Module 4 - Google Glass

Disruptive technology describes a process by which a new technology evolves rapidly and eventually displaces current technology and makes it obsolete. (Laureate Education, 2014a) The force of disruptive technology is quite interesting to explore according to Dr. David Thornburg (Laureate Education, 2014a) Thornburg describes disruptive technology as “wildcards” that unexpectedly change everything. (Laureate Education, 2014a)

Explain how Google Glass is a disruptive technology.

Google Glass is a disruptive technology. In his article, Michael Rosenblum (Rosenblum, 2014) argues why Google Glass will change the world, just like Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press did. (Rosenblum, 2014)

“In 1452, Johannes Gutenberg first put paper to movable inked typeface and changed the world. He didn’t set out to change the world. He set out to see if he could make money-printing bibles, which had previously had to be written by hand.

But the invention of the printing press had far-reach consequences, far further than Gutenberg could have ever imagined. Not because he found a way to make cheaper bibles, but because he had opened the door to allow anyone to publish any idea they had and share it with the rest of the world.” (Rosenblum, 2014)

And now the world has Google Glass. Google Glass is “a type of wearable technology with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD) created by Google with the goal of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer.  (Mingshel, 2014) It displays information in a smartphone –like hands free format but it communicates with the internet via natural language voice commands. (Mingshel, 2014) It is the next stage in mobile computing. Glass wearers will have the ability to access information and content at any time, anywhere in the world, and also have the ability to capture, create and put their own information on the web at any time. (Rosenblum, 2014)

What technology or innovation it will displace?

Google Glass will eventually replace the smartphone, unless another “wild card” (Laureate Education, 2014a) is created during its evolutionary path. This device has the capability to amplify texting, GPS, personal photography and records etc.

Examples:

·      Google Glass wearer is grocery shopping for ingredients to make a meal, the list of ingredients will be made available by simply asking for it

·      Listening to music and facts about the artist will be displayed

·      Buying a book – details on the subject, reviews of the book and author will be displayed or played audio.

The social benefits and educational implications of Google Glass

The social benefits and implications of Google Glass are endless. One the most important uses its capabilities will be for research and education. Educational possibilities could be greatly expanded in subjects such as biology, geology and anatomy. (Yahoo , 2014) Students could create interactive presentations with simple eye movements and nodding gestures. Google Glass will be an innovative tool for the enhancement of learning techniques. The educational possibilities are endless, with the development of apps Google Glass will enhance instruction and learning on many levels. Below are 5 possible ways educators and students could use this technology, but the potential in this field is endless.

1.    Learn New Languages

2.    Create Presentations and Research Materials

3.    Quick-on-the-go research

4.    Build Portfolios

5.    New courses, Skills and Careers  (Burke, 2013)

Predict how many years you think Google Glass has left

Google Glass is evolving and I think we will see it for long time in our world, unless it is disrupted by a ”wild card”. (Laureate Education, 2014a) There seem to be some issues that need to be worked out and we are not seeing them replace cell phones yet, but I think we might in the near future. There are issues and concerns over privacy and the capabilities of Google Glass to record conversations and facial recognition, but many of these concerns are similar to the privacy concerns brought forward when smartphones were introduced. Matt McGee (McGee, 2013) wrote an interesting article on Google Glass and privacy, which you can read here.

References

Burke, M. (2013, April 3). 5 Ways Google Glass can be used in education. Retrieved July 15, 2015, from Emerging EdTech: Engaging students and enhancing learning outcomes with Internet & Instructional Technologies: http://www.emergingedtech.com/2013/04/5-ways-google-glass-can-be-used-in-education/

Laureate Education. (2014a). David Thornburg: Disruptive technologies. Baltimore, MD: Author.

McGee, M. (2013, July 5). The Google Glass privacy debate: What's real & what's overblown hype. Retrieved July 18, 2015, from Marketing Land: http://marketingland.com/the-google-glass-privacy-debate-whats-real-whats-overblown-hype-50745

Mingshel, S. (2014). Google Glass also know as Ptoject glass. Retrieved July 17, 2015, from Sakyengmingshel/posts: https://www.facebook.com/sakyengmingshel/posts/764193743646689

Rosenblum, M. (2014, March 7). Google glass and the power of technology to change the world. Retrieved July 17, 2015, from The guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/michaels-rosenblog/2014/mar/07/google-glass-technology-changing-world

Yahoo . (2014). Seeing our future: The benefits of google glass . Retrieved July 16, 2015, from Yahoo Voices: https://storify.com/vblackz57/seeing-our-future-the-benefits-of-google-glass-yah