed that wireless Internet was as important to their education as classrooms and desks.
Simmons noted that despite the investments made by many top universities, schools across the nation continue to struggle with demands for capacity upgrades to their broadband and wireless networks. With the advent of tablet computing and ultra-thin laptops, students are able to make their college learning and lifestyles even more portable. This technology-savvy generation of college students is in tune with mobile hardware, and knows how to unlock it to its full potential.
“A vast majority of incoming freshman are proficient at taking digital notes,” Simmons said. “They know how to sniff out the best mobile apps to aid and enhance their studies. Today’s tech-savy students need a reliable and robust network that will enable them to utilize the hardware and software applications that will help make them attractive to the employers of the future. “
Although the educational component of broadband technology is a priority, the college experience has a social and personal growth element for students. Here, too, fast wireless broadband can make its mark. Now students, with laptop computers fitted with High Definition cameras, can see and speak with loved ones or other college students thousands of miles away. Applications like Skype, FaceTime, and Google Talk enable a student in a Rhode Island college or university to communicate face-to-face with his parents at home in southern California.
The IIA supports making these social and education advancements available to all students. Students may sign the IIA petition here and find out more about the IIA at www.internetinnovation.org
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About The Internet Innovation Alliance
The Internet Innovation Alliance is a broad-based coalition supporting broadband availability and access for all Americans including underserved and rural communities. It aims to ensure every American, regardless of race, income or geography, has access to this critical tool. The IIA seeks to promote public policies that leverage the power of entrepreneurs and the market to achieve universal broadband availability and adoption.
For more information contact:
Lauren DuBois
(917) 573-2485
lauren@internetinnovation.org
