Pop quiz: later this week, at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, Apple is expected to make a major announcement regarding ___________.
- A.) New iPad
- B.) Upgrade to the iPhone Operating System
- C.) Education
- D.) None of the above
If you’ve done your homework (
and already caught on to today’s prevailing theme) it should be no surprise that today’s correct answer is C.) Education, and more specifically, that Apple’s big reveal centers on making a full push into the realm of digital textbooks for students and faculty alike.
While the details remain to be seen,
Apple’s interest in digitizing education only does more to support the bevy of factual data and statistics that indicate how information technology is helping the education industry transform the classroom and administrative environment for the better.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, teachers now use their public school’s district network and Internet access to provide standardized assessment results (87 percent), access data to inform instructional planning (85 percent), online student assessment (72 percent), and access high-quality digital content (65 percent).
Across this wide variety of technology in and around the classroom, the benefits to digitizing learning at all ages are quite apparent. In Apple’s case, there’s a literal weight lifted off the shoulders of students who’d no longer have to carry heavy backpacks filled with books. To go digital now means an entire library’s worth of information could be stored or remotely accessed from a touchscreen device – even to the point of integrating worksheets, homework and tests straight into online lesson plans.
Of course, with the increased use of computers in the classroom comes the need to properly support and secure the hardware itself, as well as the networks and infrastructure that supply their Internet connectivity.
To that end, Chatsworth Products, Inc. (CPI) excels at providing storage solutions that earn straight A’s in the education environment. CPI Wall-Mount Systems such as the popular
Cube-IT Plus™ Cabinet System (
seen at right, which features a swing-out design and adjustable 19” EIA threaded equipment mounting rails to store valuable computer equipment in the classroom) and the
EasySwing™ Wall-Mount Rack (which ships fully assembled and offers easy access to network cables in tight spaces) are a smart investment in any elementary or secondary school setting.
Likewise,
CPI’s full line of Zone Cabling and Wireless Enclosures are an ideal fit for colleges and universities looking to optimize and expand their campus WiFi, offering students and faculty the ability to converse via social networks and stay connected on course information and updates.