Mobility Is Driving the Internet of Things Smart School
“Smart Schools are a great way to engage students at their own level of comfort.”
“My desire for our school is to implement a smart school within the next 5 years. :)”
The comments above reflect the sentiments of the over 600 K-12 and higher education IT managers participating in our survey about smart school technology, a concept similar the smart city and smart hospital. In fact, 46% of those surveyed believe smart schools will have a major impact over the next one to two years. The benefits cited include increasing student engagement, taking advantage of mobile learning, enabling more personalized education, improving efficiency, and reducing costs.
What Exactly Is An Internet Of Things Smart School?
The word smart implies an intelligence and awareness, as well as an ability to learn and transform. Smart schools have an infrastructure that enables them to grow, adapt and progress as important environments for learning. Today’s smart school utilizes Internet of Things devices that communicate their status via Wi-Fi. While this can include interactive smart boards, the scope of smart schools reaches far beyond these boards to include iBeacons, wearables, sensors throughout the school, eBooks and tablets, collaborative classrooms, smart lighting and HVAC, and video/motion trackers.
Our survey found growing use of robots, augmented reality, facial recognition, parking sensors, attendance tracking, and 3-D printers. These devices provide extensive data for both real-time and subsequent analysis.
Implementation Concerns and Drawbacks
As with all advancements, implementing the devices that enable the smart school brings along a set of concerns to be addressed. Security was cited by just over 50% of the respondents as a potential issue. Others worry about privacy, interoperability, and added expenses. Manageability will be a concern until someone comes up with a single, consistent dashboard to control all the currently disparate devices and systems throughout the schools.
Reliable Wi-Fi leads the list of most important success factors in implementing smart school technology. Not surprisingly teacher development, well-designed learning environments, and ensuring that the students have appropriate devices are also on the list of important requirements for success.
The Importance of Planning
How new smart school technology is introduced into the school is vitally important. To be successful, this requires an education vision; understanding how the technology improves education. Effective technology roll-outs require user training; adequate infrastructure, especially sufficient Wi-Fi coverage and bandwidth; and coordinated timing. As one IT manager commented, “Getting the teachers and staff on board can sometimes be more challenging than getting the new technology implemented.”
Examples of Smart School Devices In Use By Schools Surveyed:
- Cameras and video
- Student ID cards
- School bus tracking
- Smart HVAC system
- Supply inventory tracking
- Tablets and eBooks
- Multi-touch tables
- 3-D printers
- Interactive whiteboards
- Electric lighting/ maintenance
- Smart podiums
- Athletic bands or wearables
- Motion sensing and tracking devices
- Temperature sensors
- Attendance tracking
- Airplay and Smart TV Devices
- Wireless door locks
- Adaptive learning systems
- Virtual and augmented reality
- Robots
- Parking sensors
- Facial recognition systems
- iBeacons
Survey Demographics
Survey size: 612 completed surveys
Helping Push Education Technology Forward
Technology Solution Providers like Forward Edge help schools make steady progress to implementing the smart school technologies outlined by our valued partner in Education, Extreme Networks. As the area’s largest Technology Solution Provider focused specifically in K-12 Education, the team at Forward Edge brings expertise and innovation to each school that we service. We are passionate about delivering an extraordinary customer experience and unsurpassed customer satisfaction so that your district will be equipped with the technology it needs to leverage the Internet of Things.
Article by Bob Nilsson, https://content.extremenetworks.com/extreme-networks-blog/mobility-is-driving-the-internet-of-things-smart-school-infographic-2