How the Internet of Things Is Changing Our Colleges, Our Classrooms, and Our Students

You have heard about the Internet of Things. You know that it is having an impact on higher education. So, what is it?



Now that students have the entire computing power of 1975 in a pocket device, the college of the 2020s is entering a new educational age. For teens and tweens, the magic world of Harry Potter is all around. With a wave of a hand, they can control lights and surround themselves with music. In minutes, they can make a catalog of devices appear using a 3D printer. And now, they are ready to travel by driverless cars, summoned from a cellphone.



Embedded technology, that is, computing built into everyday devices, is all around. Known as the Internet of Things, embedded sensors in our home, in our tools, and even in our baseball bats have changed the world as we know it. As with every stage of evolution, leaders have the options to resist, adapt, or to get ahead of the change.

Mickey Slimp’s career has married technology and education to create a better world for students. As the founding director of the Virtual College of Texas, an innovative media producer in biotech, a former reporter, and a community college leader, his insight provides new digital markers for the pathways to student learning.



After thirty years in various industries and technology-related positions, Roy Bartels retired from Western Texas College as Chief Technology and Information Security Officer. His experience, education, and service on regional, state, and national boards, plus his retirement career in fiction writing, gives him a unique perspective on the Internet of Things