We’ve found a couple of stories that spell good news for students via internet speed. First, we noticed a report from Ars Technica that said Congress wants an e-book reader for low-income kids. More specifically, Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) has submitted a new bill that would update the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate program, which subsidizes computer equipment and Internet connectivity for schools. Markey’s proposed E-Rate 2.0 act (H.R. 4619) would, among other provisions, set up a pilot program allowing low-income school kids to apply for “significantly discounted services and technologies for the use of e-books.”
Markey’s bill would also launch a pilot program to allow low-income students to buy residential broadband service. And it would extend E-Rate to community colleges—a great idea actually.
Then, we found this story from Read Write Web telling us how IBM Gives Students A Cloud Filled With Its Tech. Their targets right now are college students and professors who are being offered the use of IBM software and databases through a cloud infrastructure IBM calls the “Academic Skills Cloud.”
This is a smart move by IBM. It leverages the power of the cloud to offer IBM technology at minimal cost. Plus, it reaches students who will go on to associate IBM with cloud computing as they begin their professional careers.
Courses and work material can be accessed anywhere the student is located, and Professors can teach practices that students will see in the workforce once they graduate. Machines do not need to be continually updated with new software. It’s all available online.
Students who learn about cloud computing today stand a far better chance of adapting to a world where working with online services will be the way business is conducted.
Tags: Internet Speed