Statista predicts that the number of IoT (internet of things) connected devices could skyrocket to over 75 billion by 2025. This means entrepreneurs, educators and learners will further enjoy increased connectivity and improved engagement as relevant information can be put to use more effectively, says Karoline Gore, freelance technology writer.
The pandemic impacted everyone’s lives, demanding an immediate shift from traditional learning mechanisms to distance learning. This forced everyone to accept elearning as a reality, with almost 52% students taking an online course in 2020 compared to 37% just one year prior, according to Insidehighered. With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the education sector, it’s becoming easier to provide students with a personalised educational experience.
The Digital classroom: Exploring e-Learning and impact of IoT
E-learning is becoming popular among learners and educators alike because of its ability to combine experienced faculty members and efficient delivery. Learning through e-tutoring typically requires 40% to 60% less employee time than learning in traditional classrooms. Technologies like video conferencing and live streaming tools make it possible for learners to connect with teachers from across the world. Plus, 72% of K-12 students use cloud-based collaborative tools for educational activities, proving its effectiveness when paired with online tutoring services.
Not only does this provide better access to quality professors on an individual basis but their high level of expertise allows learners to customize lesson plans that maximise engagement and which results in a 25% to 60% increase in retention rate for topics learned. This compares to the roughly 8% to 10% which would be expected from one-to-one tutoring sessions.
But with EdTech platforms coming out left, right and centre due to ever growing demand it can become harder to decide who you should work or engage with as an etutor so take into account customer reviews or testimonies.
Statistics recently relayed by eMarketer showed that a mammoth 83.2% of students aged between 12 and 17 years old owned a smartphone, with 73.0% of parents revealing their offspring held one between the ages 11 to 13.
This all underpins our understanding as to why the internet of things is set to revolutionise education in an unprecedented manner. By supplying mobile IoT devices within classrooms, students are now able to automate smaller tasks such as research, scheduling and taking down notes.
Schools benefit greatly here with increased energy efficiency and decreased operating costs. For instance, ‘New Richmond Schools’ situated in Tipp City Ohio save around $128,000 (€117,651.84) annually through the employment of a web-based system monitoring tool, covering all aspects of school operations running inside school walls – removing the need for physical paper processes, which not only helps educational institutions financially, but also puts an emphasis on reusability whilst eliminating purchasing paper each year.
Innovative applications for future
Other educational institutions are leveraging the power of IoT for a plethora of purposes such as generating content, delivering lessons, and managing classrooms. For example, Tynker, an ingenious coding platform designed specifically for children aged 7 and above is being used in schools to initiate kids to programming, guided by varied self-paced courses. This assists them in exploring their creativity while mastering code easily.
Blackboard has been invaluable in tackling typical learning troubles educators face tracking students’ progress, controlling classrooms remotely, and analytically collecting data, enabling personalised education even at a distance. Last but not least, the Kaltura video platform provides video production and regulation services to educational facilities granting teachers and pupils cutting edge technology that allows editing videos with convenient distribution possibilities.
Other benefits of using IoT include better communication between teachers and students as well as increased collaboration amongst peers. With devices like intelligent whiteboards, tablets or laptops, two way connections can be established easily.
Elearningindustry further highlights that IoT can help in developing customized teaching based on individual student’s needs by tracking their progress over time.
Lastly, a crucial element is efficient resource management, which IoT enables by tracking the use and availability of learning resources like books, materials, etc. With automated systems teachers can automatically be alerted about items that need replenishment.
The applications of IoT are numerous for the eLearning sector with many more opportunities yet to be explored. It is clear that those who embrace this technology will have a significant advantage over those who don’t not only in terms of cost savings but also an overall increase in student satisfaction levels.
The author is Karoline Gore, freelance technology writer.
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