Internet of Things in Education: 5 Solutions for Schools to Modify Learning Process

The role of this article is to explain to you how the Internet of Things is used in education and how it enhances education process with examples of available EdTech projects for IoT. And how hardware and software development symbiosis can modify education field completely.

Here are what benefits IoT education solutions can bring:

• Enhanced learning experience for students
• Personalized education with individual learning patterns
• Improved efficiency with automation of routine tasks
• Real-time monitoring of students' progress and performance
• Collaborative learning among students and teachers
• Smart campus’ resources management within educational institutions

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a vast network comprising numerous wireless devices designed to exchange, gather, generate, and receive various types of information.

These devices encompass a wide range of elements, such as biochips, mobile phones, sensors, and comprehensive monitoring systems that is interconnected. Any physical entity that extends its characteristics to a virtual realm becomes an integral part of the IoT.

Within this expansive domain, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Big data, web-based systems, smart devices, appliances, and other similar technologies all find their place, provided they operate through the internet and possess software-equipped devices.

The integration of IoT devices in the education sector has brought the way teaching and learning take place to a whole new level, making it more collaborative, interactive, and accessible to students of all backgrounds.

By leveraging IoT devices, students now have reliable access to a wide range of educational resources and seamless communication channels, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Additionally, teachers can monitor and evaluate student learning progress in real-time, enabling timely interventions and personalized instruction.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of digital educational resources, further emphasizing the need for Internet of Things in education sector.

IoT technology facilitates the transition from traditional teaching methods to digital platforms, offering numerous benefits and increased efficiency. It enables the incorporation of graphics, animations, and simulations, enhancing the comprehension of various subjects, including languages, mathematics, and practical skills like medical sciences.

Furthermore, IoT devices enable the centralization and automation of various school functions, including attendance tracking, security systems, assessment tools, and facility management. This shift from the physical world to a centralized control system enhances efficiency and streamlines operations within educational institutions.

Here are some of the key challenges faced by schools and universities, which can be effectively addressed through the implementation of IoT for education:

• Outdated teaching methods. Despite living in a technologically advanced time, educational institutions often rely on outdated approaches to teaching, leaving students ill-prepared for the modern job market. The use of obsolete software and programs hampers their ability to acquire relevant skills, wasting time and resources.
• Limitations of standardized testing. Traditional methods of testing students' knowledge are flawed, as they fail to reflect real-world situations accurately. Factors such as teacher bias and student anxiety can distort test results. By incorporating IoT platforms for education, educators can leverage advanced technology to assess students' skills more effectively and eliminate these drawbacks.
• Monotonous learning experience. Students frequently express dissatisfaction with the monotonous and uninteresting nature of their lessons, leading to disengagement and a lack of motivation to learn.
• Parental concerns. With the increasing pace of life, parents are anxious about the safety of their children within the confines of educational institutions, making them hesitant to send their children to boarding schools or university campuses.
• Unqualified tutors. Educational institutions often employ underqualified teachers who are resistant to adapting to new educational programs. As a result, students receive instruction using outdated and ineffective methods.
• Time-consuming lesson organization. Research conducted in the United States reveals that a significant portion of lesson time is wasted on administrative tasks, such as roll-call and organizing the educational process, leading to reduced productivity. To overcome these challenges, the adoption of IoT devices and supporting software can offer numerous benefits and provide solutions to these issues.

First, let's divide all actors that participate in the education process to understand strong sides of IoT for each of them.

Student definition includes pupil, scholar, learner. A student is one of the main chain links in the education process. We can study out benefits of IoT in higher education and how students can make use of them.

• Personalized learning that can be adaptive according to student's needs;
• Learn everywhere - due to the availability of gadgets and relevant software like personal assistant; 
• The growth of student's engagement in the learning process; 
• Improved learning results; 

College professors or school teacher - they are all referred to instructors. They also get a lot of benefits from the IoT in education as follows:

• Modern digital tools to explain new material in a better way;
• Improved attendance tracking; 
• New tools to assess how students perceived new material; 
• It gives an opportunity to experimentalism with educating process. 

Here we can speak about principal, dean, provost. Those ones who manage educating processes and facilities. What can they get from IoT capabilities?

• Smart monitoring of the building including HVAC system, lighting, locks etc.;
• The increase of the security; 
• LMS (namely, LMS for healthcare or other business industry) content can be modified;

This is simply a short list of IoT practical examples and now we will proceed to the more detailed analysis of solutions and benefits Internet of Things can boast about in education.

Education field still has some challenges that IoT is meant to solve. Check it out.

Teachers and mentors can communicate with their students online using messengers or web cameras to organize education process. But it cannot allow two parties to imitate personal interaction as if they are sitting in class. But with the help of the Internet of Things in university or school, teacher and student can communicate using connected devices like digital pens and interactive boards that display all information in a real-time mode. All text or pictures can be sent to the smartphone or tablet of mentor/student and it speeds up the process of new material assimilation and teaching process. Moreover, it simplifies the learning process since it saves a lot of time.

We believe many of you visited old school libraries where large and long racks with books stand in a spanless hall. Well, educational books bring a lot of advantages since they give skills and knowledge to the student. But today, paper books become a thing of the past since it is much more convenient to have a bunch of digital books on your smartphone or tablet. Today modern public schools and universities offer students list of QR codes where each code is referred to a specific book. A student just needs to scan QR code and get a textbook on his or her device.

Not all students attend all lessons regularly and not all of them are excellent students. It is necessary to do a roll call on each lesson to find out who attends a class and who is absent. This is where IoT for schools is relevant. Also, teachers need to track of learning performance of all students, it is not so easy process. But IoT idea in education is changing it. It makes it possible to use special wristbands with RFID tags that read the information about each user. A teacher can see promptly how many students attend the class today using his or her tablet/smartphone. Moreover, using such devices, a teacher can mark the level of performance of each student to understand weak sides of each student.

Also, improved data collection process can be performed due to beacons that can be installed near each room. These beacons send information to the device of each pupil about the lesson when they enter a math room or chemistry laboratory.

Security comes first in all education facilities no matter where they are located and how large they are. As usual, a security guard is on duty at the entrance of each facility. But this security guard simply cannot be present in all blocks of the school to keep order. That is where biometrics system come to the rescue. Facial recognition system at the entrance to detect all strangers, beacons, and wristbands on all students can prevent intrusion and disorders. It concerns not only schools and colleges but also campuses where students live and relax. Using special ID cards to enter to campus will also lead to the decrease of possible intruders. So, Internet of Things and education can be mutually beneficial fields. Also, school buses today in many schools are equipped today with GPS trackers and parents as well as school managers can always see where children are right now.

As we told above about school and college administration, they need to control everything including equipment and learning environment. Automated attendance tracking, a roll call is included in this field as well, but also it is necessary to watch for inventory like whiteboards, computers, desks and so on. RFID tags also can help here and they can send all information to the server. Also, as in the case of a smart home, IoT helps reduce energy costs using smart technologies.

AR-based systems in education leverage IoT technology to enhance learning experiences by overlaying digital information in the real world. This technology allows students to interact with virtual objects and environments, providing a more immersive and engaging educational environment.

The Internet of Things and education enable seamless connectivity and communication, making distance learning more accessible and effective. IoT devices such as webcams, microphones, and smartboards allow students and teachers to interact in real time, regardless of their physical locations. This technology facilitates online classrooms, virtual lectures, and collaborative projects, expanding educational opportunities beyond traditional brick-and-mortar settings.

IoT solutions offer valuable support for students with special needs. IoT devices equipped with sensors can monitor and assist students with disabilities, ensuring their safety and well-being. For example, wearable devices can track vital signs or provide alerts for medication schedules. IoT-enabled assistive technologies promote inclusion and personalized learning experiences for students with diverse abilities.

Technologies can work wonders and application of IoT education proves it. In fact, IoT is a technology that has many ways to make use of, so everything depends on requirements of government or educational institution administration.

Here we would like to list some projects that take their high position on IoT market in the education field. Internet of Things projects for students can simplify their learning process and improve teaching process as well.

This EdModo platform is designed for parents, teachers, and students and it is oriented for schools and colleges predominantly. It offers communication, collaboration, and the coaching capabilities. This is a kind of network where teachers can share information about a new material, tests, questionnaires. Also, teachers can communicate with parents and students as well as other teachers.

EdModo platform is designed for teachers first: parents can join the system by invitation from a teacher. The system was founded in 2008 and it is a great example of how IoT in schools can work.

C-Pen brand represents portable scanners that are aimed at students and instructors. Using C-Pen scanner, you can scan text with a button click and then send this text to your smartphone or teacher's/student's device. It uses optical character recognition and also C-Pen devices can be enhanced with an appropriate software from a manufacturer.

Digital scanners can work with both all mobile operating systems and desktop OS as well.

One of the most advanced and successful IoT projects for today - Nymi wristbands. Some US-based schools already started integrating Nymi wristbands into their practice.

The project was developed by Bionym company. Such wristband can recognize unique heart beating model of each user. So, it means Nymi wristband can be used for authentication of a user. The device helps simplify roll call since teachers can see information about all students in their tablet. A signal from wristband goes to a tablet when a student enters school or class.

In addition, since wristband detects an identity of the user, one student won't be able to substitute other students when writing test. Nymi wristband is one of the most successful IoT implementation examples in the education field.

Considering all strong sides of IoT in education sector, we should tell about imperfections and difficulties in IoT and why it cannot be integrated everywhere right now.

Low financing

A government cannot invest a lot of money in IoT projects in education since IoT requires a special hardware in addition to software. But wearable devices like beacons and wristband together with interactive whiteboards are not cheap at all. But it doesn't mean that this problem will remain unchanged forever. A growing interest in IoT shows that situation will change for better in the following few years.

Integration

This is a common problem for IoT entirely. No matter whether it is education or healthcare field, there is a problem of compatibility of one device with other. Their software also can have malfunctions in working with each other. There is no one single standard for all IoT participants that is why such problem exists.

Security issue

As there is a lack of security standards as well, you should now that IoT network is huge and it consists of many gadgets and devices that connect to each other. As a result, it is much easier for hackers to breach the security of one device, leading to failures in the functioning of the whole network. The situation can be improved if each device for IoT in school will be adequately secured with authentication tools and strong firewalls. But all service providers must take care of it.

Technical complexity

Technical complexity is one of the main challenges organizations face in implementing IoT projects. From choosing the right technologies and platforms to integrating different systems and ensuring data security, these projects require deep technical understanding and expertise. For example, using outsourcing services for IoT projects provides a unique opportunity to fill gaps in the required expertise. By choosing partners who specialize in IoT development and have significant experience in the field, organizations can provide themselves with the knowledge and skills they need. Partnering with experts allows access to experts with a deep understanding of the technical details of IoT projects. They can offer best practices based on their experience with different projects and technologies.

Although the Internet of Things sector is very complex and it requires the availability of hardware in addition to software, not all IoT platforms can provide users with high-quality software solutions. Devices used in IoT usually go along with it's relevant custom software, but some IoT projects offer an open-source software that can be customized according to the needs of each user.

That is where Cleveroad comes in. We are an IT company with 10+ years of experience in delivering top-notch software products for businesses all over the world. Our competence comprises full-cycle software development as well as domain expertise in the leading market industries. You can come to an idea that one or another IoT project has imperfect capabilities and it should be modified to bring real advantage to users. Our developers can create a custom IoT solution based on your idea, make it proprietary and you can multiply your revenue with new software product.

Why should you cooperate with Cleveroad?

• Development of value-centered IoT products from the idea validation to the product release
• Opportunity to fill gaps in required IoT expertise by collaborating with experienced tech professionals
• Data security and privacy protection in the context of IoT integration
• Creation and customization of IoT devices specifically tailored to the educational environment
• Delivery of personalized educational solutions based on data collected by IoT sensors
• Deploying cloud infrastructure for IoT data storage and processing, ensuring scalability and availability
• Technical support and updates for IoT devices and software, ensuring smooth system operation

Considering that the Internet of Things is gaining popularity and the future of IoT should be fantastic, it is the right niche for you to occupy. A wise approach with a first-rate software will help boost your business. Our developers are experienced enough to implement it, so we are looking forward to your requests!