IoT can Revolutionize Education, But Challenges must be Addressed

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In recent times, “IoT” has become more than just a buzzword. A Few years back, industry experts had predicted this – that a new system of interconnected devices would transform the way we communicate. It happened, and it got the name “Internet of Things” or IoT.

It’s become a fully established discipline now. According to Gartner’s latest report, there can be a 30% increase in the total number of IoT-connected devices this year. In various sectors, the implications of IoT are explicit, just like automobile and healthcare industries. But what about education?

Extreme Networks conducted a survey this year – over 600 respondents from K-12 institutions and higher IT managers. They found about 46% of them, believe IoT technology will transform education within the next couple of years. Now, we can see this changeover by virtue of video conferencing techniques and similar offerings.

The influence of IoT in education is expected to increase in the coming days. There’s been already a smart school concept that uses IoT technologies for a better understanding of students on a subject. So far, various educational tools can be considered as part of this – including 3D printers, school buses, attendance tracking, VR headsets, interactive whiteboards, etc. One important aspect of IoT in education is – that improvement is happening to not just the physical infrastructure, but to the quality of education. So, even though there are negative aspects, its implications in education cannot be ignored simply.

How Internet of Things can make Education Smarter?

Engagement of Students: Digitalized study materials and smart technologies can help to increase the engagement rate of students over traditional learning methods. Perhaps, this would be the key benefit that IoT can offer to modern education.

Safety of Students: A recent incident can be pointed out here – when Fraser Public Schools in Michigan added video sensors through their campuses, it was found fighting incidences between students dropped to zero. Students had known they would be punished if any of such videos got recorded. So, at least in campuses, such incidences came to an end.

Connect Academies: You might have heard of tools like C-Pen. These digital highlighters are capable of transforming printed text into digital format and that can be saved into our gadgets. Suppose, a student sitting in a class can interact with educators around the globe. Teachers can give students a real-time experience of the subject through sensors and live feed monitoring.

Care for Special Needs Students: Various connected devices are available now – in order to help students with special needs. For example, a visually impaired student after using such an IoT device can able to read the text on his computer easily without asking for a second person’s help. This can aid his/her self-confidence to yield better productivity.

Possible Drawbacks of this technology

Security and Privacy: The hardest part of the main challenge of IoT-education alliance is a matter of security and privacy. Of course, data collection is an inevitable element of this collaboration. A huge number of educational traits are being collected here – including a student’s learning history, location, and a number of personal details. So, security-privacy concerns about IoT in education are among the key issues that need to be addressed carefully.

Implementation Cost: As many of you imagine, the cost of implementation is also a big challenge of IoT in education. These expenses include the cost to purchase hardware, software licenses, and maintenance price.

Lack of Interoperability: There are different smart IoT technologies currently implemented in the education sector like interactive whiteboards, attendance tracking, temperature sensors, etc. Some of these technologies are showing little interoperability with some other smart technologies. These hurdles may definitively affect the future development of digitalized education.

Conclusion

IoT technologies offer a much more productive learning experience if used effectively. In the coming days, more smart technologies can enter the realm of education. Be aware of the possible risks associated with these technologies and use them safely and wisely.

About the Author: John Harris

With a decade of experience in data recovery, John Harris, Senior Editor at Remo Software, is your go-to specialist. His focus includes partition management, Windows solutions, and data troubleshooting, delivering insightful content that serves both users and search engines. John's expertise shines through in illuminating blog posts, untangling data loss intricacies across diverse storage platforms.…