Perhaps more than any other part of our School’s unquestionably outstanding physical infrastructure, Wi-Fi at University School is under appreciated and misunderstood.
Students often curse the administration, howling up at the skies from their table in the upper commons, each time they are confronted by the unfortunate reality that many streaming sites like Netflix and Spotify are blocked. However, the School does not do this solely to irritate students. The IT department chooses to block sites like these because of the large amount of bandwidth that they take up. Essentially, these sites limit the network’s ability to work quickly and effectively. Having a fast network is crucial – it enables the faculty to teach and the students to learn. Indeed, the School’s Director of Technology informed me, “We prioritize educational use of the Wi-Fi over recreational use of the Wi-Fi.” University School’s priority is education, and insofar as there is a tradeoff in our school’s capacity to use the Internet quickly for that or anything else, the School’s actions are unquestionably appropriate.
In addition to blocking sites due to the bandwidth they take up, the School restricts access to sites that might be used for non-academic purposes. There is a growing fear that students will not stay on task during school hours. Yet again, this policy draws the ire of students who, in their frustration that they must peer into the dark recesses of the Internet in order to find an unblocked version of Bloons Tower Defense, are likely to compare one of our school’s administrators to Kim Jong Un.
Reminding one’s self of the way things work at a school dispels this notion. Students are losing out on a valuable opportunity to learn responsibility and time management. The Wi-Fi network is spoon-feeding students – it automatically eliminates many Internet distractions. This way students feel more inclined to do school work and use their time effectively. Just as each of us is OK with being shushed at a library, because it is not a place for talking, we should be OK with being denied access to Miniclip at a school, because it is not a place for gaming.
Before the next time you curse all that is holy in anger over an incapacity to browse Facebook during class, remember where you are, and you may start to change your mind.
Eric Schoelm • Feb 28, 2018 at 10:51 pm
If the admin were to unblock snapchat (an app with all the same functionality as messaging which is already allowed), I guarantee there would be a sharp drop-off in the number of pseudo-employee wifi users.
Prohibition didn’t work, people built stills and fast cars.
Blocking Snapchat won’t work, people find the password and make VPNs.
We much learn from past mistakes.