If you can understand the system, you can maintain it
Many Apple ConnectED schools do not have a strong network or a dedicated technology department. So before any products are delivered, Apple Project Engineers conduct a full survey of the school’s existing wireless infrastructure and help install or upgrade a network.
In the remote village of Nanwalek, Alaska, the K–12 school was making plans to improve its slow, satellite-provided Internet connection. Our engineers consulted with district officials to ensure that the school’s wireless infrastructure would not only be fast, but would also be ready to support the arrival of over 100 new Apple products. In addition to working with the district’s offsite IT team, Apple Project Managers needed to find someone local to handle day-to-day management of the devices. Tommy Evans, an aide and parent in the village, volunteered for the role. “They showed us where a signal goes and how to tailor equipment around students’ needs,” he says. “When things were put in place, it took off like a rocket.”
The new wireless infrastructure has profoundly affected the school, especially students like Evans’s daughter, Tessie, who is hearing impaired. “Because we’re so isolated, she felt like she was the only one who is deaf.” But soon, Tessie was using FaceTime and other iPad apps to communicate with students and mentors all over the world.
Learn more about how access to technology connected Nanwalek students to the world beyond their shores in a free book written by Principal Nancy Kleine.
