This Ontario high school will offer students Wi-Fi on buses

If the history of high school learning habits has taught us anything, it’s that students are best at homework either right after school or minutes before it’s due.

A recent pilot project by the Wellington Catholic District School Board plays very well into that understanding.

Around 100 students travelling to and from St. James Catholic High School in Guelph, ON will now be able to access Wi-Fi on their bus routes. It’s the first initiative of its kind in the province, and will benefit students whose commute to school could include up to an hour of bus time.

“The board is always exploring new and innovative ways to make learning easier and more accessible for our students,” said Tamara Nugent, Director of Education.

“Wi-Fi on their buses will allow students to access digital tools and encourage them to use travel time to engage in innovative learning.”

Desire2Learn, Google, and Homework Help are among the digital tools students will be able to access on the bus. Wellington-Dufferin Student Transportation Services, Colony Networks Inc., Georef Systems Ltd., and Telus are collaborating to make it happen.

Lord knows how young Braden will read Wuthering Heights SparkNotes on those dangerously unergonomic brown faux-leather benches while the rest of his friends try to Ice each other.

Wellington CDSB oversees 22 schools, all of which could outfit their buses with Wi-Fi in the near future pending the pilot project’s success.

“Grounded in faith based teaching, our schools are preparing students with the values and academic skills they need to be successful 21st century citizens,” reads an official press release.

The move is a good example of how schools can determine a right time and place for technology in education. Students on their way to and from school will be head-down in their phones anyway, so why not offer them the opportunity to get some work done? One Toronto middle school’s ban of cellphones in classrooms, meanwhile, applies that authority in contrast.

And so, “buswork” enters the high school lexicon.

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