Google Glass in Action at Point Park University

This week and the weeks leading up to it have been both an exciting and a scary time. I have spent a great deal of energy preparing for a big event that will happen tomorrow, the day when I finally have the opportunity to show off Google Glass to Point Park University.  In order to obtain this new technology, I recommended Point Park spend over $1,500 to purchase the device and own this cutting edge technology; tomorrow will tell us if my recommendation paid off. 

Let me go into more detail about what happens tomorrow: first, I will arrive to work at Point Park University with only a few hours to test Google Glass. Glass will be tested with the new phone that will be paired to it via bluetooth, a Galaxy S4.  I did not get a chance to test Glass last week with the S4, as I was busy going through two other phones and two different carriers that just didn't work right with the device so I'm crossing my fingers that this third time is a charm.  Assuming the test works, I will successfully use Glass to test a Google Hangout with an empty classroom at Point Park.  Then, in the afternoon, I will head across town to Carnegie Mellon University.  There I will do a virtual tour of the campus again through a Google Hangout.  I will be "hanging out" with that classroom back at Point Park, only this time it will be full of Career Prep students in the Sports, Arts and Entertainment Management Department, a major in Point Park's School of Business.  The tour will conclude in the Office of Graduate Admissions for Heinz College, where the Director will speak to these students about graduate school and the new partnership between Point Park and Carnegie Mellon.

If the technology works the way that it should, this will be one of the most unique ways Point Park has ever used new technology.  We will be ahead of the curve, doing something that very few, if any, are doing in the world of higher education.  We will not only have a cutting edge technology, we will also have a cutting edge learning environment for our students with endless possibilities for the future.  For example, we will be able to have guest speakers from some of the most impressive positions and organizations in their respective industries.  We will be able to do virtual tours of facilities that would otherwise be off-limits or outside of our resources.  We will be able to connect with students via social media with literally a blink of the eye (Glass can take pictures merely by winking and then share the picture with the world wide web through a quick tap or a simple voice command).

Still, there's a good chance that something will go wrong with this new technology.  If you've read any of my previous posts, you know that I believe Glass is not yet perfect and it's a long way from being ready to hit the shelves.  So, tomorrow's failure or success is really anyone's guess but I'm crossing my fingers everything goes the way both Google and I would want it to.  Check back for updates, I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for reading.

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