Have and Have Not

I didn't wear Glass today.  I boxed it up and brought it to school in preparation for passing it on.  I still have it, mind you, but it's not even home with me now.  Without students and teachers around, I find it less appealing to wear.  Most of what I do during the day when everyone else is out and about spring breaking is on a computer and, as I stated previously, I'm not the guy who posts everything he does.

I received a survey from Google today regarding Glass and my use of it.  The survey was simple enough; asking questions about how much I wear it, how satisfied I am with it etc . . . .  It made me think again about the exit strategy from the Explorer program and the move by Google into the mainstream culture with this unique wearable technology.  Will there be some bonus from Google for my participation?  Maybe a stock option?

I've heard comments (and probably thought of a few myself) about people with cell phones anchored inches from convenient pockets on belt clips and those who walk about with blue tooth headsets protruding from their ears.  How is Glass any different than these other accessories?  I guess it needs to be significant for the price point Google's shooting for when it's released.

It also makes me think about cell phones and their introduction and eventual integration into mainstream culture and schools.  They were a curiosity, a nuisance, an obsession and eventually an essential.  Is this the fate of Glass or will the ripple from the rock amount to nothing more than that, a ripple rather than a tsunami?  I do know, from experience, there will be the sudden have and have not discussion once again as students and teachers start to bring it into the building.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a strong contender to 1:1 in education.  Students allowed to use phones, laptops, tablets or any other device to further their educational experience.  Some schools rely on this to defray the cost associated with equipping everyone for a level playing field.  Glass won't cut it.  It doesn't do enough yet to take the place of anything more productive that we already have.  So I have to look at it like an accessory.  I think Google would be OK with that.

The problem with BYOD that I see is everyone is invited to a playing field, but it's in no way level.  The pressure is going to be put on education to make sure that the game is flexible enough to allow anyone access with whatever they bring; a pencil to a MacBook Pro.  Definitely something worth discussing and talking about.

I'm a strong supporter of the "only a tool" philosophy and hope it continues to become an understanding of educators and students alike.  That being said, how much of a shift is there going to be for people to understand access to information is cheap and easy and there needs to be a focus on processing and application of that information to continue to grow and thrive and become productive?

Anyway, back to Glass.  I'm going to attend a banquet this weekend and I originally thought how great it would be to have Glass with me.  Then I remembered it's being hosted at a casino and that's a huge no-no.  I wonder if they take cell phones and other camera devices?

I also attended a Gamification session at the conference last week and it got me thinking about education being structured like a game (sometimes).  Can Glass have a place for collaboration amongst students in a game-like scenario?  Is this type of communication device akin to headsets and collaboration in online games?  Are we going to be so connected in the world that we eventually move towards a hive-like structure?

Once again, I turn to the greatest pioneers of innovation: Science Fiction Writers.  There has to be at least a dozen or more books I have yet to read that examine the impact of such technology and, in-turn, the effects of a truly "wired" society.  Interesting train of thought if nothing else.  Maybe Google's next advancement will be brain-wave reading implants to forgo the tell-tale "OK Glass" command I so frequently use now.