Smart Education and New Skills Thru Internet of Education

Seeking Value in the New Education Model in Emerging Economies

Deriving Value concept in education is what leaders in emerging economies must embrace: Value is adding benefits at lesser costs (V = B-C).  The new educational model must  look to network innovations which are interconnected - connect  to  create value.

Cisco predicts that by 2020 there will be 50 billion “things” connected to the Internet, up from 25 billion in 2015. The future is one of data analytics - the need to mine and draw inferences on student performances. The new order provides an integration of faculty (human ) and the digital elements. The Educational Internet of Things (IoEd) would enable educational institutions to utilize software strengthened sensors, machine-to-machine conversations and learning. It will exploit technologies to harness and analyze data from the student world  and then use those analyses to add value to educational organizations.  

Enhancing value applies to any educational product or service:  An education institution might offer a product like degree/ diploma  or a given service in the form of enhancing knowledge, competency, or skill sets or just plain offer a given social good (churning out model citizens)- in all of these categories, there has to be value generation in the logistic chain. 

Tomorrow's educational entities will be in smart buildings (Smart education city) . There will be smart academic infrastructure. Educational development will be integrated with new smart cities. Such moves will generate value through greater economies of scale.

Steps essential:

·         The psyche build up to usher in innovative change.

·         Thinking  outside the usual framework- thinking technologically right.

·         Looking  beyond current knowledge base of teachers

·         Looking beyond current functional skill sets of teachers

·         Working with a technologically proficient team and partnering with innovative institutions to strengthen the capacity and to induce technological motivation

·         Have a cross disciplinary approach: What works in patient care works in student service. - Tender, loving care (TLC) - So one could borrow from other silos.

Hardware:

The new model has  to draw from the potential well of technology. Technology is time constraining and resource intensive. Technology intervention points are:

·         the use of laptops for elucidation in class rooms,( .ppt presentations)

·         watching videos/ you tube in classrooms,

·         coping with learning management systems,

·         engaging with peers on line for self learning by teachers,

·         engage with students on line, accepting assignments and course work on line.  

·         conducting on line tests

·         declaring results on line

There could be a host of devices deployed to facilitate e studies:

·         Laptops,

·         Chrome books,

·         Macs,

·         iPads,

·         Windows machines

For data analytics and predictive usage, centralization of data and of accompanying software is of essence.

Balancing between costs and mass drives at technology accessed 'in to' schools is essential to ensure the preparedness of students for tomorrow's jobs. Drawing in support from corporate entities to  usher in greater technological value build up in education is the challenge as resources are a constraint. .

Cisco identifies the following Skills in the times of Internet of Things 

Cisco - 21st Century Skills

•         Collaboration

•         Communication

•         Creativity

•         Problem solving

•         ICT proficiency

•         Critical thinking

Cisco - Global leadership skills

•         Global mindset

•         Languages proficiency

•         Cultural awareness

•         Team player

•         Professionalism

•         Work ethics

Cisco - Entrepreneurial Skills

•         Opportunity recognition

•         Self-direction

•         Persuasion

•         Planning skills

•         Risk taking

•         Resourcefulness

Cisco quotes top 10 skills for the future workforce

•         Sense making

•         Social intelligence

•         Novel and adaptive thinking

•         Cross-cultural competency

•         Computational thinking

•         New-media literacy

•         Transdisciplinarity

•         Design mindset

•         Cognitive load management

•         Virtual collaboration.

 The new model is about getting the people and process  in the act .

This is a part of the research work on the Internet of Education by the author. He can be contacted  at jaynayar@gmail.com.