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Bringing IoT into education is a crucial labor market need

The IoT continues to expand and will soon form an integral part of life at all scales. Current barriers to the widespread adoption of IoT tools centre around expertise according to Verizon, with educational packages throughout the country not yet up-to-speed with the level of cohesion IoT has with current and future tech platforms.

While big tech companies such as Microsoft have done a lot of work to help embed IoT lessons in their training programs, and are now reaching out with accreditation, more has to be done at all levels. One way of achieving this is through contextualising the IoT to employment for current graduates, says freelance technology writer, Karoline Gore.

Showing the way

The IoT has become influential in many sectors and graduates should be guided towards that. Some are more obvious than others. In supply chain management and logistics, IoT has become integral, whether that be in order fulfillment centres or order delivery. IoT is equally influential in less well known areas too, however, including healthcare; according to NIST, integration of IoT tools in hospitals allows for the quicker provision of test results, more rapid communications, and better patient outcomes. Graduates need to be aware of these potential benefits and be alive to the possibility of being educated in them throughout their education. IoT must be at the centre of their learning tools to ensure they can use them upon graduation, and that will start at the earliest grades.

IoT in all teaching

There are simple and fun ways to start moving IoT into schools already. The use of digital technology in the forms of personal computers and tablets is one important step, and is an area in which there is already considerable work ongoing. However, it’s important that these tools are contextualised, rather than just being enablers of a positive education environment. Children should be told about these devices, how they operate, and how they benefit their learning, to foster an early acceptance of these tools, according to EDUCAUSE.

Tailored courses

Exactly what the IoT is, and how it is developing, is a subject of great discussion and development. Beyond that, there are several questions over the extent to which the IoT should start to advance, and what questions arise concerning the ethical and security management of these systems. With that in mind, institutions across the world are now offering bespoke courses concerning IoT – whether that be design and engineering, or history and policy, or something different altogether. Arguably, this is the best way in which the IoT can continue to develop on an even path and continue to provide useful, not luxury, innovations.

Whether through bespoke education or as an enabler for educational outcomes, the IoT is essential. Every child will tussle with it in their lifetime, and every graduate will benefit from it in their workspace. Educational courses must pivot to embrace this fact and ensure that each new generation has the skills to adapt.

The author is freelance technology writer, Karoline Gore.

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