In an interview with David Bowie in 1999, the interviewer counters Bowie regarding the internet saying, "Isn't it just a tool?" and David Bowie's response "No it's not, no, no it's an alien life form [...] it's going to, it's going to crush our ideas of what mediums are all about and [...] it's happening in every form." The internet today surrounds us in previously unimaginable ways and plays a huge role in our lives but have many of us questioned what it really is and the power the internet holds for education in particular?
Until today, I always just used the internet and never really thought about what it was and its endless possibilities. This post will take us through a brief look at what the internet is but more specifically what the "Internet of things" is and what power does it hold for education.
So what is the internet?
To break it down, according to the Internet Society, the internet is tens of thousands of interconnected networks run by service providers, individual companies, universities, and governments.
As I am typing this blog post on my laptop, I hear my partner's Netflix playing in the background on our smart tv, a smartwatch is attached to my wrist registering my heart rate, a smartphone close by is updating my applications in the background, and a smart speaker waits for my commands. All of these things are connected to the internet. The internet is embedded into our lives so much today, that there is a term coined for these devices, which is the "Internet of Things."
What is the Internet of Things? (IoT)
Curtain University explains IoT as a device(s) that have sensors and the ability to connect either directly to the internet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth or tether to a device (ie. smartphone) that connects to the internet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. Basically, any device with the term "smart" before the name falls under the IoT and/or anything that meets the two criteria outlined above. For example, a "smart blender" that has sensors to weigh ingredients, control the speed, and/or connect to your phone to control the mechanics.
The diagram below from Curtain University provides a nice visual of how IoT works. The sensors in an IoT device collect data, the internet (connectivity) transfers the data, the data is transferred into a usual form or type of information and the user interface allows for the data to be interacted with by the user.
What are the benefits of IoT in education?
The individual daily life benefits of IoT are clear as activity trackers monitor and track our health, smart thermostats adjust the temperature of our homes for comfortability and cost-saving purposes, home security systems keep our homes safe and our automobiles are filled with IoT for luxury, maintenance, and safety purposes. But the benefits for education aren't as clear or prevalent just yet.
The Tech Edvocate outlines some ways that IoT can be and are used to the advantage of education including the following: wearable devices for tracking, personalized learning software, report automation, learning anywhere, and smart classrooms. All are great ideas and some schools are already using IoT in those ways but I think the key takeaway from IoT is first using those devices that are already available within your classroom and district to their fullest potential.
Many schools that I have been in already have a smartboard (an IoT device) that often is either misused or underused. Is the smartboard a great example of IoT? In my opinion, it likely isn't the best example as has become dated but that doesn't mean it isn't still a useful tool.
Within my classroom, I want to ensure that I use the IoT devices I already have at my disposal to my full advantage. For the smartboard, I intend to use it past the simple use of a projector to allowing actually student interaction with the board. There are many virtual and interactive platforms that are available on the internet now and the smartboard allows for student interaction with those programs on a more "hands-on" method.
The topic of IoT within education is a continual conversation within Edtech and this post has only briefly touched the tip of the topic. I encourage you, as I will do as well, to look further into this topic and see who you can use IoT to change your classroom.
It is important to remember that there are many concerns that need to be considered for the use of IoT within an education capacity particularly the concern of student privacy and the access to IoT devices (ie. funding, family economic status). As teachers, we need to consider those concerns and how we will approach them before we bring and/or apply the use of IoT into the classroom setting.
Great points about the use of IOT technology in classrooms. In my student teaching placements thus far, each classroom has had a smart board. To the best of my knowledge, other IOT technology has not been used. I believe that we need to be careful about integrating this into our classroom until more research is done about the security and how we can protect our students. Otherwise, we may be doing a disservice to our students by not keeping them safe. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reply Miss Bueckert. The security issue is extremely important and I am not sure if we, as a society, are as aware about technology and our privacy as we should be. The conversation is definitely out there regarding privacy, even education specific privacy. Although, I have not witnessed the discussion about student privacy within my placement or in the community as much as it should be discussed. I think, as new teachers entering the classroom, it will be our responsibility to keep up on the research and make the conversation about student technology security/privacy a more common discussion.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI like how you have addressed the fact that many of the IOT devices in classrooms are being under utilized. Having a smart board is a huge asset to the classroom however typical is underutilized like you have said. I feel that part of this problem is that many teachers have not been shown how to fully take advantage of the devices like smart boards for the advantage of their students. Many teachers are unaware of the full potential of these devices.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the actual PD when it comes to the use of devices is often left to the teacher to self-discover how and what to use those devices for. I agree that the awareness of the use of specific devices needs to be more widespread than it currently is. Hopefully by having pre-service teachers who have taken ICT related classes in the school, we can act as a type of catalyst in technology use in our schools.
DeleteAwesome post Mrs. Z. I enjoyed your thoughts on IoT. There are endless options of the use of technology in the classroom. Smartboards were such an innovative IoT back when I was a young student, and now we view it as "just a projector". It makes you think about what kind of IoTs we will see in the future, when you and I are classroom teachers. I imagine using devices that allow students to write on the smart board from a device at their desk, allowing students not having to move, but able to complete examples in front of the class. How convenient would that be right now with the rules and regulations we currently see in school divisions.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reply Joshua! Definitely those ideas about the use of IoT devices would be so convenient for the COVID-19 related regulations and even after those regulations are lifted.
DeleteHey this is a great blog, Jenna! I am catching up on making comments and this is really great! You included some really easy-to-digest videos, which I appreciated haha You're definitely right though, we need to take advantage of the IoT in our classrooms because I think they can help us make the most of our lessons but there are lots of privacy issues we need to be wary of as well
ReplyDeleteThank you Cristina! I agree, the privacy issues are very relevant and a serious topic. It is also a topic I am constantly educating myself on the topic. The changes to "terms and conditions" that affect privacy issues seems to be changing faster than ever.
Delete