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How Microsoft 365 and the Internet of Things Is Transforming Education

Date
24 September 2019
Written by
Helayna Lowe

There is little doubt that the Internet of Things (IoT) is playing an increasingly large role in schools every day. 

The IoT is a name given to the collective connecting of internet-enabled devices and systems. Forbes explains this as “Simply put, this is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other).

“This includes everything from cellphones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of”

This means that your phone, your TV, your tablet, and maybe even your watch or your new wearable health technology are all part of and feeding into the IoT.

IoT and the education landscape

This sort of technology is having a great impact on the chaotic, typically luddite sector or education. Writing in Forbes, Daniel Newman said “While the Internet of Things (IoT) may have yet to pay off when it comes to creating smart cities, it does hold tremendous potential in terms of creating smarter, more connected schools.”

And you can immediately think about how this could be implemented practically, as well as think about some of the results this sort of innovation may entail. 

In England, IoT tools have been part of a study to see if a school can reduce its energy consumption and carbon footprint, helping the school to become more energy efficient and save money. This is great for everyone: the students receive real-time weather and energy data which helps them prepare and see the consequences of their actions (energy consumption-wise).

According to EdTechnology reported, “As part of the initiative, teachers and students will learn how the Internet of Things (IoT) can be used to help reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint of their school, as well as how to save money.

“They will be able to see their real-time energy usage, pricing and carbon emissions data via a Samsung energy management platform, and smart sensors installed throughout the school.”

In addition to this helpful feature, students, teachers and parents will all be able to be better connected, with homework assignments being sent directly to both students and parents. This means that there’ll be more transparency and clarity on what’s due in, and when, so that everybody’s singing from the same hymn sheet. 

This is very much still in the trial stages, but there’s no reason why this technology shouldn’t be rolled out if it’s successful. 

Microsoft Dynamics solutions for education

One of the biggest providers of these sorts of solutions is MS Dynamics. Microsoft have a fully integrated range of solutions that can help schools gain more insight into student data and analytics so educators can help students improve their learning. If you’d like to learn more about these solutions, or speak to a specialist who can help put a team of experts together for you, contact our UK team today on +44 (0)1483 233 000 or ring our US team on +1 646 889 1920. Alternatively, send us a message here

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