eCROP Blog

The IPSO Alliance recently announced over 50 members were now leading the movement towards the establishment of Internet Protocols for physical objects, an Internet of Things, an alliance including Cisco, Intel, SAP, Sun Microsystems and Texas Instruments. However, news of finished agreements from the Internet Engineering TaskForce (IETF) are not yet available. As this planning is finished, expect to see an explosion of designs and products from these global leaders that broaden the opportunity for compositions that incorporate sensors and remote control . For education, this raises the question of the curriculum goals needed to prepare students for this future. This should raise a number of questions for educators, including: How many ideas can you imagine that would incorporate sensors and the Internet? What should the educational goals be? What should the curriculum competencies look like?

Many see the advantage of every student having their own Web-book, their own computer in the classroom. Recent reports show purchase of netbooks doubling around the world while sale of laptops, etc. are flat. PriceGrabber shows numerous models from $200 up. Is it time for schools to begin major investments in them? PixelQi thinks $75 is within reach in the near future. In addition to cost, I'm thinking that the palm, netbook, and touch tablet designers can still greatly improve battery life and screen readability for differing light conditions, which will come with new screen designs announced summer 2009. Here's more detailed thinking on this topic with references that could also use some reaction. http://bit.ly/3qRRt