Internet of Things Responses
Original
There is no doubt that the Internet of Things is quickly becoming influential
within the educational community. The major challenge that presents itself
with IoT becoming more and more present in education is helping our
teachers to better adapt to the use of IoT. One article suggests, “educators
seem to support the use of IoT in education, but they mostly put forward
ideas that seem to represent the use of IoT from an administrative
perspective, leaving little space for discussions centering on direct
instructional potentials of IoT (Bakla., p. 302).” I can see where IoT is a lot
more present in administrative versus within the classroom because of the
unknown. How will changing teaching styles to more Internet based affect
how children will learn?
To answer the above question, it is suggested that “students acquire
knowledge more easily if they do so interactively, i.e. where the activities
actually motivate them to learn. Technology presents this great feature to
get the attention of people and can be a great help in the teaching and
learning (Marquez et al., p. 201).” Children today are much more dependent
on electronic devices and the internet, so it makes sense how they would
benefit from IoT in the classroom. I believe because of the times we are
currently living in; children will thrive by integrating IoT within the classroom
because they are used to learning things via the internet versus one-on-one
interaction teaching techniques learned in the past.
For example, let’s look at how children were forced to learn during the Covid
19 pandemic. Because children during the pandemic were accustomed to
more visual learning styles versus in-person teachings, virtual learning was
successful. Because IoT was around before the Covid 19 pandemic, the
learning process was not interrupted. Learning management systems and
digital tools for online collaboration ensured a safe distance and continuity of
educational activities (Ilieva, G., & Yankova, T., p.1669).” ;I think it is safe to
assume that if IoT were not already introduced within the educational
community, the Covid 19 pandemic would have had an even larger
devastating effect on the world. At least by using IoT, the education of the
future was not derailed, and while it may have changed, it really prompted
the educational system into the future.
Response
Your quote from Marquez et. al about motivation is excellent and it reminds me of the many
resources I have poured through for module 2 on interactivity and student engagement.
Digital educational games have the potential to make a positive impact on children's academic
knowledge since active, experiential, situated, problem-based learning with immediate feedback
is known to be the most effective approach. Active, experiential, situated, problem-based, and
feedback-rich learning is widely recognized as the most effective approach to acquiring
academic knowledge. In this regard, digital educational games have shown the potential to
make a positive impact on children's academic learning (Vanbecelaere et al.).
You also brought up the recent COVID 19 pandemic. I know one of the schools I was working at
was giving out packets for the first few months. The innumerable amount of paper and time it
took to gather these materials was endless. It was much easier when we switched to a one-to-
one Chromebook environment using resources such as Google Classroom, etc. We should really
celebrate where we have come since the pandemic. Many schools now have one-to-one
devices, teachers are using platforms such as Google Classroom so that even when students are
absent, or there is a snow day, students can participate, applications such as Kahoot and Quizizz
are more commonplace during instruction since teachers were “forced” to use these programs
during the closure.
References:
Vanbecelaere, Stefanie, et al. “The Effects of Two Digital Educational Games on Cognitive and
Non-Cognitive Math and Reading Outcomes.” Computers & Education, vol. 143,
2020, p. 103680, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103680.
Original 2
The question of what IoT means to education is topic for a dissertation.; Any
search on the internet brings actualities such as smart schools where
electronic devices – handhelds, tablets, and computers - can be connected
and provide useful information for administrators relating to such things as
student attendance, bus scheduling and logistical tracking, school building
safety monitoring, and more.;
In the classrooms, IoT is beginning to offer newfound opportunities for
teachers creating student lesson plans, presenting, and assessment.; “Phone
IoT turns mobile phones and tablets into IoT devices and makes it possible to
create highly engaging projects through NetsBlox, an open-source block-
based programming environment focused on teaching distributed computing
at the high school level” (Jean et al, 2022). ;And there are many more
educational beneficial applications (apps) available today, with many more
being developed for the near future the most exciting potentially being
individualized student instruction using IoT technology and educational
apps.; In the subject of ELA where the almost ridiculous amount of English
rules – which have rules where the rules can be altered (broken) – can be
exhausting to teach, and even more painful to learn, IoT and individualized
instruction offers something that can help; “teachers can use smart tags to
identify learning objectives and understand the learning situation of each
student in a timely manner, so as to adjust teaching methods and content in
a targeted manner, thereby mobilizing enthusiasm and improving the quality
and efficiency of English teaching” (Chen, 2022).;
The most important level of IoT’s use in schools, and the ultimate goal of
education, is to benefit students.; And, arguably, the most challenging issue
in schools today is related to student engagement and motivation, or lack
thereof.; Teachers can only dream about the scenario today, yet smile
knowing it may be coming soon, is a classroom filled with students who have
individualized instruction and forms of assessment where students are
focused and dialed in and EXCITED to learn.; I think of students from my
classes I subbed for a month ago who displayed profound passion and
positive energy for automotive mechanics but then were hit with reality
when they had to be refocused to their classroom lesson.; Imagine these
students’ learning science and math, and even ELA and social studies
designed and interconnected around automotive mechanics.; Then throw in
virtual reality and hands-on lessons. ;With this vision, and real possibilities
coming to a school near you, students could then realize and prove Self-
determined Theory (SDT).;
Now all of this sounds well and good…until the cloud goes down and
everyone panics.; Or the cloud's security is compromised and stolen
information is used in a detrimental manner, which historically occurs and
will likely continue with the ever-present battle of good vs evil.; And,
although, IoT offers school building visual security, as mentioned prior,
school officials, IT departments, and law enforcement can only hope to keep
digital predators from stealing school, staff and student information, as well
as not possessing the ability to stop the more catastrophic school scenario of
an armed lunatic entering and roaming the halls.; Like a brand new car
getting rave reviews, the true quality and dependability is more
appropriately measured and determined in the years that follow.; So, we will
have to wait for related educational research without the advantage of
having data to analyze in forming theories in educational research, which
could be described as “under-theorized” and when analyzing 503 recent
empirical published articles relating to educational technology research, “in
a majority of cases, explicit engagement with theory was absent” (Hew et al,
2019). ;;As with just about any new technology and discussions about the
exciting possibilities that ensues when considering potential benefits, we
might want to consider the “we’ll see…” before making final judgements.;
And strive to create – and hope and pray – technology that inspires and
produces positive outcomes and results.;
Secondary post
In 1999 The Disney Channel released a movie called “Smart House”. The plot
centered around a young tech savvy teenager who won a fully automated
home that ended up getting out of control. The concern for the Internet of
Things (IOT) in the 90’s is the same today; it is the unknown. Eiman Negm
(2023) explains that the Internet of Things “makes society more efficient,
comfortable and reliable”. When IOT is placed in the education arena,
instruction and learning opportunities are expanded. For example, I work for
an institution in rural Southeast MO. To find someone local who has a
completed master’s in economics is difficult. With online learning, our pool of
instructors now spans the nation instead of our region. Many of the video
resources assigned for this module discussed the ability for collaboration
during the IOT age, that wasn’t present before. Since certain skills were not
available to an industry, innovation ceased. Education is no different. The
connection that IOT brings increases the resources for higher education
institutions and the students they serve.
The benefit to students is endless. For example, IOT allows immediate access
to student learning materials. The days of the bookstore running out of a
hardcopy textbook, causing delays for the student is no more. The times that
a student has forgotten their books during class, causing them to get behind
vanish with e-books available on mobile devices. M. Thomas explains
Education IOT is, “not about the technology, it’s about sharing knowledge
and information, communicating efficiently, building learning communities
and creating a culture of professionalism” (Thomas, 2021). In a nutshell IOT
in education creates an opportunity for constant fluid learning. Before IOT,
global events like the COVID-19 pandemic would have caused education to
cease. Instead, colleges and universities transitioned to online platforms and
education continued. The flexibility and reachability of online education
catapults it to the frontline of planning for institutions of higher education.
Although the benefits of IOT in higher education are endless there are some
threats. Currently the biggest threat I see is the assumption that everyone is
comfortable with smart devices and online resources. IOT has improved
education creating opportunities for personalized education, but many
students are anxious about using it. It will be vital for institutions to put in
place programs to help students adopt advanced technology. It is not only
important for academic achievement, but also for the workforce. In most
cases educators assume that students who struggle with technology is due
to a flaw in the systems. Research suggest that many students struggle with
technology because they are not mentally prepared for the “factors
associated with technology” (Negm, 2023). Self-efficacy or the belief in one’s
ability to succeed at a task is a skill required for academic, professional and
personal achievement. A student’s success in an online platform could be as
easy as giving the student confidence to succeed.
The integration of IOT in education cannot be avoided. There is a plethora of
benefits to institutions and students, but there is also the potential for
disruption. If approached correctly, the disruptions can be managed, and
higher education can continue to move forward. As educators we must make
sure that we see each student individually and meet them where they are
instead of assuming they are at ease with technology. We must
communicate a need for automation, so our stakeholders are comfortable.
Response
As you mentioned in your post there are threats and while the benefits are endless, the
threats are frightful. As an assistant principal, part of my job is to monitor students'
activity on GoGuardian. GoGuardian is a software that enables me to monitor and
manage students' online activities in real-time. It also allows me to block specific
websites or even place students in a “penalty box” where they are only allowed to go on
certain websites. Needless to say, just this year I had a parent argue with me that his
son should be allowed to search for inappropriate things on YouTube since the student
was at home and not at school when this was done. Mind you, I work in a one-to-one
district and this student was on his school Chromebook. The parent was arguing that
he should be allowed to go on whatever he wanted since it was his personal time. So,
aside from engaging students when they are in class, we need to be concerned with
their out-of-school time. This has long been an issue with educators that I have worked
with. “Once they leave, they are their parent’s problem.”
We are giving them these devices and more often than not, not teaching them
responsible ways in which to use them.
In fact, when researching GoGuardian, the article I read stated, “Instead of the simple
keyword and URL matching currently offered by most filtering software, Smart Alerts
leverages the power of A.I. to accurately categorize the content of the page and better
understand the context of student behavior (Robert).” I know firsthand that oftentimes I
get “suicide alerts” for words such as “depression” or if the word “gun” is anywhere on
the page the student arrives at. Many times, there are layers to a website and one of
the layers could have explicit words which then sends GoGuardian into a tailspin. This
happened my first year when a very innocent student was playing a math game and
there was a background layer to it that had explicit words which alerted GoGuardian.
Needless to say, I have to check every single alert and there are many daily.
In fact, according to one study, “40% of parents whose child has seen sexual images
online were not aware of this situation, and 56% of them did not know that their child
had received nasty or hurtful messages online (Poblet et al.).” This aligns with another
story. One parent completely denied that their child was looking at pornographic
images every evening and actually could not believe this was the fact until I sent them
the pdf. She thought her student was playing in his room with his Legos. 9 times out of
10 I was dealing with boys rather than girls and studies verified this. “This was
especially true of boys and younger children (Macaulay et al.).”
Resources
"GoGuardian Unveils Admin 2.0.">Entertainment Close-up, 23 June 2017.>Gale In
Context: Biography,>link.gale.com/apps/doc/A496564552/BIC?
u=vic_liberty&sid=summon&xid=c5ac4c08. Accessed 27 June 2023.
Macaulay, Peter J., et al. “Subjective versus Objective Knowledge of Online
Safety/Dangers as Predictors of Children’s Perceived Online Safety and Attitudes
towards E-Safety Education in the United Kingdom.” Journal of Children and
Media, vol. 14, no. 3, 2019, pp. 376–395,
https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2019.1697716.
Poblet, Marta, et al. “A Co-Regulatory Approach to Stay Safe Online: Reporting
Inappropriate Content with the MediaKids Mobile App.” Journal of Family Studies,
vol. 23, no. 2, 2016, pp. 180–197,
https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2015.1106337.
Robert, Reynolds. “Goguardian Announces the Debut of Smart Filtering within Admin
2.0.” Business Wire, 21 June 2018,
www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180621005231/en/GoGuardian-Announces-the-
Debut-of-Smart-Filtering-within-Admin-2.0.
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