’ the Plan as i write this, i m preparing for another
’ let me begin by saying i never win anything. ever. That s until march 28, 2013. That evening i was sitting on my couch when my phone alerted me to a direct message tweet. you re invited to join our #glassexplorers program. woohoo! make sure to follow us - we’ll dm in the coming weeks. “ ’ ” if the message was true, i had just become one of only 8,000 in the world to gain entry into the google glass explorer program. ” in february i noticed fellow tweeters posting with “#ifihadglass. To enter i needed to tweet 140 characters or less about what i would do if i had glass. my frst thought was how cool would it be for my students to try?” i teach communication “ – “ after all. so i tweeted engage students in discovering its potential in a higher education classroom #ifihadglass and didn t think about it again. ” ’ now i was staring at a tweet that said i had won. of course, i thought the message was a virus. Thankfully, i investigated and found out it was valid, and i really did win a chance to try the latest and greatest in google technology – google glass. “ google product director steve lee explains glass best: we wondered, what if we brought technology closer to your senses? would that allow you to more quickly get information and connect with other people but do so in a way – with a design – that gets out of your way when you re not interacting with technology?” ’ “ glass rests on the bridge of your nose much like typical eyewear, but ironically there is no glass, no lenses. glass refers to a small, plastic, clear visual display cube that has a V-shaped prism inside it. Thankfully for me – the ultimate klutz – it is not made of glass. ” ’ i m assuming google plastic didn t have quite the same traction with focus groups. ’ “ glass functions much like your smart phone, providing you text messages (it works best with android phones), phone calls, video chats, news, google searches, chrome cards, directions and much more. The commands and texting are all verbally activated. The right arm of glass acts like a mouse, allowing the user to tap to select and slide a fnger along the arm to scroll forward or backward through a website, ”
’ i had won the opportunity to get glass a year before it would become available to the general public. but (theres always a but”), it turns out there is no such thing as a free glass. we winners got to cough up $1,500 for our new specs and had to travel – at our own expense – to one of two google locations: chelsea market, n.y., or Venice beach, calif. i chose chelsea market “ “ ” texts or google cards (my cards include things like my daily schedule, weather, sports scores and local restaurant specials). for its proximity to erie. doing a round- trip fight from bufalo to new york city in less than 12 hours was probably a little crazy, but i, of course, rationalized it by my motivation to get glass. after a one-hour set-up and training in the chelsea market google loft, i began my journey with glass on June 22. ’ i ve had glass for a few months and can talk about its current ups and downs. however, the beauty of beta testing is that at the beginning of every month, google pushes updates to all explorers. for example, one of the frst updates i saw was a new os and then a browser. They are listening to the explorers and making changes so when the public can purchase glass (at about half the explorer s cost) in spring 2014, it will be much more sophisticated than the current version. ’ ’ The audio function is probably one of the most interesting features, but it is still a work in progress. The audio comes from the arm of glass, but it doesn t actually project outward; it uses vibrations to conduct sound to the bones in the back of the user s head. i can hear it; others can t. unfortunately, sometimes i can t hear it ’ ’ ’ ’ either. i found ear buds help block out external noise so i can have a phone call. however, my call recipients indicate it s difcult to hear me or they hear echoes in calls, forcing me to give up glass and retreat back to my mobile phone. my favorite feature of glass is maps. navigating new york was a breeze. i simply “ said, ok glass, get directions to penn station and voila! – a map with an arrow popped up, pointing my way to the train station. as i turned, so did the arrow. so i aligned the arrow with the route line and started walking. The directions poured into my ear as well just like your gps or phone. ”
’ but it s a big next. one of the tangible ways i plan to use glass is by visually editing my students assignments. This will provide each student with not only an electronically edited copy, but also an accompanying video that will include a voiceover explaining why i made the edits. i will also be working on visual tours of campus and potential training videos on a variety of topics. “ ” ’ ’ mercyhurst students will also provide feedback to glass utility. a few communication students will have the opportunity to try glass in fall term as part of research on how students can use (and misuse) the new technology. you can read my blog to learn more about the research questions i m focusing on, but i’ll be looking at technology integration in the classroom, ethical considerations, advantages and disadvantages to other existing technology, advertising and marketing potential for business, and generally how glass will change a user s life—the good, the bad and the ugly. ’ ’ ’ Though i don t wear glass every day, i have become used to the stares, mobbing, whispers and being referred to as that guy from star Trek. many want to try them on, which i am happy to accommodate (that s the point of testing them, right?!) and, i am used to answering the same three most frequently asked questions: can you see through me? (answer is no.”) does it have facial recognition? (answer is also no.”) do you know my information by looking at me? (answer is no, but if your name is on your bag, name “ ’ “ “ “ ” “ tag, etc., i will respond with yes, [insert your name here]. i may or may not tell you that i m perceptive, not using glass.) ” ” ’ ’ it has been energizing to be among the frst to use glass, and i m excited mercyhurst students once again have access to the latest in technology. They not only will be among the frst to use it, but also very well may help pave new paths for its use. hands-on opportunities, faculty-student research and access to typically unavailable technology may be just another typical day at the hurst, but this time we can see it through glass! semester of class and wondering how i can try glass in class. lots of debate has been had over integration of technology in the classroom and, in fact, about glass itself. i have always advocated utilizing technology in the higher ed classroom, rather than restricting it. glass is the next thing,
on the web: glassinclass.blogspot.com
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