WIFI PROBLEMS EVERY ESCOLARIAN STRUGGLES TO OVERCOME

Did you know the average number of devices being used on a daily basis by students and staff alike is
around 3.5?

The amount of devices is unfortunately just one challenge schools are facing as technology becomes a
bigger and bigger part of the learning environment.

It’s not easy to successfully navigate, however, a critical place to start is by ensuring that your school’s
wireless network has been properly designed and deployed to solve these challenges, not make them
worse.

Here are five Wi-Fi problems that every K-12 school struggles to overcome and what you can do to solve
them.

Ever-Increasing Numbers of Devices

As the number of connected devices continues to grow, it gets more difficult for your wireless network
(that was typically built 3+ years ago) to support them all.

These older school wifi networks weren’t designed for capacity, and surely were not optimized for
mobile devices. These two challenges will impact your wifi performance in major ways, causing reliability
issues, slow connections and ultimately a more than frustrating user experience.

If your school’s wifi network is over 3+ years old, it’s time to update. Your new WLAN design will have
many new features and capabilities that will allow you to properly handle and support your current
devices numbers as well scale with you as those numbers increase.

MANAGING NETWORK ACCESS

You don’t want just anyone to connect at anytime from anywhere with no rules or restrictions put into
to place. You also need to be able to handle on-boarding and authentication of the increasing numbers
of devices/end-users on your network.

Your students should have a different level of access than your teachers and staff; even some of your
staff shouldn’t have access to certain documents that say a principal or administrator would have.

In other words you need to be able to provide your end-users and devices exactly the resources they
need, nothing more and nothing less.

So how do you manage network access?

Network Access Control (NAC) - allows you to identify end-users, and create policies to enforce on your
school’s wireless network.

That will keep your network secure by providing visibility, and better management of everyone and
everything accessing your wireless network.
This way, students & teachers alike don’t have free reign of the websites and applications they are
putting into use while on the campus, or what devices they are allowed to bring with them.

Whether it is school owned devices or BYOD devices network access control can improve security as well
as performance by keeping your network clean and organized.

COST OF TODAY’S WIRELESS SYSTEMS

Updating your schools wireless network every 3-4 years is a must not a suggestion. Waiting longer than
this can not only create more problems and a slower school wireless network, but it can end up costing
you the big bucks.

Don’t try to fix the problem by purchasing more AP’s, bandwidth, even fancy technology unnecessary for
your wireless network to perform at optimal levels.

Speak with an experienced network engineer, have them come out to do a wireless network assessment
to really dig deep into the health and operational condition of your current wireless network.

Money is a tough topic because it just seems like you never have what you need. However, there are
many options available today including E-Rate, and financing your new wireless network.

Wireless really should be thought of as an operational cost, like electricity or water. You can’t function
without it today. You wouldn’t send your students to school without lights in their classrooms would
you?

It’s hard to secure the funds you need every year or every 3-4 years when it’s time for an update
because the costs are so high from a capital expense perspective.

However, paying a lower monthly amount that provides you with the complete wireless network system
you need, might just make more sense.

Ultimately the point is that cost doesn’t have to stand in your way, there are options out there for
everyone, so don’t think you have to put that project on hold.

TIME

As a K-12 IT manager, you can wear many hats in one day. Meaning, your time is valuable, and
sometimes you don’t have enough time (even with a team) to wear the “Wireless Network Hat” you’ve
been given. However, small things like forgetting updates can lead to bigger issues, and eventually an
outdated design.

Working with a knowledgeable managed service provider can lighten the load and make things more
time efficient. While it’s not a replacement for team members or a catch all for sustaining and upgrading
your network; managed services depending on how much you would like to delegate to an outside
source can free up hands to work on different issues without cutting into your precious time.
 INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATION AND IMMERSION

MODULE 2: Choosing a Research Topic

DEVELOPING A TOPIC

1. What topic/s for research interests me?

2. What is it about the topic that I chose that is interesting to me?
3. What do I know about the topic that interests me?

DELIMITING THE TOPIC

Here are some important things that you must consider in developing a suitable topic for your
research

1.Person or categories of people to be studied

"Who are the persons that I want”

2.Place of the study

"Where is the specific geographical location of the study"

3. Time period of the research

"How long will my study take"
4. Spheres of human interest
"What human activity or interest do I want to study"
5. Social Artifacts
What particular social artifact or interaction will I focus on?"

SOME GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING A RESEARCH TOPIC

1.Check resources that are related to your library

2. Expanding the scope of the subject gives you specific access to more available resources for
your topic
3. Avoid topics that you do not have any knowledge at all
4. Researchers must consider the availability of sources
5. Choose a topic that is not intangible, or debatable or is not easily answered
6. Choose a topic that is not yet overly written on by other researcher in a field.
7. Ensure that you have the necessary funds or resources
8. Consider the resources or budget needed to analyze data or information gathered.
 DEVELOPING A WORKING TITLE BASED IN THE RESEARCH TOPIC

Tips on developing a working title

1. The title should encapsulate the main idea of the research

2. The title should be concise that explains the essence of the topic.
3. The title should identify the actual variables being studied in the research.
4. The title should be self-explanatory.
5. A good research title must be clearly phrased.
6. Avoid titles that do not provide any useful purpose
7. Do not develop a very long title because it can mislead the readers
8. Do not begin the title with phrases like “A study of” or “An experimental Investigation of”
9. Do not use abbreviations in the title
10. The recommended length of a research title is 10 to 12 words.

5 PARTS OF AN ACTION PLAN

1. Introduction

2. Statement of the Problem

3. Methodology

4. Conclusion

5. Appendices