“Bluetooth Low Energy is the latest Internet of Things technology that is transforming education via periodic advertisement with response (PAwR)”
Considering the increase in e-learning growth over the last decade, we have witnessed huge advancements in learning like smart classes, online learning platforms, and online examinations, which are helping students to learn new things at anytime from anywhere. Smart devices are playing an important role in revolutionizing the education system. With an explosion of information technology, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology has become popular among every tech enthusiast.
Bluetooth technology is one of the frequently used wireless communication technologies and Bluetooth Low Energy was developed using the same principles of short range wireless communication. We can use this cost-effective technology to enhance the capabilities of our education system to help students and teachers. Bluetooth beacons in educational institutes can reshape the teaching and learning pattern by simplifying the availability of information and communication between teachers and students.
What is BLE?
BLE, short for Bluetooth Low Energy, is a wireless communication technology developed for short-range interactions. It was introduced as a part of Bluetooth 4.0 in 2010, and it primarily focuses on improving power efficiency but long before that, Nokia developed this standard in 2006 as Wibree, aimed at keeping the energy consumption minimal in short range communication unlike existing Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth Classic standards.
BLE can be used as a location-tracking technology (indoor positioning) that can track physical locations, electronic records, and the movement of people or objects. BLE is also known as Bluetooth Smart, which aims to provide communication and data exchange processes within a short range. It consumes less power and has more cost-efficient technology compared with classic Bluetooth technology. BLE technology is a location-tracking system that can be easily implemented on any BLE-supported device, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other electronic equipment with built-in Bluetooth capabilities. BLE solutions are popular and widely implemented in indoor environments such as shopping malls, airports, hospitals, etc.
8 Ways BLE Technology is Transforming the Education System
1. Smart Classrooms
2. Attendance tracking system
3. Campus navigator and safety
4. Asset tracking and management
5. Enhancing the learning pattern
6. Classroom automation
7. Parents-teacher interaction
8. Enhanced access control
Smart classrooms: Using BLE beacons in classrooms can transform a traditional classroom into a smart learning classroom, where the interaction between a teacher and student becomes more personalized. They can personalize the learning paths, course material, and progress reports of every student according to their capabilities. It will reduce the pressure on students, and teachers can maintain their progress records for every student.
Attendance tracking system: BLE technology can also simplify the attendance marking and tracking system; using BLE beacons as a monitoring device inside a classroom can automatically detect the presence of students in the classroom. This will save time for a teacher and help in identifying the absentees from the classroom.
Campus navigator and safety: It can be a challenging task to find classrooms, offices, and cabins on a college campus. This technology will help a fresher or newcomer who needs a location guide find a desired destination on campus. This technology can help students as a navigation app to provide step-by-step directions to classrooms, offices, and cabins. This app can also provide a real-time alert in emergencies.
Asset tracking and management: BLE technology helps to track the valuable equipment and resources of an educational institute, such as laptops, projectors, lab equipment, etc. It avoids the risk of theft and ensures that resources are ready to be available when needed. It will maintain a smooth flow of work without any downtime.
Enhancing the learning pattern: Educational apps based on BLE technology can track students' activity on that app, time spent, feedback, and interaction with learning materials. This data will help educators maintain a record of their progress and preferences. Educators can help solve students' doubts through some special sessions.
Classroom automation: BLE can help in integrating different smart technologies to automate classroom tasks, such as adjusting the lighting conditions and temperature. Even adjusting classroom settings based on preferences and engaging the learning environment.
Parent-teacher interaction: BLE-based smartphone apps can facilitate interaction between parents and teachers. Applications can push notifications and updates about their child's activities, such as progress reports, attendance details, and upcoming events, which help parents have direct interaction with teachers.
Enhanced access control: It will help the educational institute strengthen its access control system, which directly limits unauthorized entities from entering a restricted area. It also helps in monitoring trespassing activities by detecting unauthorized student access and reuse of the same student ID card, effectively managing access.
To conclude, BLE is leading our way into a new era of educational innovations. This technology in the education system can be a better solution for enhancing the future education system. It will help students learn things smartly, and it is also beneficial for a teacher to provide better learning materials according to the capabilities of a particular student. Parents will know about their children, whether they are attending school or not, reaching school or not, or about any other unusual activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1) What is a BLE beacon card, and how will it affect children's safety?
A beacon card is a small Bluetooth radio transmitter powered by batteries. These beacons transmit signals that can be detected by other BLE-enabled devices like Android smartphones.
These cards are waterproof and completely safe for children to use because they do not emit any harmful radiation. It can transmit signals every 100–1000 milliseconds, which can be detected by another BLE-supported device from a distance of up to 200 meters.
Q2) What is the battery life of BLE beacons?
The battery life of beacons depends on various factors, including advertising intervals, signal energy, type of battery, etc. On average, a BLE beacon has some specifications and an advertising interval of 900 milliseconds. So, it can last up to 2 to 3 years.
Q3) What security features does BLE come with?
BLE has built-in security, which makes it a secure technology against some possible threats. It uses AES-128 encryption, which prevents communication from data-breaching issues.
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