Developing Smart Green Schools with an IoT Focus: Integrating Energy and Facilities Management with Educational Science Approaches

The emergence of Smart Green Schools built on the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm marks a pivotal shift toward sustainable and data-driven educational environments. This article adopts an interdisciplinary and systems-oriented approach to critically analyze the integration of IoT-enabled energy and facilities management with contemporary educational science methods. Through the implementation of intelligent infrastructure—including sensors, actuators, and advanced data analytics platforms—schools can monitor and manage real-time energy consumption, indoor air quality, and facility efficiency, leading to significant reductions in operational costs and environmental footprint. Beyond technical gains, the integration of live environmental and energy data into the curriculum fosters active learning, data literacy, and environmental stewardship among students. Educational practices shift from traditional rote learning to inquiry- and project-based models, enabling students to engage directly with real-world sustainability challenges and collaborate in teams to devise evidence-based solutions. These advances are shown to improve academic achievement, increase student agency, and cultivate positive attitudes toward resource conservation. However, the transition is not without barriers. Technical complexity in retrofitting aging infrastructure, cultural resistance among staff, concerns regarding data privacy and security, and financial constraints remain substantial challenges. To overcome these issues, the article emphasizes the need for clear national frameworks for smart school standards, continuous professional development, inclusive and context-sensitive technology design, and diversified funding strategies. Policy recommendations stress cross-sectoral collaboration between educational, engineering, and environmental stakeholders to ensure alignment, capacity-building, and scalability. Future research directions highlighted include longitudinal studies on academic and behavioral impacts, comparative analysis of IoT and EdTech platforms, and examination of cross-cultural factors affecting adoption and sustainability. Findings suggest that a holistic, participatory systems approach—bridging technology, pedagogy, and policy—not only advances environmental and economic sustainability but also transforms learning processes for the demands of the ۲۱st century.

کلیدواژه ها:

Smart Green Schools ، Internet of Things ، Energy Management ، Educational Innovation ، Sustainability