30 Ways Google Glass In Education Might Work
by Tess Pajaron, opencolleges.edu.au
Google Glass was undoubtedly the most talked about tech gadget of 2013, and just about everyone had an opinion about its usefulness (or lack thereof) in various industries.
Now that some of the hype has died down, however, and more teachers have actually had a chance to experiment with Glass, its potential as an educational tool is becoming clearer. Of course, much of it is still speculation at this point, but many teachers believe that wearable technology like Google Glass will facilitate new methods of teaching and learning.
A survey by Tech Pro Research indicates that nearly 40% of organisations in the education industry have plans to implement some form of wearable devices, although most have not yet established a budget for them.
Some teachers plan to use the technology to record video lessons and “flip” their classroom, while others hope it will help them register feedback from students’ expressions and adjust their lessons to make them more effective and engaging.
Naturally, there are also some issues that will need to be addressed before Glass can be adopted more widely in the education sector.
For one thing, the high price tag makes it a significant investment for any school, and its relatively short battery life means it’s impractical for use in certain situations, such as school excursions or outings. Additionally, there are still a number of privacy concerns, especially where children are involved.
No matter how you look at it, though, there’s no denying that wearable technology like Google Glass has opened up endless new possibilities for students and educators alike, especially as more applications are developed for these devices.
The following infographic by online education provider Open Colleges highlights 30 possible ways in which Google Glass might eventually be used in educational settings.
30 Ways Google Glass In Education Might Work
1. Video Guides
Create first-person video guides for a collective class experience in real time.
2. Document lessons
Document lessons that require demonstration and hands-on experience.
3. Augmented Reality
Use the augmented reality feature of Google Glass on class trips/excursions or historic tours to display facts or figures about relevant buildings or landmarks instantly.
4. Capture Science
Capture Science in everyday life and share with the classrooms.
5. Remote Teaching
Remote teaching with one-on-one trainor and assessor sessions.
6. Google Translate
Learn new languages using the Google Translator App/Real Time Language Translation.
7. Timetables Schedules
Create timetables/schedules for teachers.
8. Create Documentaries
Create mini-documentaries to enhance storytelling in the classroom.
9. Facial Recognition
Facial Recognition to help teachers identify their students.
9. Teacher Evaluations
Make teacher evaluations, removing the observer from the physical classroom.
10. Google Hangouts
Connect with other educators from different parts of the world via Google Hangout.
11. Teacher’s View
Create a “Teacher’s View” online to watch a colleague’s lesson and offer suggestions in real time that appears in the teacher’s eye-line.
12. Transfer to Tablets
Transfer videos and images to student’s tablets/devices for show-and-tell.
13. Display Information
Display academic information for instructors, allowing them to craft lessons to experiences students have had, making lessons more personal and memorable.
14. Real-Time Referencing
Real-time searching and cross-referencing.
15. Greater Accessibility
Provide accessibility modules for people with visual and physical disabilities.
16. Identify Learning Disabilities
Have a specialist or a behavioral agent observe children for signs of a learning disability as they work in their classroom with their teacher.
17. Eye Examinations
Live eye examination demonstrations in College of Optometry.
18. Feedback Systems
Augmented Reality Feedback System: a HUD that lets teachers know when their students are falling behind.
19. Google Now Personalization
Use Google Now for personalized search and retrieval on cards that are tailored to your personal learning needs (based on repeated use).
20. Problem Solving
Interactive, augmented, reality-based problem-solving games inside the classroom.
21. Public Speaking
Record role-plays or public speaking exercises without the “observer effect”.
22. Home-Schooling
Create instant homeschool connections via Tumblr to share with the rest of the family.
23. Record Lessons
Record lessons from the teacher’s perspective and edit together with views from the student perspective as a tool for revision and reflection.
24. Virtual Connections
Research teams can stay visually connected, despite splitting into lab, library and field teams.
25. Send Messages
Send messages that contain important information to parents, such as progress reports.
26. Interact with Instructors
Interact with instructors and peers in a classroom setting via online learning.
27. YouTube
YouTube education for distance learning.
28. Text SMS Questions
Students who are reluctant to ask aloud questions in lectures can send questions via SMS to Google Glass.
29. Group Tutorials
Group tutorial lessons like Google Hangouts with teachers to clarify any points or questions that may have been missed or coordinate with teachers on homework.
30 Ways Google Glass In Education Might Work