One Eye to the Future: A Study of Student Exploration With Google Glass

Rapidly evolving technologies have the potential to provide massive benefits to student learning, but those benefits also come with the potential for obstacles in integration and implementation. This study explores the learning experiences available to students when given access to some of the most up to date technology available — Google Glass — and what students, when framing the technology with a critical eye, recognize as the benefits and challenges of new technology in the classroom. This study was conducted in an urban high school with a focus group of ten diverse students. Participants engaged in discussions about the role of technology in school, conducted online research about Glass’s capabilities and current uses, and worked hands on with Glass. Data collected includes self-reflective journals, focus group notes, focus group discussion transcriptions, and participant journals. Findings from this study suggest that students see Glass as a novelty rather than a practical tool for learning and generally believe that the technology used in schools is often not used to its fullest potential. Implications of this study suggest that students can be an invaluable resource when exploring the possibilities of technology in the classroom