One of the most hyped and anticipated devices over the past year has been Google’s soon-to-be-released glasses. These glasses will enable users to get real-time information about the places, people, and objects around them, right on the lens of the glasses. While it will be a long time before these glasses ever show up in the classroom (they currently cost $1,500 and are available only to developers), when they do, educators and students can expect to see some of these amazing changes to the educational experience.
- Immersive educational experiences will be possible.
At a developers’ conference this year, Google live-streamed footage
of skydivers, BMX bikers, and rappellers wearing Google’s high-tech
glasses to the audience in the conference hall via Google+ Hangout.
While the demonstration was innovative at the time, it’s possible that
this kind of shared first-person experience could become common if the
glasses become popular tech tools. This opens up a whole host of
potential immersive educational experiences that could change how
students learn about a wide range of topics. Students could explore
jobs, locations around the world, and even historical places through the
glasses, without ever having to leave the classroom. It sounds a bit
like science-fiction, but the technology to make it possible isn’t far
from being affordable and accessible to all.
- Educational apps will get whole new ways to be implemented.
Instead of having to use Android smartphones and tablets in the
classroom, students will be able to access many of the same features and
programs right through their Google Glasses. That includes any
educational apps that are available through Android (or that will be in
the future). While iPads and other mobile technologies are already
transforming classroom gaming and learning, the glasses could take it
one step further, as they offer new ways for students to interact with
visual imagery, text, and other learning resources. Educational app
developers won’t ignore this new opportunity to engage students, and new
tech means new, more innovative apps, too.
- Disruptive technology may actually get more disruptive.
While many students today manage to use smartphones and tablets in
class without texting friends or surfing the web, that isn’t to say that
these devices aren’t potential distractions. When they’re transformed
into glasses, the potential for distraction is even greater, as the
technology is, literally, right in front of students’ faces. The glasses
could make it hard to teachers to keep students on task and to
encourage them to think for themselves rather than just referencing
information on their glasses. In order to prevent this, schools will
need to develop strong plans of action to deal with classroom use,
especially in test-related situations where cheating could become an
issue.
- Memorization will take a backseat to problem solving and complex thinking.
With Google glasses on their faces, students won’t even need to type
in a query to get information. They can simply ask the glasses what year
a battle was, to calculate sums, or find pretty much any kind of
information. That doesn’t mean that memorization will become obsolete,
but it will continue to decline in importance as information becomes
ever more readily available for reference, anytime and anywhere.
Students will increasingly be able to focus on finding ways to use that
raw information to solve problems, be creative, or answer more in-depth
questions, all tasks that will be essential in the coming decades.
- Traditional textbooks may be replaced.
Who needs a classic textbook when millions of books are available
right in front of your eyes at the touch of a button? While tablets are
already bringing e-books and e-textbooks into the classroom, Google’s
glasses technology may turn the entire format on its head. Instead of
reading books in a traditional format, students can have text, images,
and even videos streamed right to their glasses. Students won’t need to
bring books with them to class, as everything will already be available,
on demand.
- Classes can take place anywhere.
Equipped with Google Glasses and a wifi connection, teachers can take
their classroom just about anywhere. Since presentations and other
visual and textual information can be viewed right from the glasses,
teachers don’t need to bring along hefty projectors, white boards, or
laptops; they’ll have all the media they need in one small device.
What’s more, students who can’t make it to the actual classroom might
even be able to participate virtually though a Google+ Hangout or other
service.
- Field trips will take on a whole new dimension.
Visiting a historic landmark is cool, but it gets a lot cooler when
students have the ability to instantly get information about the site as
they move through it. Location-based information systems already exist in some places,
but Google Glasses would help take them to the next level, making the
information part of the visual and spatial experience of visiting just
about anywhere. Even better, any questions about the trip that students
have can instantly be answered, just by asking them to the device. It
could build a much richer educational experience on field trips that
can’t quite be replicated in classrooms today.
- They can remove the language barrier.
Learning a foreign language is an important asset in today’s global
economy, and it can also seriously expand your mind and improve your
language skills in your own native tongue. Yet, tools like Google
Glasses may change how students view the language barrier, literally.
Using Google Translate through the glasses, it is possible for students
to instantly see and read what someone is saying in another language.
This could make it possible for students on opposite sides of the globe
to talk, share, and even collaborate. More importantly, it could foster a
sense of global unity and cultural understanding that will prove
incredibly valuable in the modern economy.
Source: http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/09/8-amazing-ways-google-glasses-will-change-education/
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