The Internet of Things is set to revolutionise education and training in India.

The internet revolutionised the lives of individuals like never before. Making available the world at the fingertips, whether it is information or conveniences like shopping, browsing, ordering, getting transport and what not. Now the internet is yet again set to change the lives of humans like never before in a different avatar. It is called the Internet of things (IoT). IoT is a web if physical devices which are connected to the internet and, by extension, each other.

These physical objects—sensors, smartphones, watches, electronics, appliances—‘talk’ to each other by transmitting data via the internet to the cloud, providing an enriched user experience. According to research firm IDC the worldwide IoT market will be valued at approximately $1.7 trillion in 2020.

While IoT is definitely touted as next big revolution in user experience, one aspect which is still fairly less discussed is the role of IoT in the learning and education domain. Using technology and IoT enabled infrastructure has the potential to improve the quality of learning, as well as connect teachers with students even in the remotest areas through video-conferencing and other systems.

Using digital learning tools like tablets, smartphones and PCs it is possible to bring back the joy of learning and in the long run ensure a dip in drop-out rates. Moving the learning process online can also potentially save a lot of time, cost and efforts.

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The digital learning experience has already started in private as well as government-run schools as institutions have started developing ICT-enabled education. Many private institutions are encouraging the concept of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to encourage enhanced learning and to benefit from the installed digital infrastructure. Schools are already driving learning by using robotics, smart classes, 24×7 connectivity, Wi-Fi coverage setting the stage for a wider adoption of IoT in the education sector.

Students have already started using e-learning applications which allow them to work at their own pace; increasing both the course-completion rates and the learning levels. Using IoT, the user experience can be further enhanced as teachers can provide one-to-one instruction and seamless student assessment. Using cloud technology, data on student performance can be stored on the cloud ensuring any time access. Additionally, through cloud technology teachers can share and collaborate with each another thus ensuring easy knowledge transfer and sharing of best practices.

While educational institutes are installing enterprise-grade networking and connectivity solutions they need to ensure one more element is taken care of to ensure that their infrastructure is truly future proof. It is advanced data storage solutions. When the numbers of devices increase, correspondingly the data generated too will increase which will lead to space constraints on the devices used by teachers and students. Hence the need for robust data storage infrastructure to attain operational efficiencies.

The other elements to develop an efficient IoT network in the education sector are technology, efficient network for data transmission, data storage and data analysis.

Once fully functional, IoT would introduce operational efficiencies in all types of learning environments. Through always connected devices educators will be able to perform dynamic classroom interventions including enforcing classroom discipline through device vibrations similar to notifications received in silent mode.

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A recent Gartner report revealed that India will account for 5-6% of the global revenue generated from the IoT industry by 2020. Education will be one of the key contributors towards that.

* Read the original story on www.financialexpress.com

Image used for representational purpose only

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