Integrating Google Glass in Your Virtual Classrooms
Integrations of smart devices and wearables into today’s vibrant classrooms have been some of the predominant trends in education as can be seen from the ‘one child, one tablet device’ movement occurring in the school districts of Los Angeles. These great strides all but raise the question of how e-learning can also leverage the use of wearables in receiving and passing knowledge across using a virtual platform.
Broadcasting to Students: It is hardly news that most virtual classrooms occur through the use of learning management systems nor is it news that these platforms come with their own messaging and communication tools but the fact still remains that none of the communication features provided by these platforms provide the versatility the Google glass brings to the table. This versatility includes:
- Recording Visual Notes: wearable computers are more than just viewing aids for they are equipped with the necessary tools for recording events as they occur. Therefore with Google glass, participating students can easily tune into a virtual classroom and take live recordings of the lecture event i.e. video lectures for further scrutiny. Recording is seamlessly done by simply using a voice prompt to initiate the process thereby eliminating the awkwardness and time waste that may occur using a recording equipment.
- Eliminating the language barrier: In a virtual classroom, the participants are sometimes individuals with different cultural backgrounds and languages. And this is where the translation capabilities of Google glass comes in hand. The glass app WordLens simplifies the task of language translation for it helps the user translate whatever language is been read to his or her preferred choice.
Refining Real-Time Researches: Google glass—like all Google’s inventions—is privy to its powerful search engine and this aids real-time research in ways other LMS platforms cannot accomplish. With Google glass professional help is just a prompt away for its users can quickly receive real-time updates on subject matters that may prove difficult during the course of a lecture. Lecturers can also use the search feature to provide their students with better information and educative materials when the need arises.
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Virtual Classroom Management: when seeking to create several separate learning groups to accomplish set tasks, Google glass can prove useful because in combination with Google Hangout, it helps the coordinator or educator create specific units and monitor the progress made by every group as well as each individual in a group. With Google glass, you can;
- Send personal messages to diverse groups or particular students without the knowledge of his or her colleague when the need arises. This means that instructions can be doled out where and when needed.
- Keep an eye on all participants
- Introduce helpful materials to each group through the help of Google drive
Collaborate With Other E-learning Tools: the most important ability Google glass brings into a virtual classroom, is its ability to collaborate with all your Google powered tools seamlessly. Educators can easily create a tutorial with Google Docs, share it in a Google circle, handout assignments using Google drive, call participants to your classroom on Google hangout and monitor their responses to the given assignment/tutorial using Google glass.
Lastly, of all the wearable technology available in our modern society, Google glass—although in its infancy—sets the pace due to its unique visual and communicative features which are definitely set to revolutionize the field of e-learning as more and more developers create apps for e-learning to meet the requirements of a virtual classroom.
