Internet of Things

The term Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the ability to link physical objects to one another through the use of the Internet. Kevin Ashton first coined the concept in 2009 during his participation in a project commissioned at the Auto-ID Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Earlier, the linking of devices required radio-frequency identification (RFID), products that use radio frequencies to automatically identify and track objects over short distances. This all changed with the evolution of the Internet. Connectivity and identity capabilities have evolved even more with the emerging ubiquity of Wi-Fi and cellular technologies.

[Page 423]In a thingternet (as IoT is often referred to), objects are outfitted with unique identifiers so they can be managed by computing applications. In the physical world, this labeling is achieved using bar codes, quick response (QR) codes, or other scanning techniques. Another technique is to identify an object through the use of a digital watermark (an invisible pattern of bits inserted into a digital image or audio or video file).

Furnishing objects with unique identifiers or machine-readable labels has transformed daily life. For example, this technique is being used by Google to engineer driver-less automobiles. City planners are able to track vehicle traffic and collect usage tolls through sensors. An individual is now able to directly interact with objects and vice versa through body sensors, wearable computers, facial recognition software, gestures, and more. Eventually, computers will mediate human-to-human interactions, going beyond being simple arbitrators of communications (such as e-mail and social media) to become intelligent interactants that take an active role in meaning making among humans. For example, what will make driverless automobiles work is when they will be able to successfully manipulate traffic patterns without further human intervention. Algorithms are being developed to enable remote modification of these interactions, based on human intervention and perceived or predicted needs. The implications for educational technology research are immense. This entry first discusses the evolution of ubiquitous learning and the parallel evolution of physical objects and embedded systems, which led to the concept of the Internet of Things. The entry then discusses the implications for education of the Internet of Things and the concept of distributed cognition.