Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
IoT continually reaches out to previously disconnected offline devices. Green means go for outdated objects and devices, for services and products in every industry are receiving updates and reboots to comply with smart standards. From transportation, to manufacturing, and even farming equipment, everything is logging in as online. The Healthcare Industry has made the jump, so why can’t students pursuing education do so as well? IoT is doing its best for revolutionizing educational atmospheres across the country. It’s only a matter of time before schools everywhere are promoting smart connectivity. 
Impact on Schools
As school administrative staff members are making the move away from knowledge transfer models and head towards information-sharing, they are noticing significant reactions amongst their students. IoT may also prove itself helpful for disabled students in attendance, as well. From connected gloves to interpret sign language to more monitored surveillance of students, this technology wears many hats.
Task-based learning will serve a profound impact on the way teachers teach lesson plans. Students will learn by doing and teachers are needed to assist, when necessary. Such task-based tactics and equipment are as follows:
| Student ID Cards | Automated Attendance Tracking |
| Smart HVAC | Wireless Door Locks |
| Interactive Whiteboards | Connected Lockdown Protocols |
| Environmental & Temperature Sensors | Computer Vision |
| Smart Lighting | Security Cameras |
Real-Time Insights
Test results, end-of-term reports, peer reviews and more are typically found to be the cornerstone of education. Smart tablets and data analytics are helping teachers to monitor student attendance and activity during testing and classwork. As a result, more enhanced and personalized instruction will arise. 
Better Visualization
Interactive content will soon be the norm in all industries. Activities such as grading papers will soon be automated and streamlined. Smart whiteboards and screens can provide optimized learning and engage more students in learning engagement. The visualization of difficult abstract concepts and immediate access to new information can ensure a better experience.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality applications can make a decent impact on classrooms and specific learning environments. Scenarios such as the following can be explored to encourage interactive learning:
- Experiencing dinosaur fossils being unearthed
- Discovering the entirety of blood cell interiors
- Watching the invention process of a combustion engine
Safer and More Efficient
Smart tech is all the craze, especially in the chaos of the not-so-safe climate in today’s schools. Wearable wristbands are being tested out in schools to track students entering and exiting the classrooms and campus perimeter. This technological advancement is projected to prevent intruders and unauthorized persons from entering the schools. Smart security cameras have also been enabled to monitor hallways and other areas of the building. Looking at other pieces of a school, HVAC system are getting smart by saving money and energy through functioning only when necessary.
Challenges at Hand
Some schools remain hesitant to adopt these updates, for as promising as all of this sounds, implementation-wise, there are several infrastructural reasons as to why many are holding them back. 
- Lack of Connectivity
- Funding Issues
- Minimal Acceptance
- Reluctance to Comply
- Fear
- Security Issues
By adopting IoT applications, schools are placing the privacy of students at risk through storing sensitive data in a network. This action could potentially lead to a cyberattack. Connected devices penetrate all spheres. This could compromise a student’s ID, which is ultimately linked to health records and financial information as well.
