The Importance of Strong Cell Phone Signals in Schools
Posted by Dennis Findley on 9th May 2017
Cell phone signal boosters can help schools provide teachers and students a reliable cellular signal in the classroom to enhance education and public safety.
Where does necessity meet distraction in colleges, high schools and grade schools? The answers may surprise you.
I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, as I often do to pass the time, and came across this video of a teacher using technology in order to grab the attention of his students and also have a little fun. I found this clip quite entertaining but was drawn to the last 10 seconds because the teacher has the students answer a math question by utilizing their cell phones to text the answer. This got me thinking. I know how important my cell phone is in MY line of work, but are they anything more than a distraction in an educational environment?
High Schools & Colleges
In colleges and high schools, cell phones are used almost exclusively while interacting socially. Whether it is sharing social media content with peers, organizing social outings with friends or discretely flirting with a significant other, cell phones are the medium of choice.
This can cause friction between educators and students when this type of use bleeds into the classroom and becomes the focus of students’ attention. However, more and more teachers are finding ways to engage their students by using these “distractions” to assist them in their educational agendas. Apps are used for in class research, pop quizzes are conducted via text messages and online courses rely on mobile devices to cater to students that are constantly on the move. However, in order to utilize these seemingly limitless devices, they must have a strong, reliable cellular signal.
Building Materials Provide Challenges to Having a Strong Cellular Signal On Campus
Most public schools in America were built between 1950 and 1969 using heavy materials like brick and concrete. Some colleges even boast of being around since the early 1900’s. The use of concrete, steel and brick is a huge obstacle for cell phone signals to get into these buildings. Many colleges and universities provide free WiFi for their faculty, staff and students. The downside to relying on WiFi in these environments is that everyone is using it. Therefore, security and speed are common issues. Plus, with students always looking for the “Bigger, Better Deal” from the cellular carriers, installing a carrier specific solution like a DAS (Distributed Antenna System) is expensive and only benefits certain students.
Our Force5 cell phone signal booster is the perfect answer to these connectivity issues. It is a carrier-neutral signal booster that can handle 100+ simultaneous users, a capacity that is better than any other cell phone signal booster on the market.
Importance of Strong Cell Phone Signal from a Public Safety Perspective
Cellular connectivity is not only essential for social interaction, educational expansion and convenience. It is also a lifeline in keeping students and faculty safe. Safety is an issue for campuses from grade schools through high schools and colleges. In fact, since 2000, there have been almost 200 school shootings that span the gap between elementary schools and colleges. In these dire situations, cellular devices are often the only means of communication. Having a cellular signal booster like the Force5 ensures students and teachers have the cell phone signal that is essential to contacting emergency services when it is needed most.