If you’re as excited as Katie and me about Google Glass, this post is for you. We like to take on the latest technology and see how it fits into education. If it doesn’t, we typically don’t write about it or will mention it in passing. But the potential for Google Glass in education is just too great. That’s why we thought it would be useful to compile an early-stages ‘Teacher’s Guide to Google Glass’
Once the expensive pair of glasses actually makes it into the hands of a teacher, the typical lecture will become something totally different. In fact, much of the education process will be flipped as students will be able to view the world through the lens of a teacher (literally) and get a new perspective on learning.
What Is Google Glass?
Before we start, let’s talk about what Google Glass is (and what it isn’t). Google Glass is a small device tacked onto a pair of glasses. It’s a bit dorky looking and some people are already saying that anyone wearing Google Glass is a, well, it’s not a nice word. Anyway, I think they’re cool, so there. Google Glass lets you record what you’re seeing, view a heads-up display of information (more apps coming out every day it seems) and has a touch pad on the right side of the glasses. That touch screen is one of the ways you control your pair of Glass(es). The other way is by verbal commands like “OK Glass” and that sort of thing. Make sense? Good. Let’s chat about how that seemingly simple tool could be used in education. That is the Edudemic way after all.
How Does Google Glass Work?
How To Get Google Glass
It’s actually a bit late to get in on the beta testing but you can still stay informed and get alerts about when it’ll be available for you. Check out this page for info on that.
However, there are reports that it’ll be available in 2014 for about $1,500 or so. We’ll see what actually happens though. There’s even talk of Google Glass-centric stores set to be opened. I could see that being pretty darned fun to check out. For now, we wait.
How Teachers Can Use Google Glass
Create First-Person Video Guides
Teachers of all grades can use Google Glass in some manner. For the most part, you’re going to want to take advantage of the first-person recording functionality. That seems (to me at least) the most useful for a classroom whether it’s remote or in-person.
Flip Your Classroom With TED-Ed
Once you have built up a few videos, you can throw your Glass-recorded videos into the TED-Ed flip machine (that’s what I like to call it) and then add some additional resources and guides to your footage.
Have Students Use Glass
Students can throw on a pair of the glasses and record interactions with fellow students, on field trips, and while out of the classroom in general. A great way for students to start thinking strategically about their everyday actions and what they can learn from them.
See How Other Teachers Use Glass
Check out this site and the hashtag #GlassEdExplorers to see what other teachers are doing with the tool!
Review FERPA
Be sure you have the appropriate permissions and other legal documentation before going off and recording everything your students do. FERPA is a big deal at this point.
Be Ready To Share
All your friends and students are going to want to try out your pair of Google Glass so be ready to share and tutor others on how they work. We’re working on a free video site devoted to this kind of tutorial and it should be ready soon. In the meantime, these useful guides will hopefully be of, well, use!
Share Your Glass Ideas
The beauty of Edudemic is that we feature writers from all over the world in an effort to get you a well-rounded look at education technology. That’s where you come in. I’d love to have as much insight as possible when it comes to figuring out how to properly (emphasis on ‘properly’) use Google Glass in the classroom. Share your thoughts down in the comments or on the Edudemic Facebook page or mention @Edudemic on Twitter (we’ll retweet you!) so others can learn from you.
How To Use Google Glass
Check out the official user guide from Google here to learn how to set up Google Glass, use it to start recording, interacting, and learning with this cutting-edge piece of equipment.
The Live #GlassEdExplorers Twitter Hashtag
There’s a lot of people posting about Google Glass. But you don’t need to follow all that noise. Just check out the #GlassEdExplorers hashtag to get the low-down on what early adopters / Explorers are doing with Glass in education.
