Detroit Schools Take a Step toward Closing the Digital Divide

The FCC created the National Broadband Plan in 2009 to outline targets for updating broadband infrastructure and access across all sectors in the country. With regard to education, one of the plan's key recommendations is to foster innovations that specifically enable wireless connectivity for mobile devices, so that students can more easily access the Internet at home or in school. This recommendation is based on research showing that online learning can substantially boost students’ achievement in reading and math, as well as motivate students toward better overall school performance.

Five years into the plan’s implementation, numerous innovative educational technologies are being tested in classrooms and homes across the country. Educational wireless provider Kajeet has developed a technology called SmartSpot, which enables students to connect to fast 4G LTE networks using any Wi-Fi-enabled device. Affordable for schools and families, the technology is designed to be safe for children who go online for their studies.

A total of 450 SmartSpot devices have been deployed to eight schools in Detroit, Michigan, for the current school year. These schools provide a stark example of the digital divide in America: roughly 70 percent of these students have no Internet access at home. This greatly limits how teachers can integrate valuable online resources into coursework. SmartSpot will remove this restriction, thereby providing teachers with added flexibility and motivating students toward success in school.

Rick Bolander on School Guard: kajeet's Latest Tool for Child Access Management

With a focus on providing parents with the tools they need to supervise their children's mobile phone usage, kajeet, Inc., has revolutionized the smartphone industry with innovative products that empower kids and parents alike. The company's newest service, School Guard, brings these tools to administrators and teachers interested in better managing bring-your-own-device programs. Many schools have encouraged students to use their tablets and mobile devices in order to enrich the learning environment, and kajeet has made it possible for schools to manage students' usage of Android-based devices by creating Internet access policies. School Guard enables schools to approach Internet filtering with a granular methodology, providing the flexibility necessary for administrators to tailor the system to their own needs. Using kajeet's technology, teachers can create individualized policies for their own classrooms, and parents can join with their children's schools to manage Internet access at home. For more information on kajeet, visit the company's website at www.kajeet.com. About Rick Bolander: A Member of the Board of Directors for kajeet, Rick Bolander also serves as the Managing Partner and cofounder of Gabriel Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on innovative technologies and companies in the information technology sector.

Kajeet Announces Free Mobile Hotspot Access

Based in Northern California, Rick Bolander co-founded Gabriel Venture Partners. An active technology investor, Bolander serves on the Boards of Directors for multiple enterprises, including Kajeet, a cell phone provider that offers parental controls.

Kajeet furnishes an array of mobile devices to its customers, including Android models. Individuals who purchased Android units and Kajeet mobile web add-ons may now connect to the Internet on the go and, even more usefully, may use their Kajeet devices as wireless hotspots. Kajeet users can share this wireless connection with nearby friends and family who are using other devices such as laptops or tablets. This mobile hotspot is secure and password-protected, and connecting to the web in this fashion costs nothing extra. Of course, the device holder must have previously purchased a Kajeet mobile web add-on and is responsible for data usage under his or her normal monthly plan.

The Android devices eligible to take advantage of this feature include the Samsung Replenish, Galaxy tablet, Conquer, Kyocera Milano, LG Optimus S, and the HTC Evo Shift.

Rick Bolander: Customers Rave about Kajeet

An experienced venture capitalist, Rick Bolander serves on the boards of several technology startups, including Kajeet, a company that provides mobile phones rich with parental and school controls.

Because parents generally want to be able to monitor the media their children consume, some of them hesitate to give their kids mobile devices—especially those able to access the Internet. Kajeet, however, provides an alternative. Parents can choose from a variety of Android devices and, through them, control how many minutes their children can use as well as the content they can view. Many consumers have come to appreciate Kajeet’s offerings. In one case, a parent liked the products so much that she decided to purchase phones for her entire family through Kajeet.

Another parent appreciated the ability to increase and decrease the minutes available on her child’s phone, and she based such decisions on the youth’s grades. Still other parents appreciate Kajeet’s GPS feature, which allows them to pinpoint their kids’ locations. One mother liked the ability to block usage as well as the option to override the block in case of emergency.

Overall, Kajeet lets parents protect their children from inappropriate content or overuse while still being able to offer the benefits of mobile communication.