A recent report from Grand View shows that the market size was valued at USD 605.69 billion in 2014 and is expected to grow in the upcoming years. However, some issues related to privacy and security can somehow obstruct the rapid growth that is predicted for this market.
For those who need a quick recap on what IoT is, this concept was first introduced in 1999 as the network of physical things connected to the internet that will make our lives easier. These kinds of devices are based on machine-to-machine communication, modeled after cloud computing as well as networks of data-gathering sensors, and they allow gadgets to send and collect data. The current market trend is following ‘smart’ devices that make life simpler on so many levels.
We’ve heard so much talk about innovation, chips, smart wearables, and so on, but what will be the impact on education?
There are already some young entrepreneurs focusing on innovating in the education field. A good example of this trend is Alt School, a collaborative community of micro schools that offer elementary and middle school programs. The schools are located in NYC as well as Palo Alto (San Francisco). Their approach to education focuses on personalizing each child’s learning experience through technology. An example would be the application they call Playlist, in which each pupil has different assignments based on their performance and learning pace.
But as an academic institution of higher learning, our main concern at IEU is how we can improve the learning experience of our students based on innovation. High connectivity will allow students to share a classroom regardless of their physical location. There is also the exciting opportunity of campus integration, as well as great improvements in access to higher education. Students will be able to make a bigger impact by working alongside scholars and reaching a wide range of resources, such as virtual reality within the classroom. Virtual reality will not only impact productivity and engagement inside the classroom, but will also improve research methods.
The impact of mixed reality, for example, will mark a significant turning point in education. Biology students, for instance, will be able to replicate their study object in real size, and study it through interaction.
IoT, like other emerging technologies, is bound to bring good things to education. At IE University, we pride ourselves on our ability to seek out the latest trends in innovation to bring our students a cutting-edge and quality education.
