Google Announces Android Wear

A few weeks ago, I published a blog post about Wearable Technology and its Application in the Classroom. As of yesterday (March 18th), Wearable Technology is about to take a massive leap forward. Why? Google is pushing. Get ready to welcome Android Wear to the world, coming soon to a wrist near you.

As I mentioned in my last blog post on Wearable Tech, a multitude of companies have already released or have announced plans to release wearable technology. Samsung, HTC, Sony and Pebble are just a few of the many. Yesterday, Google announced a new standard for smartwatches called Android Wear. As of right now, current smartwatch software varies greatly in terms of quality, as every individual manufacturer has to develop their own OS for the watch to run. Google has done away with that problem with their new, intuitively-designed Android Wear. Now, smartwatch manufacturers will have a standardized OS, allowing them to spend more time on the hardware itself. It will be interesting to see how Wearable Technology will evolve over the next year. One day, Wearable Technology may become as big a part of our lives as our smartphones.

Wearable Technology and its Application in the Classroom

2014 is being heralded as the "Year of Wearable Tech" by journalists all across the internet, and for good reason. The following companies have released or have announced plans to release some form of wearable technology by the end of 2014:

• Google
• Samsung
• Meta
• HTC
• Qualcomm
• Pebble
• Sony
• Fitbit
• Oculus VR
• Razer

The Samsung Galaxy Gear

But what does this mean for education? The majority of wearable technology is being marketed as smartphone accessories rather than as standalone devices. This type of wearable tech serves to bring you notifications and other information directly from your phone. Google's Glass and Meta's Spaceglasses, on the other hand, are miniature computers integrated into glasses. Both project information onto screens in front of the users' eyes, and allow you to navigate around the device using voice commands and hand gestures. Of the two, the Meta Spaceglasses seems to be more capable of handling heavy amounts of coursework. It actually projects a 3D display in front of you (a close comparison is the display on the Ironman Suit from the Ironman movies), and allows you to interact with it as if it actually existed in real space in front of you. This would allow students

Some of the features of the Spaceglasses demonstrated in an advertisement

Another wearable technology that could have application in education is the Oculus Rift produced by Oculus VR. It turns a computer into a breeding ground for virtual reality. It was primarily designed to be used with video games, allowing you to see a game world as if it was in front of your own two eyes. It can also allow you to bring your computer to your eyes as well. With it, you can be completely immersed in videos and webpages, turning learning into a fluid and natural experience.

The Oculus Rift

Wearable Technology is still in its infancy.  It is currently limited in what it can do, but it will be interesting to see how it evolves in the future. I think that within the next 10 years, wearable technology will grow from smartphone accessories and gimmicky Google searchers into full on computers that we integrate into both our education system, and our everyday lives.