Middletown High School is on the schedule to receive wireless Internet by the end of the school year, which will enable students to research information for projects from any classroom in the school.
“It will allow us to have a lot more information at our fingertips,” said MHS Principal Denise Fargo-Devine. “I think it will open the whole global society to us.”
MHS media specialist Becky Reickel said, “I think it will be easier for teachers to assign projects where students do some things here and some things at home. It will make it easier for students to collaborate with each other. And overall I think it will smooth things over in terms of using all the resources that are out there.”
Fargo-Devine said she thinks that students think that the students will use their devices responsibly and won’t get their devices taken away as much.
Reickel said, “I think it will have a terrific impact on the school.”
“I think the most beneficial thing is that students are going to be able to bring their own devices, which are going to be way faster than the computers that we have, for example, here in the media center,” she said.
FCPS decided to put Wi-Fi in all schools to help students get more information at their fingertips. FCPS plans for all high schools will have Wi-Fi by the end of this school year.
Frederick County started its Wi-Fi experiment by planning to pilot it in two high schools, two middle schools and two elementary schools. It wanted to start there to see how the outcome would turn out. Frederick County had schools vie to be pilot schools by writing a paper on how they would use the Wi-Fi.
Reickel said she believes that the main con is with students having their own devices there is no longer a filter system in place so kids could use their devices for something that is fun but isn’t always allowed by the teachers.
Fargo-Devine doesn’t believe that any rules will be changed because she believes that the students will be responsible with the new access. She trusts the students to use their devices and the ones that the school provides wisely. She believes that the students will take their class time and their instruction time responsibly.
“I think it is time for us to have Wi-Fi,” she said. “It can’t get here soon enough.”
