MNEdTech is starting a multi-part series on broadband access in rural areas and the impact on education. Marc Johnson is writing the series; he is the dierctor at ECMECC (East Central Minnesota Educational Cable Cooperative). Marc has been active in several local broadband efforts and clearly brings with him a deep interest and expertise in education. Here’s a snippet from the first post…

It is no secret that with the proliferation of mobile devices, 1-1 initiatives and migration to cloud based services for productivity and curriculum resources, schools rely on broadband more than ever, and there is no looking back. Unfortunately, many of our students, especially those living in rural areas outside of communities, do not have adequate, affordable broadband access. This puts them at an immediate disadvantage in the new technology-laden education environment. We have a new divide to conquer. Of course, the lack of quality, affordable access in rural areas poses a number of problems from economic development to quality of life to healthcare, to name a few. My focus, however, continues to be on education.

And a sneak preview on an upcoming post…

Up Next: I’ll share some of the comments heard from the meetings around the idea of “how much bandwidth (or speed) is enough.”