Teaching technical and societal aspects of IoT - A case study using the Orbit IoT Kit
Mariana Aki Tamashiro, Marie-Monique Schaper, Ane Vielandt Jensen, Rune Heick, B. Danielsen, Maarten Van Mechelen, Kasper Løvborg Jensen, Rachel Charlotte Smith, Ole Sejer Iversen
Abstract
Increasingly, IoT kits are used in pedagogical contexts to support learning experiences and teach students about IoT. However, few of them focus on both the technical aspects and the societal implications of IoT, such as cybersecurity and privacy. In this paper, we describe the Orbit IoT Kit, a micro:bit-based toolkit that supports teachers in IoT activities. The kit combines the microcontroller with relays and a web application, enabling students to connect everyday objects to the Internet and visualize the devices’ data flow. Based on an intervention in a secondary school with 3 teachers and 20 students of ages 12-13, our results indicate that the design and features of the kit — internet communication and data visualization — support teachers to engage students in learning about a holistic perspective of IoT. We reflect on our research propositions, discuss design strategies, and present three design recommendations for IoT toolkits: Connectivity, Visualization, and Openness.