Thoughts on WiFi in School Libraries

Okay, so there are various different ideas floating around concerning WiFi. I have spoken with different practitioners regarding this issue. Some of the concerns and thoughts that arise I will list below:
1. There don't really seem to be problems with "virus" issues if the student patrons or teachers or guests, for that matter, are connecting to use the internet and not to the high school internal network.

2. The content being accessed would still have the filters in place for the rest of the hardwired computers in the building. So there wouldn't be a problem with that aspect of students gaining assess to sites known to be "off limits". (Although students intent enough tend to find ways around that.)

3. There may be an initial learning curve issue that will need to be addressed, on the "how to" aspect. I believe a printout could be made available with the general directions, and then when there are other issues with the individual computers that arise those would be the concern of the individual...."we" would not be their tech trouble shooters, they would need to know how to work their own computers.

4. There would not be availability of printing from their own computers. That would need to be made perfectly clear, so there were not misconceptions.

5. There may be some concerns with regard to laptop usage and gaining access to inappropriate sites. I believe this could be kept to a minimum and students could use their laptops at tables, not hidden in corners so that some monitoring could still take place.

I think about going into my college classes, and I sit down and pull out my laptop and start taking notes that way. It is my preferred method. Fellow students have commented to me if they brought their computers to class they would not have the self-control to stay focused on the lecture note-taking, and with wireless available would be too tempted to start surfing, checking e-mail and doing other things.

One does need to have that internal locust of control. Perhaps the question is that if we start out students with the use of laptop computers in the elementary school and train them on the usage as a tool, like a pencil, another educational resource then as they grow older will there be less liklihood of detaching from the lesson at hand and doing other things? Maybe students of tomorrow will just be able to do more multi-tasking, so even if they were checking e-mail at the same time as the lesson is that okay? In my heart of hearts I say no, there is time for that outside of the classroom setting where direct instruction is meant to be given.

Many things to ponder, I guess those last comments got outside of the library. If we bring it back to WiFi in the school library, it seems as though it couldn't hurt, its just providing another tool and resource for the students to help them in doing their job...of learning and education. I also believe this helps the teachers and administrators who may not have access to their files from work at home and vise versa, instead of needing to e-mail everything from one spot to another, or putting everything on flash drives, maybe having access with ones own laptop is the better solution and then its portable. Just me thoughts. cheers.

A couple interesting articles
"One Child, One Laptop" by Brian Kenney in School Library Journal, August 2006
http://proxy.lib.wayne.edu:2073/pqdweb?index=3&did=1125645091&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1169999771&clientId=14288

"Librarians Embrace the Digital World" by Joan Oleck in School Library Journal, Dec. 2006.
http://proxy.lib.wayne.edu:2073/pqdweb?index=0&did=1170764471&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1170000182&clientId=14288