"Internet buses" provide Wi-Fi to students on the go.

"Internet buses" provide Wi-Fi to students on the go. PROVING ONCE AGAIN TO BE A LEADER IN SCHOOL technology, the Vail(Ariz.) School District is now providing wireless access in schoolbuses. In early December 2009, the district installed its first wirelessrouter A network device that combines a wireless access point (base station), a wired LAN switch and a router with connections to a cable or DSL service. Wireless routers provide a convenient way to connect a small number of wired and any number of wireless computers to the Internet. attached to a cellular 3G network in one high school bus.Although the district paid for this out of pocket, officials hope toobtain a $15,000 Qwest Foundation Grant from Qwest Communications For the holding company, see Qwest. For the Bell Operating Company, see Qwest Corporation. Qwest Communications Corporation is a long distance subsidiary of Qwest that was, until 1995, known as Southern Pacific Telecommunications Company. tofund routers in the 20 buses that run the longest high school routes. In doing so, the district aims to extend classroom time for thosestudents who have long commutes and live in rural areas that do not haveaccess to broadband. "We want to turn transportation time into classroomtime," says Matt Federoff, chief information officer for the Vaildistrict. "This will help breach the digital divide. We steal timeaway from kids transporting them back and forth, and it would be nice togive that back." The district hopes to have these networked buses transport studentswho have to leave midday for athletic events and travel long distances. Vail will know in March whether it receives the grant, althoughaccording to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. Federoff, the district will find some way to make thishappen regardless. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "This is the least expensive way to provide access to ourstudents," says Federoff. "We are always looking for anopportunity to better serve our students."