Wearable Tech in the Classroom — Some Explorations

“We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.”

-David Warlick

With the Apple Watch, Microsoft’s HoloLens, Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition Oculus Rift[1] on the horizon and many major acquisitions of start-ups , there is palpable excitement about the solutions that wearable technology might offer to different problems. Smart-watches and apps which track a user’s progress across various dimensions are already creating an impact in the field of exercise by motivating users to go beyond their capabilities. Technology can be a powerful motivator, if used properly[2].

However, the utility of Wearable technologies in education has not yet been fully explored.

Gaining knowledge using technology

A shift in the way knowledge is gained has begun with the advent of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) such as Coursera and Khan Academy, applications such as Duolingo and increasing usage of devices such as the iPad in the classroom.[3]

Studies have shown that use of computers in education can improve students’ comprehension abilities.[2][4] Products such as the iPad ,promising to go one step further, are coming into the classroom in ever greater numbers, promising to disrupt education by customizing learning for each student. Wearable technologies are even more immersive [5] and so have the potential to go even further in many ways.

Immersive Education for the Next Generation of Students

Wearable devices such as Microsoft’s HoloLens and Facebook’s Oculus Rift promise to increase the immersiveness further by incorporating headsets that can be worn, which block out any unnecessary stimuli and allow users to interact with their surroundings in a manner that has never been seen before, while smart-watches such as the Apple watch promise voice responsive interactions. In many ways, these technologies offer a more immersive experience than existing technologies.

Experiential learning for a better understanding

According to James Gentry, Experiential learning is “participative, interactive and applied” and has several advantages over traditional education.[6] Wearable technologies, which are “immersive” can be used by teachers as vehicles of experiential learning and allow students to reflect upon what they have learnt.

HoloLens, in particular, offers the user a way to project a digital interface onto any real world object, thereby transforming the object into an interactive interface. In an educational setting, the device might be configured in such a way as to recognize the object that the student is looking at and provide greater detail about the object. This can further be utilized to create digital interactive books out of normal textbooks, where the student activates interactive content just by looking at a part of the textbook. Such content would help the student internalize their subjects, at the same time, bringing in an element of fun to the act.

Smart-watches can be used to add a voice and tactile feedback layer to the interaction between the student and the content. For example, while learning a new language, voice recognition could be utilized to understand whether the student has properly understood the pronunciation of each word.

These technologies could also be leveraged to bring in experts from outside the classroom into it through virtual interactive means.This would let students assimilate knowledge in a more holistic way through an understanding of different perspectives.

Learning can be fun and social through Gamification

“Educational gameplay has proven to foster engagement in critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and teamwork — skills that lead to solutions for complex social and environmental dilemmas.” [7]. Many schools have already started incorporating games such as Minecraft into their curriculum and many collaborative games designed to improve students understanding are under development [8]

Wearable technologies can be used to gamify education in ways not possible until now. For example, the HoloLens could be used to organize a treasure hunt for students in a garden so that students interact with various sections of the garden and come up with the required information, while a smartwatch could be used as a collaboration tool among students.

Democratization of App Development to generate new ideas

The iPhone and Android devices have only been disruptive because of the amazing array of apps available on their platforms (1.2 and 1.3 million apps respectively[9]). Since this has been a proven model for innovation, wearables are bound to follow it and open up to developers, who as a collective have come up with solutions which had not been thought of previously. This democratization will prove to be beneficial to the wearable eco-system and will let people realize the full potential of their devices.

Potential Pitfalls

These technologies will be initially expensive, require access to the internet and are yet to be tested for long periods of time.There also might be concerns over privacy and over the suitability of using these products on sensitive people and for that, some amount of testing needs to be done.

The fate that met the Virtual Boy that flopped badly because of safety concerns that had arisen in users who had used the console for extended periods of time should be avoided. [10]

This could also lead to a culture of instant gratification, wherein students stop pursuing knowledge through normal means such as books because the students find them cumbersome. This can be remedied through properly designing learning courses.

The Road Ahead

Only technologies which are currently in development have been considered. However, this is such a field in which disruptive innovations are commonplace and there is great scope for improving on these existing technologies through development of new sensors and other technologies. Open source technologies and 3-D printing can further increase number of possibilities, while reducing costs of production.

While issues such as privacy and seizures need to be be resolved, wearable technologies offer several avenues for improving education. It is only a matter of time these possibilities are brought into fruition in the form of real world examples.

References

[1] Warren, C. (2014). Facebook Acquires Oculus VR for $2 Billion. Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2014/03/25/facebook-acquires-oculus-vr-for-2-billion/

[2] Liang-Vergara, C. (2015). How Teachers Can Use Digital Technologies to Motivate Students and Encourage Learning By Failing. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 6 February 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-liangvergara/blended-learning-mind-research-institute_b_4860446.html?ir=India

[3] Tufts Technology Services,. (2013). Spring 2013: iPad Experimentation in Seminar Classrooms. Retrieved from http://sites.tufts.edu/ests/files/2013/12/TTS_ESTS_iPad_report_spring2013.pdf

[4] Banerjee, A., Cole, S., Duflo, E., & Linden, L. (2005). Remedying Education: Evidence from Two Randomized Experiments in India. doi:10.3386/w11904

[5] PricewaterhouseCoopers,. (2014). Wearable Future.

[6]Gentry, J. (1990). WHAT IS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING? (1st ed.). Guide to Business Gaming and Experiential Learning. Retrieved from http://www.wmich.edu/casp/servicelearning/files/What%20is%20Experiential%20Learning.pdf

[7] New Media Consortium,. (2014). 2014 Higher Education Edition (p. 44).

[8] New Media Consortium,. (2014). 2014 Schools Edition (p. 47).

[9] Statista,. (2015). Number of apps available in leading app stores 2014 | Statistic. Retrieved 6 February 2015, from http://www.statista.com/statistics/276623/number-of-apps-available-in-leading-app-stores/

[10] Minotti, M. (2014). Flops, failures, and disasters: The gaming industry’s biggest misfires. VentureBeat. Retrieved 6 February 2015, from http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/30/flops-failures-and-disasters-the-gaming-industrys-biggest-misfires/2/