5G in schools has the potential to introduce new tools and capabilities to enhance learning and student engagement. Whether virtually exploring the oceans, discovering new plants in the rainforest, or competing in an eSports tournament, 5G can help fuel the next generation.
Education is on the cutting edge of new advancements in technology to equip students for success in the modern era. Introducing 5G in schools can transform the way students learn and revolutionize the way educators teach.
As noted in sample curriculum by the Network of Academic and Scholastic eSports Federations (NASEF)s, educators who want to introduce new technologies, like eSports in schools, that help promote better engagement with their students. Today's kindergartners enter the classroom already familiar with video streaming and playing online games. Offering learning options that dovetail with these familiar resources builds on the way many children like to learn.
One of the challenges with using online tools for education is reaching every student. Anyone living in rural areas knows that wireless coverage has its gaps. In more densely populated regions, public networks in high-traffic areas can have their own connectivity issues as towers with limited capacity try to manage requests from many devices at once. Learning can be limited by either of these factors if their video stream freezes frequently or other resources load significantly more slowly than their peers. 5G has the potential to address some of these issues.
Bandwidth-demanding activities are also likely to become more mainstream. Teachers may be able to introduce technologies that offer gamification instruction techniques, like using esports in schools, without disruption thanks to the low latency of 5G and the rapidly expanding genre of electronic sports.
5G has the potential to offer some of the most exciting innovations in education. Here are a few possibilities.
eSports, an organized competition of video games, is thriving as a popular way of engaging students in many ways including exploring Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related topics and even health and wellness Many K12 schools are including eSports programs into their curriculum and seeing positive outcomes.
eSports in schools can help students to improve not only academically and socially, but has also been shown to help them develop critical thinking, problem solving, coding and programming skills which prepares them for the future.
As the adoption of eSports grows, the need for eSports technology rapidly grows, including improved latency and fast speeds of 5G which are critical to tournaments and competitions and can provide a competitive edge.
At the home of the fifth US president, James Monroe, visitors can take an augmented reality (AR) tour of the property. It offers a more in-depth tour than a guide can give alone, with visuals of buildings now destroyed or of the everyday workings of the farm.
With 5G connectivity, teachers take greater advantage of AR and virtual reality (VR) across all areas of studying and on select field trips, giving students a chance to understand what they are learning in greater context. For example, although it would be impossible to dig through to the core of the earth, students use AR and VR to see each layer in a more realistic and interactive representation than a textbook can provide.
The Internet of Things (IoT) offers the potential for additional 5G use cases in education as IoT brings the outside world into the classroom. IoT devices like smart sensors or video cameras can be used to bring the outdoors into the classroom; for example, a camera set up to watch a bird's nest in a tree near the school or sensors used to track weather conditions daily across different locations.
Anyone who travels might take the class along in real time and create virtual vacations with high-level learning experiences for everyone. Devices and robotics also be used to assist students with different learning and physical needs.
IoT can help turn classrooms into smart classrooms, as well. Teachers are able to automate some menial chores, like collecting assignments or organizing papers. Stations can be set up throughout the room for more interactive and hands-on learning. Classrooms can also be equipped with monitoring systems that offer high-level security.
5G can greatly alter virtual learning and usher in use cases that bring more flexibility and opportunities. Educators with a unique specialty can teach in classrooms all over the world, with student participation in real time. For example, a high school Spanish class can attend lessons with students in Spain.
Many teachers already use social media to facilitate book discussions outside of school hours, and recording virtual classes lets students learn at their own pace or catch up on work they may have missed.
K-12 school districts are more ready for 5G use cases in education than they realize. 5G offers greater flexibility, with speeds 10 times faster than 4G and downloads that take a fraction of the time. The future of learning is here and ready for students to embrace the robust, immersive opportunities that 5G can provide.
Learn more about how 5G is providing a more dynamic and creative foundation for digital learning.
The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.
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