The Internet of Things - AgTech

Instructor directions are listed below:

1. Explain to students that next they will be learning about IoT.  Ask if anyone can guess what IoT stands for.
    
2. Share with students that IoT stands for Internet of Things.
    
3. Distribute the IoT rings to students (1 per student, 1 per pair if necessary).
    
4. Read the description from the IoT cover card, also on page 8 of the Thinkabit Lab Notebook: "The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of things (phones, cars, wearables, electricity meters, etc.) connected to the internet, which enables these objects to connect to each other and exchange data."
    
5. Ask a student to read the first sentence from the longer IoT description on the back of the card: "IoT allows objects to be sensed or controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct integration of the physical world into computer-based systems, and can result in improved efficiency, accuracy, and economic benefit, in addition to reduced human intervention."
    
6. Ask another student to read the second sentence: "When IoT is augmented with sensors and actuators, it encompasses technologies such as smart grids, virtual power plants, smart homes, intelligent transportation and smart cities."
    
7. Ask another student to read the third sentence: ""Things", in the IoT sense, can refer to a wide variety of devices such as heart monitoring implants, biochip transponders on farm animals, cameras streaming live feeds of wild animals in coastal waters, automobiles with built-in sensors, DNA analysis devices for environmental/food/pathogen monitoring, or field operation devices that assist firefighters in search and rescue operations."
    
8. Use the card to show that Qualcomm is focusing on 4 main areas of IoT:
   • Consumer Electronics
   • Smart Cities
   • Smart Homes
   • Voice & Music

Depending on timing and the comfort level of the students, you can choose to read the full IoT description yourself or ask the students to read the description independently.  The next 4 steps will dive deeper into each of the categories and will ask students to give examples, so there is no need to ask for examples here, but you are welcome to if you'd like.

If you have additional time, consider showing this short video: 101 seconds on IoT