Dive Brief:

• Outside of education, the idea of preparing for the Internet of Things — the overarching concept of a multitude of objects ranging from watches and phones to thermostats and refrigerators can now connecting to the web — has gained traction, but schools have thus far taken few steps to prepare.
• A checklist from eSchool News details what district administrators must do to meet the demands of more connected devices in and around schools.
• District IT will have to encompass everything from intensive security monitoring adapted to a wide array of devices to more distributed Wi-Fi access covering areas that previously went unused.

Dive Insight:

The range of tech preparedness within districts is highly variable. For every story of a successful 1-to-1 device program or an innovative blended learning program, there’s a story of a district just getting a broadband connection or introducing students to laptops. But forces like the Internet of Things promise to disrupt even the most slow-to-change districts as students bring their own devices to class and parents request more tech access.

That will mean overhauling even the most basic systems: where to store data, where to offer WiFi, how to monitor devices, etc. But much of the shift won’t be technological at all. The eSchool News checklist includes a key suggestion: Make sure your district’s policies are up to date. That means restricting access to apps like Netflix and setting guidelines around what devices should be connected and what shouldn’t.