How will the Internet of Things and big data analytics impact the education of learning-disabled students? A Concept Paper

In the last decade, the increasing plurality of materials, media types and software tools within the internet has established first steps towards more individualized learning approaches. However, the development of utilizing Big Data-based algorithms of the next internet generation, the so-called `Internet of Things', leads to a comprehensive approach of personalized learning for very different target groups. Understanding the learner's profile and interests, learning goals and learning difficulties, `intelligent agents' accompany and guide the learner during the learning process in the future. In particular, for students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, the new development of `learning analytics' based on Big Data algorithms has a large potential. The goal is to overcome the severe gap between their existing intellectual potentials and their often unsuccessful learning biographies in schools and universities. The changes of daily environments towards a 4.0-Society, in particular through fully networked Smart Cities, result in an increasing number of data from very heterogeneous sources. Due to technologies such as, e.g., smart wearables combined with data generated through traffic and mobility or logistics, smart geographical places will be enabled to act as a basis for intelligent learning and evaluation mechanisms.