Windows Hololens
Google glass had it’s shot but now it’s time for the Windows Hololens. This could be a potential game changer for education by having a device that could make any room a completely 3D experience. If you have never gotten the chance to watch the trailer of this device please click my embedded link to fully understand its capabilities. I believe as a future teacher, my generation’s hurdle will be understanding and utilizing wearables.
Google Glass had a vision of a world where you would have a device attached to your face and it would be almost your silent passenger as you shopped for groceries, went on vacations or wanted to relive the night before, but now Microsoft wants to expand on that idea and completely change your life. In their quick but seemingly effective video, it seems in a short time that you will be able to use technology as way to enhance the areas around you in the real world. As a teacher I understand students may be coming into a classroom in the near future with this device on their face and I’ll have to find a way to react.
Instead of shunning these devices, I'm looking forward to incorporating them into the classroom. Wearables may make the classroom a challenge for some educators but I think used correctly they could add great benefit to not only the students but to the teachers as well. Instead of having a traditional classroom setting, we may be able to sit in a classroom while having students venture to other parts of the world of watch live events as they unfold using these wearable devices. Imagine explaining the crossing of the Delaware to your students as they see George Washington and his men all in boats rowing to surprise the enemy on a cold Christmas morning. Alongside experiencing history, students could also have live feeds to current events and be able to listen to presidential debates or inaugural speeches as they if they were in the room. It could add a different level of sense of a candidate or person by being able to read their body language first hand. Alongside going on adventures students could learn to interact with each other through the use of wearables.
Referencing the trailer below, Microsoft is really gearing this new wearable as being able to impact the environment of the user. Looking at this device for students it would be interesting to see what things students could build or change within the vicinity of the classroom. They could have virtual projects where entire classes would contribute to engineering different projects and learning to create real world things within the vicinity of the classroom. The possibilities of these devices are endless and it is with these devices we will develop web 3.0
Referencing the trailer below, Microsoft is really gearing this new wearable as being able to impact the environment of the user. Looking at this device for students it would be interesting to see what things students could build or change within the vicinity of the classroom. They could have virtual projects where entire classes would contribute to engineering different projects and learning to create real world things within the vicinity of the classroom. The possibilities of these devices are endless and it is with these devices we will develop web 3.0
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ReplyDeleteBefore today, I could not say that I was as open-minded as you towards the inevitable widespread adoption of wearables. I must admit that I brushed off Google Glass as a novelty when it first came out. My skepticism on virtual reality (VR) technology in general is a product of my perception that every VR product I had seen rolled out the past seemed to overpromise and under-deliver. However, your review of Windows Hololens and explanation of how it could be implemented in the classroom have shattered my preconceived notions about modern day VR technology. I enjoyed visualizing the application examples you referenced, especially the experiencing of significant events around the world like presidential inaugurations. The idea that students might be able to experience historical scenes from a first-person perspective in VR tells me that the technology has indeed come a long way.
ReplyDeleteOne of my good friends is completely engrossed in trying to start an “augmented reality” gaming company that may involve the use of a wearable similar to Google Glass or Hololens. I had seen rough mock-ups of my friend’s technology in action, but I found it hard to visualize just how the final product would look and behave. The marketing video you linked us to does a superb job of demonstrating the potential capabilities of wearables. The visuals used in that video gave me my some insight into the capabilities of modern-day virtual reality devices and just what kind of end game my friend has in mind as far as a finished product. As an avid DIY guy, one of my favorite images from the video was the gentleman providing directions on a plumbing job to the woman he was connected to online. The moment I saw the image of him using the virtual highlighter to illustrate directions in mid-air was the moment I fully “bought-in” to this concept.
I imagine how useful a tool like this would be with my greatest personal teaching struggle: helping my parents in Oregon with their technology when things inevitably go wrong.
I only wonder about the cost as a prohibitive factor to widespread adoption. I hope Microsoft will choose to eschew profits where the schools are concerned and absolutely flood every district in the country with these devices and supporting technologies.
-David Laurel
Like you, I am extremely excited for the future of wearable technology and how it will change our society in the coming years. Educating students via augmented reality could become the next big game changer in the classroom, causing as much of a shift in the way classes are taught as the Internet did. However, I believe The biggest problem with adopting this level of technology in the classroom will be things that happen out of the classroom, specifically how well received the Hololens and other similar products are by the general public. If they do not sell well, or don't make as big of an impact as the company's are no doubt hoping for, augmented reality technology may unfortunately be put on the backburner for a while.
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