Research

Wearable Technology Expected to Flourish in Classrooms

• By Richard Chang
• 04/29/16

Classroom wearable technology in the United States is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 46 percent over the next four years, according to a recent report released by Research and Markets, a Dublin, Ireland-based market research firm.

“Classroom Wearables Technology Market in the U.S. 2016-2020” covered the present scenario and the growth prospects of the scholastic wearables market, which includes devices such as smart glasses, smart watches, fitness trackers, wearable cameras and virtual reality headgear. To calculate the market size, the report documented classroom wearable devices by product, in K-12 schools, in higher education, by revenue in 2014 and 2015 and by shipments. The classroom wearables market appears to be a multi-billion dollar industry.

The report also included a discussion of the key vendors operating in the market, including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung. Other vendors mentioned included Sony, Nike, Motorola, Fitbit and Pebble.

Wearable technology has changed the way data is communicated, collected and analyzed, Research and Markets said in a prepared statement. Smart wearable devices can be easily synchronized with smartphones and tablets to enhance user accessibility. These devices — primarily wrist- or head-worn — are not only actively adopted in the education sector, but also find applications in various industries, such as logistics and healthcare.

One of the concerns that wearable technology poses is the threat to data security, the report stated. Since wearable devices have wireless capability, they may challenge the security of institutional data.

A summary of the report can be found on Research and Market’s website. The full, 63-page report is available for a fee, also on the firm’s website.