During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Woods needed to be able to teach from his home in a wooded area outside of Muskogee. His spotty satellite connection just wasn’t enough to keep up with multiple virtual classes each day.
By last spring, Dr. Woods had resorted to driving into town to sit in an empty building to teach. His students were in the same position as he was — struggling with weak WiFi, distracted by poor connections and sometimes even unable to call into virtual classes at all.
Even as life begins to return to normal, remote learning and online connections are here to stay — and 85% of educators support the increased use of digital learning in their schools.
Since Dr. Woods’ fiber connection was installed by Ecolink in the early fall of 2020, the fiber subsidiary of East Central Electric Cooperative, he has been able to teach from home with no issues. He now says it’s the most reliable internet service they’ve ever had, and recommends it to others who are still struggling with their own connections.
“Ecolink has been a huge blessing for our family and community,” Dr. Woods said.
A fiber connection was vital to Dr. Woods’ ability to teach uninterrupted — and to his students’ education and success.
With reliable broadband, teachers can give students across our state a quality education. If you want to learn more, please contact me at jreese@oaec.coop or Jami Longacre jamilongacre@gmail.com.