Who is watching your kids?

Technical means is on the fringe of the communications bubble, but I find it relevant in the sense of the capabilities it has to offer. The article I chose covers the wireless internet and the attachments that come with the data and it's placement on the web. One aspect of the article is to equip schools with wireless internet hubs in order to reach the students and provide access to the internet without running cable and hardwiring the schools with gear that will eventually have to be replaced.

The other points in the article have to deal with equipping students with smart card technology in order to, in a sense, track the students whereabouts. This is a double edged sword in the sense that not only will the administrators know the students whereabouts in time of emergency, but also if the neffarious little deviants are smoking in the parking lot.

There are some great issues that this article raises in the advantage for going wireless in the school. The ability to go mobile releases the constraint of having computer equipped rooms as opposed to rooms that have no access. As the times change, so does the class environment. This eliminates the need to restructure classrooms and allows for the ability for every classroom to be computer enhanced when the time comes.

Another plus for a wireless environment is the student population control. If each student is issued a smart card, than the access for each class room is controlled to the appropriate students and faculty that need to be there. In terms of security, there is a limited number of avenues for an intruder to cause havoc because if you deny them service to an area they are limited to where they can roam. Just look at the number of school shootings and we can see how the limitation of access could have prevented even one loss of life. On the flip side of this coin, in the event of a disaster, the location of students can be limited to the nearest work station as opposed to a full sweep of the environment. This cuts down time in reaction and also a certain level of confusion given the need for evacuation.

The disadvantages to this capability is the ability for an outside entity to exploit the capabilities. No matter how secure a network is, a broadcasted RF signal can be intercepted and depending on the dedication of those intercepting, any algorithm can be broken. This not only defeats the purpose of security, but also gives the intruder an advantage. Knowledge is power, but sometimes it is too much power. Any denial of service attack on an institution renders the intent of security null and void.

Secondly, students are not going to be perfect candidates for a "Big Brother" minded operation. Just because the smartcard is telling the administrator it is in class does not mean that the student is physically present. In order to enforce this concept, the traditional mindset of role and accountability needs to be altered to ensure the full number of components are in place. It would be simple to have one student hold on to a badge while another is out on the football field professing their love to another. Another downside to presenting wireless internet to schools has to do with location and construction of physical entities. If the school has one type of construction as opposed to another, the full ability to transmit might change based simply on concrete versus stick build. A school located in an urban environment might suffer interference as a school located in a highly dense RF surrounding might suffer dropouts on the transmission.

Budget also as a large say in the implementation of a wireless environment. A traditional landline capability might benefit any school more simply because the quality of service is relatively stable. Some districts just might not be able to afford a wireless environment, even with federal support. Overall, this is a great point to debate as technology becomes more and more present in our daily routine. Only time will tell as to where and what the future holds for schools and the never ending need to prepare the students of today with the abilities of tomorrow.