Introduction

At the beginning of 2020, Covid-19 had become an epidemic disease in the whole world and it made the Internet more and more important for all the people around the world that were quarantined in their houses. At that time, Things that worked on the internet helped all of us to go through that difficult situation.

In fact, with the significant advancement of technology and the emergence and spread of a phenomenon called IoT (Internet of Things), many tools were developed in the last years. Various fields such as industry, medicine, education, sports, etc., became smart by connecting to the Internet.

It’s predicted that shortly, all things around us will be connected to the internet, which will be the beginning of a new era in human life on the planet.

In this article, we’re trying to investigate all the usages of IoT in education and the changes caused by it.

The old ways of education take more time and energy from students and teachers; because they have to be physically present in the school and use books and notebooks and lots of stationery. While in education with IoT, Higher quality education is provided in less time without the need to be physically present in the classroom. This feature was very useful during the pandemic.

Online classes are one of the most important uses of IoT applications in education. All you need is a smartphone or tablet to install an IoT application, now you can attend online classes and use educational films of high quality.  Online textbooks and eBooks are more effective than printed ones, indestructible, cheaper, and easy to use.

One of the IoT uses in education is smart blackboards. In addition to the high quality of smart blackboards; they don’t cause any disease as old kinds of blackboards.

In 2018, research was conducted in one of Norway’s schools and it showed that children who learn life skills and simple math problems through electronic tools such as smart toys; are more creative and confident than others.

In educational environments that are controlled by IoT applications, it is possible to easily control the oxygen, temperature, and overall atmosphere with special sensors. With this method, the educational environment can be made fresher and more favorable for students.

Advantages of using IoT in the educational system:

The general advantages of using IoT in the educational system can be described as follows:

networking and safety: IoT makes it possible to create a network between educational spaces, school officials, and students’ parents. This network can be used to create a safe space for students. By using this method, the school’s CCTV cameras are connected to the mobile phones of the school officials and students’ parents and make it possible to check the students in the school. Also in case of problems such as fire, etc. Necessary measures could be taken in the best way and as soon as possible.

In addition, by connecting RFID tags to students’ bags, their presence and absence at school and in class can be done without the need for the old method, with the help of IoT technology.

E-study and access to courses: By using IoT technology, students can participate in all of their desired courses. It is IoT that enables online education for everyone, anywhere in the world, which is called tele education. It is enough for each student to have a mobile phone or tablet that can be connected to the Internet. Now he/she can participate online in any course that is held anywhere in the world.

variety of courses and customized learning environment: By using IoT technology in the educational system, it is possible to design different training courses, both practical and non-practical, for students.

The possibility of using electronic books and booklets, High quality and varied educational videos, and other online education tools (tools that are customized due to subject and kind of course), makes it possible for students to use the best courses in the same way. In addition, due to the ease of using this tool, students can attend a variety of educational courses.

Study at your place: This is one of the advantages of using IoT in the education system, which was very useful for people during the pandemic. Before the Corona epidemic, the distance education or tele education system was used in many universities, depending on the type of course that was offered. But this method was not so widespread before the pandemic.

By using IoT technology in the educational system, any class and course can be held for any type of student, at any age, and with any level of intelligence or ability (even for disabled students). The student can attend the classroom and even take an exam by connecting to the Internet without leaving his/her home.

The expansion of the use of this method during the pandemic reminded researchers and engineers of the importance and usefulness of using IoT in the educational system. Now they know that the expansion and promotion of this technology in the field of education is very necessary and useful for mankind and requires continuous improvement and updating.

Reduce education costs: All the benefits mentioned so far about the use of IoT applications in the educational system, have one common result: the reduction of education costs.

The use of IoT in the education system will reduce both the costs of education for governments and private schools and universities, and the cost of education for students: Schools and universities no longer need to provide large buildings with numerous classes and various educational and service spaces, and to hire a large number of employees for training or administrative and service departments, or to provide a large number of educational or laboratory equipment.

Students no longer need to leave their homes and cities. As a result, the cost of commuting and residence, etc. will be greatly reduced for them. On the other hand, they do not need to physically prepare stationery, books, notebooks, etc. (except on special occasions) and in this way, their education costs will be reduced.

So, by using IoT in the educational system of a country, governments or private educational institutions only need to pay once for the infrastructure needed for distance and online education. After that, common education costs will be significantly reduced for the government, private educational institutions, and students.

Conclusion

For educational systems that must always be dynamic and up-to-date, IoT is a boon. This technology makes education easy and inclusive. Moreover, as the education system adapts to digital tools, the traditional education system becomes stronger.

As a result, it is necessary to use IoT in the educational system; Because education is one of the most compatible phenomena to connect to IoT. In this way, education will be more cooperative, interactive, accessible, and cheaper.

Author: Kash Hosseini IoT Deployment Manager at Arshon Technology Inc.