Online Learning Update

June 23, 2021

We need true universal internet access now

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

Virginia Mercury

Today, nearly 15 million American families struggle to obtain fast broadband access because they cannot afford it. Millions of others have no access at all. The private sector has invested billions in broadband infrastructure, yet we still leave countless Americans without meaningful access to this necessity. The problem gets worse the poorer you are. According to the Pew Research Center, among families making between $30,000 and $50,000 a year, 26 percent do not have broadband at home. For households earning less than $30,000 a year, 43 percent do not have broadband at home.

https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/06/09/we-need-true-universal-internet-access-now/

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June 12, 2021

Changing lives by connecting all Americans to broadband internet

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

Tom Wheeler, Brookings Institution
In the coal country of eastern Kentucky, the 800-person town of McKee is the hub of a one-thousand-mile fiber-to-the-home network covering two of the nation’s poorest and most remote counties. The fiber link was built almost entirely with dollars from the federal government. It is a powerful example of the infrastructure of the 21st century and the importance of extending those connections to all Americans.  If the infrastructure plan is adopted, the story of McKee, Kentucky could be the story of every remote, rural, high-cost area in the United States. Fiber networks are not just a technology—they can change peoples’ lives. The story of McKee, Kentucky—where a fiber optic connection has changed lives, created jobs, and recruited residents—is a story that should be available everywhere.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2021/05/19/changing-lives-by-connecting-all-americans-to-broadband-internet/

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May 31, 2021

Changing lives by connecting all Americans to broadband internet

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

 

Tom Wheeler, Brookings

The mountain hollows around McKee (pronounced “hollers” by the locals) were once home to Daniel Boone. Today, homes can use urban-grade high-speed fiber connections to stream Daniel Boone movies and television shows. But the importance of those high-speed connections is far beyond television shows. The ability to work from home was standard practice long before the rest of us discovered it during the pandemic. The ability to find employment without leaving home has been important to everyone, but particularly important to individuals with disabilities. Thanks to the fiber-to-the-home connection, when COVID hit, students were prepared for remote learning.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2021/05/19/changing-lives-by-connecting-all-americans-to-broadband-internet/

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April 28, 2021

Movable Satellite Internet: SpaceX to Lift Geo-Restriction on Starlink Dishes Later This Year

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

Michael Kan, PC Magazine

Currently, SpaceX geo-restricts every Starlink dish to the subscriber’s registered residence. Hence, customers generally can’t use the dish at another location unless it’s nearby. But the tweet from Musk indicates the company will lift the restriction, enabling customers to move it from one place to the next. In the meantime, the company still needs more time to build up the Starlink satellite network, which currently numbers at more than 1,300 satellites. In March, SpaceX then filed an application with the FCC for clearance to operate Starlink on moving vehicles—including trucks, boats, and aircraft—in the US.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/movable-satellite-internet-spacex-to-lift-geo-restriction-on-starlink-dishes

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April 7, 2021

Got Terrible Internet Speeds? The FCC Wants to Hear About It

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

Michael Kan, PC Mag

If you’ve long struggled with slow broadband speeds, the FCC wants to hear about it. The agency is now collecting input from US consumers concerning actual broadband availability where they live, rather than merely relying on data from internet service providers.“Far too many Americans are left behind in access to jobs, education, and healthcare if they do not have access to broadband,” Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Collecting data from consumers who are directly affected by the lack of access to broadband will help inform the FCC’s mapping efforts and future decisions about where service is needed.”

https://www.pcmag.com/news/got-terrible-internet-speeds-the-fcc-wants-to-hear-about-it

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March 30, 2021

What Is Starlink? SpaceX’s Much-Hyped Satellite Internet Service Explained

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

Michael Kan, PC Mag

If you live in a city or a big suburb, you probably enjoy fast internet speeds, maybe at 1Gbps or beyond. But imagine enduring internet speeds at 20Mbps, or even as low as 0.8Mbps, every day. What’s worse, your home only has one or two internet service providers to choose from, leaving you stranded with crummy service. Unfortunately, millions of people across the US, and the globe, are stuck in this very situation. Installing fiber in a city, and bringing Gigabit broadband to million of customers is certainly lucrative, but not so much in a rural area home to only a few hundred people. Enter Starlink. The satellite internet system from SpaceX is capable of delivering 150Mbps internet speeds to theoretically any place on the planet. All the customer needs is a clear view of the sky. Last fall, the system began serving its first users, many of whom were based in remote or rural regions of America—and the response has so far been ecstatic.

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/what-is-starlink-spacex-satellite-internet-service-explained

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March 15, 2021

Here’s Where Americans Are Using Starlink’s Satellite Internet Service

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Sascha Segan, PC Mag

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite ISP is poised to make a big difference in rural America, according to exclusive Ookla Speedtest data shared with PCMag. Starlink is currently in a semi-public beta, serving more than 10,000 users at speeds up to 170Mbps, with no data caps, according to beta testers.
Ookla located US counties with at least 30 Starlink samples since December, and charted Starlink’s speeds county by county against all other fixed internet providers. Our own analysis shows that Starlink will make the biggest difference in rural, low-density, low-population counties with few options other than lower-quality satellite services.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/exclusive-heres-where-americans-are-using-starlinks-satellite-internet

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February 24, 2021

Shutting down the internet

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Darrell M. WestFriday, Brookings Institution

Research by Netblocks, a nonprofit devoted to tracking internet disruptions, has found dozens of shutdowns and documented how they last longer and take place at the national level, thereby disrupting networks on a far grander scale. National leaders need to understand the harmful costs of this maneuver. Not only do shutdowns and restrictions harm democratic expression and public communications, they hurt the business community, limit small and medium-sized enterprises, and weaken social and economic activity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these shutdowns also have costly consequences. With more people using the internet for online education, telemedicine, e-commerce, and remote work, internet closures limit the ability of individuals to learn, work, and purchase goods and services. Shutting down the internet is counter-productive at virtually every level.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2021/02/05/shutting-down-the-internet/

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November 29, 2020

From Painfully Slow to Lightning Fast: SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Rural Internet Usable

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Michael Kan, PC Mag

About two weeks ago, SpaceX began sending the first invites for Starlink’s public beta, which costs $99 a month plus a $499 one-time fee for the equipment. Now that the system is finally serving actual consumers, we’ve been wondering, does it actually meet the hype? To find out, we interviewed four beta testers, and all described Starlink as a game changer, particularly for rural internet users who have limited access to fast fiber-optic networks common in urban areas. Imagine getting a package in the mail that can suddenly elevate your home internet to 100Mbps and higher.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/from-painfully-slow-to-lightning-fast-spacexs-starlink-makes-rural-internet

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September 15, 2020

More than Half of Students May Lack Reliable Access to High-Speed Internet

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Rhea Kelly, eCampus News
According to a new survey from Visual Objects, 51 percent of high school and college students do not have consistent access to high-speed internet and WiFi. The company, which helps businesses find and hire creative firms, surveyed 400 students across the United States about how they are adapting to remote learning. Sixty-three percent of students surveyed intend to take online classes this fall. But among those remote learners, about 35 percent will be staying home rather than living on campus, meaning “they may be without computers, software, and other resources available at school,” the survey report noted.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2020/08/31/more-than-half-of-students-may-lack-reliable-access-to-high-speed-internet.aspx

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June 16, 2020

5 steps to get the internet to all Americans: COVID-19 and the importance of universal broadband

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

Tom Wheeler, Brookings Institution
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical nature of access to fast and affordable internet service. Demand for high-speed internet access, defined as “broadband,” has soared to new heights. One measurement found that in only a few weeks the pandemic drove almost a year’s worth of broadband traffic growth. The internet is no longer “nice to have,” it is critical. Whether working and studying from home or applying for unemployment compensation, the internet has kept activities alive.

https://www.brookings.edu/research/5-steps-to-get-the-internet-to-all-americans/

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June 11, 2020

5 steps to get the internet to all Americans

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

Tom Wheeler, Brookings Institute

Released in April, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2020 Broadband Development Report identified approximately 18 million Americans—principally in rural areas—without access to any broadband network. Regardless of how it is funded, the solution to universal broadband in America is not to patch the old program, but to throw it out. The program now in place was designed for a telephone-oriented world, not the internet economy. Here are five lessons we learned that should apply to any program to provide universal broadband for all Americans.

https://www.brookings.edu/research/5-steps-to-get-the-internet-to-all-americans/

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June 7, 2020

53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:05 am

BY EMILY A. VOGELS, ANDREW PERRIN, LEE RAINIE AND MONICA ANDERSON, Pew Research Center

The coronavirus outbreak has driven many commercial and social activities online and for some the internet has become an ever more crucial link to those they love and the things they need. Chart shows roughly half of adults say the internet has been essential to them during the coronavirus outbreak, but majorities do not think it is government’s responsibility to ensure connectivity for all. A new Pew Research Center survey conducted in early April finds that roughly half of U.S. adults (53%) say the internet has been essential for them personally during the pandemic and another 34% describe it as “important, but not essential.”

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/04/30/53-of-americans-say-the-internet-has-been-essential-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/

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April 19, 2020

Why does it suddenly feel like 1999 on the internet?

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

Tanya Basu and Karen Hao, MIT Technology Review

The coronavirus pandemic has turned back the clock to a kinder time on the web, before the novelty of virtual connection wore off. It’s like turning the clock back to a more earnest time on the web, when the novelty of having a voice or being able to connect with anyone still filled us with a sense of boundless opportunity and optimism. It harkens back to the late 1990s and early 2000s—before social media, before smartphones—when going online was still a valuable use of time to seek community.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615442/why-does-it-suddenly-feel-like-1999-on-the-internet/

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April 1, 2020

COVID-19 Isn’t Crashing the Internet … Yet

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

Sascha Segan, PC Week

Ookla analyzed internet performance data in China, Italy, and the US over the past several weeks. In Hubei, China, the population was locked down on Jan. 22-23, but internet speeds began to decline the week of Jan. 13. In Italy, lockdowns started on March 9, and Ookla saw notable speed declines in both the province of Lombardy and in Italy as a whole that week.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/covid-19-isnt-crashing-the-internet-yet

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March 20, 2020

Even without internet at home, students can keep learning

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

Jeff Kurtz, Google for Education

If your school is operating virtually as a result of COVID-19, you may be wondering how to continue teaching students who don’t have access to the internet at home, or who only have low-bandwidth access. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep Chromebooks and G Suite up and running even when online access is slow or unavailable. We’ve pulled together ideas for educators and school IT teams who want to encourage all students to keep learning, regardless of their online access.

https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/offline-access-covid19/

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February 17, 2020

Quantum entanglement over 30 miles of fiber has brought super secure internet closer

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

Douglas Heaven, Technology Review

In a paper in Nature today, Pan Jian-Wei at the University of Science and Technology of China, in Hefei, and his colleagues describe an experiment in which they demonstrate entanglement through more than 30 miles of fiber coiled in a lab, with lower transmission errors than previous attempts. “This is a big improvement,” says Pan, who is sometimes called the “father of quantum.” The trick was to find efficient ways to entangle two particles. The team used an atom, which stayed put, and a photon, which was sent down the fiber. They found that they were able to create an entangled pair of nodes much more reliably than was demonstrated in previous experiments—including the one setting the mile benchmark, which it beat by five orders of magnitude.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615191/quantum-entanglement-over-30-miles-of-fiber-has-brought-super-secure-internet-closer/

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November 1, 2019

Russia Is About to Disconnect From the Internet: What That Means

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:07 am

Adam Smith, PC Magazine

On Nov. 1, Russia is poised to disconnect from the internet—in theory. That is when a long-planned internet bill will go into effect and lay the foundation for a national network whereby internet service providers are controlled by Roskomnadzor, Russia’s telecom agency. The goal is to give Russia the power to disconnect from the global internet in the event of a cyberwar and, in the interim, serve up a walled-off version of the web sanctioned by the Russians. It also gives President Vladimir Putin greater control over Russian citizens.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/371347/russia-is-about-to-disconnect-from-the-internet-what-that-m

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October 30, 2019

Broadband internet is critical tool for rural communities

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

SEN. ARNIE ROBLAN, the World
Oregon policymakers have worked hard to ensure that all areas of our state, including coastal and rural areas, have access to the latest and best infrastructure. Like roads, bridges and utilities, access to broadband internet is critical for rural communities. As new technologies like next-generation 5G wireless networks are realized, it will be more important than ever to ensure that all Oregonians have access to a reliable high-speed internet connection. High-speed internet can facilitate many opportunities for rural residents in areas like healthcare and education.

https://theworldlink.com/opinion/editorial/broadband-internet-is-critical-tool-for-rural-communities/article_875635e9-2608-555f-b865-f3ffb5829d30.html

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August 16, 2019

The Internet of Things for Education: A Brief Guide

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:10 am

by Matthew Lynch, Tech Edvocate

The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the billions of physical devices around the world that are now connected to the internet, collecting and sharing data. Thanks to cheap processors and wireless networks, anything with a sensor can become part of the IoT. Educational platforms, students’ laptops, and smartphones are all part of the IoT. With IoT, everything is coming online, including homes, cars, people, medical devices, even farming equipment. And there are endless examples of IoT solutions being applied in school environments. Here we explore a few different use cases.

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/the-internet-of-things-for-education-a-brief-guide/

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May 14, 2019

Leveling the Playing Field With Internet Connectivity Plus…

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:02 am

Cryptopolitan

Not so long ago all learning was delivered offline. Nowadays it is a given that students will have an internet connection and will be able to access their content at all times. Learning Management Systems were designed as SaaS to always be online or at least linked to a central database. They were designed to track learning activities that occur in the LMS, and lack the capability to record informal or social learning actions. An offline player, in the context of elearning, is a program which allows learners to download elearning content when they are connected to the internet, then complete the training later when disconnected. The benefits of this, for students as well as for a multilingual distributed workforce that may have poor access to the internet, can be great.

https://www.cryptopolitan.com/leveling-the-playing-field-with-internet-connectivity-plus/

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