Giving Compass' Take:

• Education Dive details a Google pilot program that turns buses into mini study halls, with Wi-Fi, laptops and gamification to encourage learning on the go.

• With millions of kids taking the bus every day to go to school, often with long travel times, maximizing every minute doesn't seem like such a bad idea — as long as they don't get carsick.

• Speaking of innovation, can 3-D printing prepare students for life after school? Bill Gates thinks so.

Google has piloted a Rolling Study Halls grant program that equips school buses with Wi-Fi and stripped-down laptops. The program, which Gizmodo said has expanded to more than a dozen schools, allows districts dependent on busing to achieve at least some semblance of a longer school day, describes an article from KQED News.

Filters in place nudge riders towards choosing educational activities over entertainment, and other, more creative enticements that garner student incentive, including “bus challenges,” where kids tackle reading, competitive quizzes or other extensions of their school-day curriculum.

The program was created due to the logistics of school bus transportation — which 25 million students in the U.S. use — that involve these vehicles making numerous stops along an indirect route, resulting in a big chunk of wasted time each day. That reality means bus-dependent kids often must miss out on after-school enrichment opportunities.

Read the full article about turning buses into learning centers by Christina Vercelletto at Education Dive.