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The Wi-Fi On the Bus

Posted by kdawson on from the opiate-of-the-masses dept.

theodp writes "For students who endure hundreds of hours on a school bus each year in a desert exurb of Tucson, the Wi-Fi on the bus improves the ride. Last fall, school officials mounted a $200 mobile Internet router from Autonet Mobile to bus No. 92's sheet-metal frame, enabling students to surf the Web. What began as a hi-tech experiment has had an unexpected result — Wi-Fi has transformed the formerly boisterous bus rides into a rolling study hall, and behavioral problems have virtually disappeared. 'Boys aren't hitting each other, girls are busy, and there's not so much jumping around,' said J. J. Johnson, the Internet Bus driver."

24 of 241 comments (clear)

  1. A rolling study hall? by newcastlejon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I doubt it.

    1-to-10 says they're all on facebook.

    --
    If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
    1. Re:A rolling study hall? by An+ominous+Cow+art · · Score: 4, Funny

      Or (shudder) Slashdot.

    2. Re:A rolling study hall? by symes · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I doubt it.

      1-to-10 says they're all on facebook.

      All in their virtual worlds bullying each other. Just 'cos they are quiet doesn't mean they are being good ;)

  2. Re:the wheels on the bus go by Shikaku · · Score: 5, Funny

    Up and down... up and down. the wifi on the bus goes down and then, all peace ends.

  3. behavioral problems have virtually disappeared by fph+il+quozientatore · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "behavioral problems have virtually disappeared" --- well, that depends on what you consider a behavioral problem. I find it healthier for a bunch of kid to be noisy and hyperactive (even if this involves occasionally hitting each other) than to be all hunched down on their 7'' netbooks checking Facebook.

    --
    My first program:

    Hell Segmentation fault

    1. Re:behavioral problems have virtually disappeared by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Maybe it's just me, but I prefer if bullies minded their own business and left the more intellectual of us alone.

      The school playground is notorious for encouraging the torment of "nerds" and other social outcasts. If the bus can be turned into another safe zone, that is a good thing, in my e-book.

    2. Re:behavioral problems have virtually disappeared by ZorinLynx · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As with many things, this is easier said than done.

      When you're treated as an outcast, and no matter what you do, you're not allowed to be part of the crowd, you have no choice but retreat to the sides and spend time with the few friends you do have.

      I had no interest in sports when I was a kid. I still don't, other than sometimes watching the Superbowl or World Series because they can be fun. That, combined with my intense interest in everything geeky, made me an outcast. What should I have done, pretend to like something I don't just so I could hang out with people who don't like me anyway?

      I'm sorry, I'd rather have a small handful of friends I like than a large number of "friends" who I don't care for. I'd rather not have to pretend to be someone I'm not in order to get ahead. Abandoning who you are to conform to an ideal you don't care for is a heck of a lot worse than just accepting you are not part of the "in crowd" and working to live a happy life among those you *can* relate to.

      So seriously, wake up, stop blaming yourself. Blame our culture for excluding those who are intellectual. Many other countries aren't like this; their scientists are celebrities. I wish we could be more like them.

    3. Re:behavioral problems have virtually disappeared by Krannert+IT · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Many other countries aren't like this; their scientists are celebrities. I wish we could be more like them.

      I would have to disagree with your conclusion. Scientists can be celebrities in any country. The celebrities you speak of have social skills. In the US many scientists have taken on celbrity status, look at Stephen Hawings (while not from the US he is celebrated in this country), Michio Kaku, as well as many others. They all have social skills which MUST be developed in order to attain their status. Other than fellow scientists, who really cares about your chosen subject unless you can explain to them why it is important.

      Don't get me wrong, it is not acceptible to abuse other people, I am not at all in favor of beating people up or picking on them. I am not saying that victoms aren't victoms, just that building social skills is critical if you want to be part of society. You can have an IQ of 180 but if you can't communicate with anyone why should anyone else care?

    4. Re:behavioral problems have virtually disappeared by Blakey+Rat · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So seriously, wake up, stop blaming yourself. Blame our culture for excluding those who are intellectual.

      What does "intellectual" have anything to do with it? Unless you're just assuming that because someone is bullied, therefore they must be an "intellectual" person?

      It has nothing to do with intellect, it has to do with social skills. If you didn't have the social skills, you're still going to be bullied-- and avoiding other people doesn't help improve your social skills, so in that measure I agree with the grandparent.

      Or look at it this way, by your logic, Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons is only outcast because he's smarter than everybody else in the class, right? And don't tell me your school didn't have a Ralph Wiggum.

      If I'm bad at bowling, I'll get low scores. If I don't practice bowling, I'll get worse at it. Now in this example, maybe I don't care about bowling-- that's fine. But if you don't care about social interaction, I can guarantee you're going to have a miserable, lonely life... you can't just avoid it and trust everything to turn out fine.

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    5. Re:behavioral problems have virtually disappeared by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's not an intense interest in everything geeky that makes one an outcast. I openly admit to being a nerd with interests in geeky stuff, jocks and girls alike. The key is, I don't feel secretly shameful about it in the back of my head. To me, my frame of mind is, it's awesome, and you should think it's awesome too.

      And don't feel like you're "pretending" to be someone you're not. Rather, it's better to keep an open mind about the things other people like. Football may not be your forte, but it clearly excites people, some to the point of insane zealousness. That's what interests me, and I can get into that.

      So seriously, wake up, and stop blaming yourself. ALL other countries (the whole of humanity) are like this. I'd never want to be a dumb jock, but I'd also never want to be a nerd who is ashamed of who he is just because social media said I should be.

    6. Re:behavioral problems have virtually disappeared by lilo_booter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You can still be accepted even if you make it apparent that you have no interest in a particular thing that those around you like. A joke, a kindly word, tolerance - all good. Detachment, arrogance, superiority, forming cliques - yeah, well those are traits which are gonna get you in trouble in all walks of life.

      There are cries of 'yeah, blame the victim' and 'blame society' here, and well, sorry, but yeah, in some cases the victim is at fault. Or the victim's parents. And sometimes, they aren't and it's just down to the bully. Or their parents.

      But society? It is a sum of its parts, and the parts include the victims, the bullies and those who are neither. As a result, blanket statements like 'Blame our culture for excluding those who are intellectual' simply doesn't wash - intellectuals can do that all on their own by alienating others....

  4. And the zombification of our children continues... by Liquidrage · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Just like good parenting...

    Stick a TV/DS/Xbox infront of your kid and they act all perfect.

    Can't wait for the virtual elementary school. Just strap your kid to the gurney and put the goggles on 'em.

  5. sounds ominous by digitalhermit · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I know, I know. This is robably a good thing. Kids fighting on a school bus is probably not the safest thing. But on reading the article, I can't help but compare it to medicating a kid so he doesn't run around as much and so he's docile and well behaved and compliant and conforming. That's scary to me.

    1. Re:sounds ominous by Sir_Lewk · · Score: 4, Insightful

      http://tinypic.com/fk5ctf.gif

      Scary indeed, and incredibly sad.

      --
      "linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
  6. Embrace the power of porn... by Manip · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The boys are all looking at porn, and the girls are on social networks discussing how to get their boy's attention or how to make themselves look nicer than the professional porn stars...

    In all seriousness however, in ten years I imagine that the internet will be accessible in every location and being unable to access the internet in the middle of the desert or on top of a mountain will result in some serious complaints to the phone companies.

  7. Meh by ascari · · Score: 5, Funny

    Over engineering if you ask me. The same result can be accomplished with a roll of duct tape. Silence is golden, duct tape is silver as the saying goes.

    1. Re:Meh by selven · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Or make them propel the bus using pedals with their own feet. That also keeps them busy and saves energy too.

    2. Re:Meh by hedwards · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Or, you know, make sure that kids have to live closer to where they go to school and then make them walk to school. Even cheaper than duct tape.

    3. Re:Meh by kent_eh · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Or, you know, make sure that kids have to live closer to where they go to school and then make them walk to school.

      You have never lived outside of a densely populated urban area, have you?
      As a farm kid, I spent about an hour on the bus each day.
      I did ride my bike some days when it was warm enough, but 6 miles each way (2 of which were gravel road) took a lot of time away from chores, homework and sports.

      Our bus driver installed a car stereo in the bus (at his own expense) and put on the rock station to keep us quiet.

      --

      ---
      "I can't complain, but sometimes still do..." Joe Walsh
  8. Re:And the zombification of our children continues by miggyb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Right, because before putting wifi on the bus, there were so many opportunities for learning and self-achievement

    If anything, making people shut the fuck up in the bus will help the introspective types that just want to be left alone so they can get some reading done. From personal experience, the most distracting thing about reading in the bus was not trying to read through the bumpiness and the constant starting and stopping. No, the most distracting thing was the guy next to me trying to get into a fight with the dude directly in front of me, reducing my personal space to whatever my eye's shortest focal length could be.

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  9. Being the one usually getting hit. by maillemaker · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Since I was the one usually getting hit, frankly I dont' wouldn't care what they are were hunched down on as long as it isn't me.

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    A work that expires before its copyright never enters the public domain and thus enjoys eternal copyright protection.
  10. Re:And the zombification of our children continues by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Or the idiot parents that get the DVD player in the minivan. That one blows my mind. "Going to the store kids! pick out a movie for the 5 minute ride!"

    wow..... just wow....

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  11. Re:mental and social development by selven · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The internet is more than just studying. You can take a Wikipedia link hopping trip and see what you learn, you can read the news, you can read and post on Slashdot, and you can go on Facebook/Myspace/Twitter/email. Notice how the first three are educational but without relating to your school subjects and the last two are in fact forms of socializing.

  12. Re:And the zombification of our children continues by Ritchie70 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I followed your link, then another link, and found the Illinois law actually says:

    Illinois law defines a neglected minor, in part, as "any minor under the age of 14 years whose parent or other person responsible for the minor's welfare leaves the minor without supervision for an unreasonable period of time without regard for the mental or physical health, safety or welfare of that minor."

    So based on that little snippet, it says "an unreasonable period of time" and "without regard for their safety."

    And that pretty much leaves it to the judge unless those terms are defined.

    I don't think it's unreasonable to leave a 12 year old alone for 3 or 4 hours after school if it's a responsible kid.

    I do think it's unreasonable to leave him alone for 3 or 4 days.

    --
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