How Google Glass is going to Innovate Education
Innovations in education have always been a little stagnant, ans while we see new inventions and developments in all other fields, educational innovations are very less. People have always stuck with the known, tried, tested and traditional methods in case of education. Recently, we’ve seen a boom in this field too. More and more people are now paying attention to the almost obsolete methods of teaching and striving to make some development in the educational system.
Google is known for innovations in almost every area they could get their hands onto, and it is soon to launch its flagship product ‘Google Glass’. And the tech-savvies say, it’s going to revolutionize the current educational trends. How? Let’s read.
Google Glass is touted as the next big thing in portable technology. Poised as an eyewear and doing a plethora of things which don’t require any taps or navigation, it responds instead to voice commands, taking pictures with a wink, taking commands for search, share content, video recording, detect objects in front of you and look up related information like directions or maps. Etc. The possibilities are endless though among all the possible consumers of Google Glass, the device has the potential to bring exciting new possibilities to teachers and students alike.
Admit it, Google’s Search is phenomenal. And the Glass will allow the student/teacher to stay connected to an interactive environment featuring online tools all the time. This could pave way to a leap into the future of educational system. Teachers as well as students can refer to topics related to their studies on the go. No fiddling through phones in the middle of the lecture; all you have to do is speak and voila…your search is done!
Students can record their lectures in real-time for future reference. The time saved on scribbling notes could be remarkable.
Google Glass could help students to create visually-rich projects and presentations. Students can shoot relevant videos and images with a wink. The same can be integrated onto their presentations via Google docs.
Learning new languages and speaking them could be done on the go with Glass coupled with Google’s own Google Translator. Google Glass would be able to present text based translations in real-time.
Teachers could use Google glass coupled with facial recognition to take attendance and could be used to generate Student Information System. Just by looking at the student you will get access to his/her student records with details of academic and non-academic performance, attendance etc… Creating students reports, schedules and class timings for students is only the tip of the iceberg.
Distance learning could be made a lot easier than before with Google Glass. Webinars and such can be streamed directly onto your Glass than your Smartphone or laptop so that its easy to be accessed anywhere, anytime.
The Glass could be used to set timetables for students along with information regarding the halls where classes will be held with details on professors to take the classes.
Google Glass in Education: The other side
While all this could be a boon in the education system, there are some cons of having Google Glasses at Schools/Colleges.
You must keep in mind that electronic devices are still prohibited for students in most schools; though, this is changing very fast. Students could misuse the Glass in a lecture in ways unimaginable. The distractions a Smartphone causes in a classroom are well known, students wearing Google Glass will bring about a whole new level of the same.
There are many restaurants and business concerns already banning the use of Google Glasses as well as apps like Instagram. This could also happen to Google Glass, being banned at all major concerns/colleges/universities.
Not to mention a certain invasion of privacy.
Like with any electronic device, prolonged usage of Google Glass can cause health issues mainly damaging eyesight.
Lastly, too much use of social media and on the go availability may harm your personal life.
Cheating in exams using Google Glass! Only time will tell how Google Glass will stand out from the tech-crowd. As previously mentioned, the possibilities are endless given the increasing number of third party developers working on Google Glass SDK, to make it a lot more than what it seems to be. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and just wait and see what marvels Google Glass holds for the future of education.
