An article taken from a recent e-news which I found interesting and so wanted to share:
Wearable technology is emerging as one of the most exciting advancements in consumer electronics, and education looks set to benefit.
Wearable technology is that which you can incorporate into things you wear – and while so-called e-textiles are exciting for the fashion and health fields, one of the most exciting technologies for e-learning is Google Glass, Google’s augmented reality glasses.
The New Media Consortium’s (NMC) Horizon Report for Higher Education included wearable technology in its forecast for the first time in 2013, highlighting the potential future applications for education.
The excitement for learning designers is being driven by the fact that Google Glass is ubiquitous, able to augment reality, hands-free and location aware.
- Ubiquitous – Using Google Glass learners will no longer have to carry around cumbersome and intrusive devices. Glasses will always be worn, and they will always be ‘on’, seamlessly interacting with the learner’s environment.
- Augmented Reality (AR) – AR was previously reliant on GPS-enabled mobile devices which are not truly immersive; glasses may be useful for future context-sensitive immersive training applications.
- Hands-free – Google glasses are voice-activated and controlled giving the user the freedom to use their hands on practical work. This has foreseeable applications in trades training – instructions could be displayed simultaneous to hands-on skills practice.
- Location aware – the glasses always know where they are, providing information based on the location of the learner. This is particularly applicable to the workplace learner navigating their way through a new or hazardous environment.
The Flexible Learning Advisory Group (FLAG) will be paying close attention to the advancements of wearable technology and its potential application to vocational education and training (VET) in Australia.