DEFINITIONS
Wearable technology (also called wearable gadgets) is
a category of technology devices that can be worn by a consumer. (Martin, 2016)
Examples: Smart Watch, Fitness Band,
Google Glass
DISCUSSION
When talking about the explosion of wearable technologies,
Dr. Martin shared a graphic that illustrated all the sectors that have
benefited from and employ wearable technology. They include: security/safety,
medical, wellness, sport/fitness, lifestyle, communications, and glamor. In
each of these sectors we can think of the most common uses of wearable technology
and how it might apply to learning and education:
Security/Safety – A GPS tracker for K-12 children that can
allow parents to know where their children are physically at during the school
day. Preventing truancy perhaps?
Medical – Sensors that can be implanted into the brains of
patients with epilepsy that can “learn” how and why they have seizures and warn
them so they can take preventative measures to stop seizures and even stop the
seizure itself through electromagnetic pulses that could be emitted.
Wellness – Sleep monitors! I personally love this. Quality
sleep – 6 to 8 hours – is critical for me to function. I enjoy seeing each
morning how long and well I slept. If I see myself getting behind or having restless
nights I can take steps to make sure I catch up (sleep aid, meditation, etc.). Children
need more sleep than adults and good sleep can make a difference in school and
performance.
Sport/Fitness – The sport/fitness band craze is well
documented. I am myself addicted to my FitBit. Users can track steps, miles,
stairs, heart rate, sleep and exercise. Students can compete against each
other, this could be used in physical education and athletic programs to
promote engagement and challenging performance.
Lifestyle Computing– Digital organization, calendars,
reminders, deadlines, and to-do lists to keep students organized and on track
via their smart watch, smart phone, or google glass.
Communications – Accessing social media and mail through
wearable technologies can keep learners engaged and academic discussions can be
had one-on-one or in discussion groups.
Glamor – Wearable technology that can show emotional response –
to encourage emotional intelligence development and increase empathy in
learning environments.
Google Cardboard –
This is the coolest thing that I learned about during this discussion on
wearable technology. For $15 you can turn your smart phone into a virtual
reality viewer that can be used to take virtual field trips and have virtual
experiences without ever leaving your learning location. This inexpensive and
accessible technology struck me as being one of the most powerful tools we
could put in the hand of every K-12 student today.
RESOURCES
Article:
“Smart shoes could charge your phone’s battery while you
rush to work…” This wonderful article from Time Magazine (2016) explores the
wearable tech of the future and includes some pretty cute animations to
illustrate its points. The authors interviewed six wearable technology
specialists and asked them to imagine what’s next.
Gee, Ho, and Raab. (2016) A Day in the Life of Wearable
Tech. Retrieved from http://time.com/see-the-wearable-tech-of-the-future/
Web URL:
I thought I had seen it all but apparently there is a “smart
ring” and it pairs with your cell phone (only Android or Windows OS however).
It can unlock you phone, unlock your door, share links, disks, business cards,
and apparently “whisper” to someone you find attractive. At the $14.99 ON SALE price
point I suspect this product was not very successful – however the idea is
genius and I suspect if Apple ever gets a hold of this we will have a really
popular new iRing to drool over…
Video:
Artist Kate Hartman is an artist, technologist, and
educator. When I discovered her I felt a kinship. She makes wearable technology.
Examples include: Talk To Yourself Hat, the Gut Listener, the Inflatable Heart
and the Glacier Embracing Suit. This TEDTalk with her points out some uses for
wearable technology that have to do with how we relate and communicate with
each other and the world around us. One of the most useful devices she shares
in this humorous and thought provoking video is a monitor that you put on
houseplants, that can send text messages telling you when it needs to be
watered, then the plant sends you a thank you text when the moisture level is
right again!
ACTIVITY
A current challenge I face in my New Employee Orientation
program has to do with the bus tour that we give new employees of the campus. We
used to have free access to a bus for the tour that happens every two weeks.
Then we lost that option and had to begin paying for the bus. This is a sizable
chunk of our budget and we don’t know how sustainable it will be going forward.
We have talked of a virtual tour before and I think it would be amazing to have
a Google Cardboard virtual tour of the campus for all new employees. The
university already invested in drone video footage of the campus – with the right
partners and developers we could move to an impressive and fun virtual tour
using Google Cardboard that would be sure to impress new employees. The
narrator can tell the employees about each building, the history, and the
culture of UNC Charlotte while they look at moving images that immerse them
even closer than they could have gotten with the bus.
CLOSING
In closing I would like to share my SoundCloud on
wearable technology. I will keep up with this
technology through trends and marketing – I am a consumer of wearable tech! I will continue to consider how each
new wearable device that comes out could be used in education and apply them to learning activities when possible.
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