Chicomm Blog

In the not too distant past, administrators and educators didn't have to worry about things like connecting students and teachers to school WiFi – school supplies came in boxes and filmstrips were considered high-tech. 

When computers and other technology did initially become available, they were shared by students, teachers and administrators alike in group computer labs, and getting time on a computer was a challenge.

Today, of course, it’s hard to imagine educational settings without individual access to computers, tablets, laptops and lightning fast school WiFi. It’s worth taking a closer look at the critical role technology in schools plays, from school safety to campus communication, and how your campus can stay connected.

Technology in education is constantly evolving in exciting ways, from apps that aid in learning to communications equipment that enhances school safety. We know that administrators are always looking for economical ways to use technology to address their challenges, so we’d like to share this case study from one Illinois district that made the smart switch to radios.

By transitioning staff and administrators from cell phones to MOTOTRBO two-way radios, Fremont School District 79 (SD 79) not only improved communications, they transformed their school safety.

Here, we’ll take a look at some of the specific advantages that radios have over cell phones for Fremont SD 79 and districts like it.

School transportation is one of the parts of running a district or campus that has the most moving parts -- quite literally. Buses and other vehicles have to be dispatched and tracked, student class and activity schedules must be coordinated, and for all of that to happen successfully, reliable communication is essential. Whether your district is large or small, your communications solution is tasked with keeping everything running smoothly and all personnel in contact.

Compared to cell phones, radios offer enhanced durability, reliability and functionality, as well as reduced cost, and they’re an ideal way to centralize communications. Two-way radios and mobile radios are user-friendly, and the overall solution is easily scalable for when districts are ready to expand their capabilities or number of users.

In this blog, I'll share some creative ways to use communications to streamline your school transportation system.

The beginning of another year – and the midway point in most schools’ academic year – is a great time to review your current school communications system and decide how to make it even better.

Too often, school districts and campuses wait for an emergency or disaster to strike either elsewhere or close to home before making communications system improvements. As 2017 begins, now is your chance to get better prepared in case of an emergency and improve the efficiency of your day-to-day operations.   

Here are 5 new year’s resolutions for a better school communications system:

Several studies looking at technology in education have produced some troubling results, according to a recent news article, suggesting that access to computers and online coursework aren’t necessarily effective at helping students learn – not yet anyway.

The research is clear: School safety is not just a security issue, it’s an academic one. Students learn better and have better academic achievement when they’re confident in school safety and feel safe on school property.

Here we’ll take a closer look at one survey on the issue and review some options for technology – and financial assistance –  that schools have for making their campuses more safe. 

As campus security concerns have changed over time across the country, so, too, has the response from education safety officials, including an increased reliance on school resource officers and police. As the number of officers in schools continues to rise, experts on both sides of the issue are still debating whether the increased police presence is improving campus security.

For now, there’s a lack of strong data one way or the other, and most people in the education safety industry will admit that they just don’t know for sure. What they do know is that the number of officers is up: According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the share of schools with a school resource officer increased from 1 percent in 1975 to 40 percent in 2007. As of 2014, there were 31,000 school resource officers employed in public schools nationwide.

More research is under way about the effectiveness of having resource officers and police on campuses. Proponents say the officers protect students, act as mentors, parental figures and psychologists, and improve community relations with police.

In finding the perfect school WiFi and radio solution, schools face many challenges, including funding -- a situation that’s at the heart of the federal E-Rate program to make telecommunications and information services more affordable for schools and libraries.

E-Rate, the government’s largest educational technology program, was first mandated by Congress in 1996 and implemented by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1997. Starting in 2014, the FCC launched two major modernization efforts to reallocate funding where it’s needed most to close the WiFi gap, particularly low-income rural and urban schools and libraries. The modernization also shifted money away from voice, paging and non-broadband legacy systems. 

Kristina Anderson, co-founder of the mobile school safety app LiveSafe, has said that if her company had existed in 2007, it probably would have changed the course of her life. coll

Anderson was a 19-year-old sophomore when a gunman opened fire at Virginia Tech. She had no idea that shots had been fired at another building on campus, and she was struck three times while entering a French class. She has since become a vocal advocate for campus safety and violence prevention, and her innovative company “was born from a spirit of triumph over tragedy and the desire to make the world a safer place.”

LiveSafe and other apps like it are providing a boost to school safety efforts nationwide by leveraging the power of everyday mobile devices. Students, parents, staff and campus safety officials can communicate instantly and anonymously with the touch of a button or transmission of a text.

Here are 4 of the mobile apps that are changing the school safety landscape:

When it comes to school safety grants, funders are looking for well-defined plans with best-practice-based solutions. While each school and district is unique, there are some universal tools and technologies that can benefit most situations and set your grant application apart.

Asking for the right technology demonstrates both that you’ve done your homework and that you’re committed to finding innovative ways to use your funding efficiently.

Here are 5 proven technologies sure to bolster your school safety grant application: