Companies like IBM are building “Smart Cities” based on distributed sensors in roads, pipe, etc, providing feedback to control systems. This is part of a general emerging market called the Internet of Things (IoT) where heretofore inanimate, mute objects are becoming part of an intelligent, active, behind-the-scenes conversation. So what about “Smart Schools”, where the all of the tools, resources, furniture and infrastructure of a school get involved in the learning conversation?
Opportunity Statement
While relatively few physical objects might seem like immediate candidates to be given a useful IoT voice, currently wired systems including learning software and hardware are waiting to be heard. Enabling and collecting those voices, and organizing the conversation, presents a set of opportunities in classroom management, school management, security, etc.
Prediction Source(s)
Gartner – The Internet of Things
Gartner – Top 10 Technology Trends 2013
The conversation around the internet of things should be garnering much more attention then the votes it received. #bigdata is becoming a major industry and a number of different analytics solutions like Hadoop are fast becoming a necessary part of any successful city, business or school. Tracking trends, analyzing large amounts of data like traffic are important and are definitely going to become a much more bigger conversation in the coming years.
This should be at the top of the heap when it comes to ventures in e learning.
Giving a kind of digital voice to inanimate members may lead to a higher awareness of our infrastructure and the impact of technological progression upon the environment.