Google Glass in the English Classroom

In our society, there seems to be one piece of technology that appears to get much publicity in the media. The name of this piece of technology is Google Glass. Many people seem to hail this as a marvel of technology because it is a wearable computer people can utilize to fulfill a broad spectrum of purposes. One of the greatest things about it is that it is virtually hands-free since the user gives the glasses commands through his or her voice. I believe that we can use Google Glass in order to facilitate a greater learning experience for our students. In addition, I think that there are uses that make it a valid educational tool in the English classroom.

I managed to find an infographic that manages to discuss some of the uses of Google Glass in education. One of the useful functions that I found is that students can use SMS texting to give the teacher feedback during a lesson. For example, if a few students believe that the teacher did not explain something well enough and needs some clarification, the students can send a text message indicating their confusion. The teacher will immediately see the students’ messages in his or her display. This is a great function because a teacher can quickly receive feedback from students in a way that is not interruptive to the classroom environment. In addition, it can be completely anonymous to other students, so they will not know who sent the feedback. This helps to facilitate communication in the classroom, so the teacher can immediately modify instruction based on the feedback they receive from students.

Another way that I can integrate Google Glass into my classroom is by using its augmented reality feature. The infographic claims that I can bring people on a virtual fieldtrip and make the places that I discuss in the classroom come more alive to them. I think that this would be great to use in the classroom because some people are visual learners; they do not do too well with just teachers’ auditory explanations or text on a page. For example, The Globe Theatre is heavily important when teaching Shakespeare to high school students. If every student had a Google Glass headset, then I could have students pull up a view of The Globe Theatre. Google Glass makes a wide range of information instantaneously available to students, so it can help to supplement learning by adding a visual dimension.

Even though there are more uses for Google Glass in the English classroom, I will explain one more way teachers can utilize the device. Literacy is heavily important for English teachers.
According to Kylene Beers, the author of When Kids Can’t Read: What Teachers Can Do, the most effective way teachers can make sure students understand a reading strategy is to model them by doing a Think Aloud. Sometimes, that can be difficult. When a teacher is home looking a text, they can use the video recording feature in order to model the strategy for them. In the video, the teacher can go step-by-step in a video that appears from the first-person perspective. The teacher can send the video to the students, and they can access it from their e-mail accounts when a teacher uploads it. This can help to flip classroom instruction, but a teacher would have to be very thoughtful to create effective flipped instruction. If teachers do not use the video for that, then it can still be very useful for students. Through the video that the teacher recorded, he or she can show students how to read by showing how they tackle a text. This is a very powerful way to teach literacy.

Even though the Google Glass is a great piece of technology that can potentially transform classroom instruction in the future, it does have its flaws. One of the problems that people seem to have is the concern about privacy. The video recording is very quiet, so many people may not even notice that somebody started to record their actions. In addition, the students can be using Google Glass during the classroom time for non-educational purposes. This can be a problem, so the teachers need to make sure that the device does not distract students. The teacher has to model appropriate behaviors for the technology because they do not want to assign projects to students that involve use of the Google Glass and they act in a way that is inappropriate in order to fulfill the project. However, we cannot fully blame the student because teachers need to be mindful that they create projects that do not have students invade others’ privacy or break the law.  Finally, like any other technological device, teachers need to make sure that the educational uses of the class align with the instructional standards so students can learn. Technology can be useless and not have students learn anything. The teacher needs to make sure to plan ahead to make sure that the uses of Google Glass in the classroom is productive to learning.