Internet of Things Applications

Internet of Things devices are cropping up in schools everywhere. IT is taking note — and so are students After being introduced to the Internet of Things (IoT) by a local software company, Tiffany Davis’ first instinct was to consider what the concept would look like in the K-12 setting. “It was appealing to me because [IoT] is the direction that most products are taking in the business world,” said Davis, who is the instructional technology specialist at John R. Briggs Elementary School in Ashburnham, Mass.



Davis’ re-imagining of IoT for a new context is nothing new. In recent years, the IoT has touched nearly every piece of technology we interact with.

Defined by Gartner as “the network of physical objects that contain embedded technology to communicate and sense or interact with their internal states or the external environment,” IoT is a somewhat nebulous concept that promises to change the way we use objects, products, and technology in general. In A Simple Explanation Of ‘The Internet Of Things,” Forbes’ Jacob Morgan defines IoT as the act of connecting any device with an on and off switch to the internet (and/or to each other). In the consumer world, these devices include mobile phones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices like Fitbits, and even heavy equipment like jet engines.

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Students create

Students at Davis’ school regularly learn about sensors and how these components detect, measure, and/or respond to physical properties. These days, however, they’re learning it with an IoT-meets-maker movement twist.

“We focus on getting pupils to look at sensor inputs and outputs, and just understand the basics of how these components work,” Davis explained. “Then, we have them take an everyday object like a lunchbox and try to turn it into a smart, connected product.”

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Getting over the humps

In assessing the Internet of Things’ potential in the K-12 space, Nilsson says, “To some extent, it’s quite unpredictable right now.” Some of that uncertainty is based on the sheer number of new devices being introduced every year—a fact that makes it difficult to predict IoT’s future.

“Teachers and administrators will begin to see how all of this [technology] works together, and then use that knowledge to create interactive dashboards and sensors that are spread throughout the schools,” Nilsson said. “The next step will include student wearables that can be monitored via dashboard and used to send reminders (i.e., to exercise more) and alerts.”

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3 key success factors for IoT in education

In How Ubiquitous Connectedness Can Help Transform Pedagogy, Cisco outlines three main factors that must be addressed to ensure widespread and successful adoption of the “Internet of Everything” (IoE) in education. They are:

Security: Cisco says IoE security will become an “enormous issue across all markets,” and particularly in education. “Without assurances, pervasive development of IoE will not take place across educational institutions. Information must be available—yet confidential—when needed, with the owner of the information deciding which people, groups, or organizations may have access to it,” the company states.

Data Integrity: Integrity of data must also be assured, as well as its accuracy, authenticity, timelines, and completeness, according to Cisco. Success will be predicated on an “open platform” that allows all partners working together to use the same baseline technologies.

Education Policies: Policies that encourage adoption of technology in the classroom and its effective integration into curricula are crucial. “Such policies must include sound change management practices among educational institutions to reduce the barriers to technology adoption and increase its scale,” according to the whitepaper.

See more at: eschoolnews.com