G-speak Blog Post

G-Speak

After doing some research on the g-speak computer technology, my first impression is "WOW".  From my research, I can see that g-speak was created with a vision to take computer interfaces, and change them completely. Lets look at how it applies to the real world and how companies are using it now.

How it works

G-speak technology uses multiple screens, hand gestures, three-dimensional space, two-dimensional space, and physical objects to show images and data. Looking at the list above, you can see how different this interface is from normal operation systems that we use today; keyboard and or mouse. From the move Minority Report, the g-speak technology idea was shown, and today the very same concept and design is used. I think the best way to explain what g-speak looks like is to actually see it. Check out the video below:

Who is using it?

G-speak is all about the spatial environment in which the user can travel and move throughout the interface. The company that is offering g-speak as a technology tool is called "Oblong Industries". The Chief Executive officer  John Underkoffler says that in five years, when you buy a computer "you will get this" referring to the g-speak interface. Even though it isn't widely available to everyday consumers, many companies use these technologies. In cooperate environments, this technology is definitely useful. With deadlines and meetings across departments, there is a need for continuity among projects. Check out this video that shows the practical application of the g-speak interface.

Mezzanine: Innovate Your Workspace from Oblong Industries on Vimeo.

What does this mean for us?

As a teacher, I try to find how this can (and will) change the way I teach in my classroom. If the technology is shown to be as useful as the creators suggest, the possibilities in the classroom could be great. With Smartboards and Interactive whiteboards having mixed reviews, I believe this type of interface has something that can overcome the negative stigma that technology has in the classroom. For instance, students participating in a project based lesson could collaborate more efficiently through an interface like this to build a product or a model of a produce. Not to mention the level of engagement this would bring, students would be much more active in their own learning with this type of tool. I can see students in a classroom learning about biology with rich graphs and models of population economics or sunlight amounts projecting right along side of the actual entity the graphs are describing. As students search the globe, they can explore different parts of world with gestures and manipulations with their hands.

The Compute Stick

First Impressions 

Looking at the Intel Compute Stick for the first time, I was total amazed at the size of the device. It is hard to believe that a whole computer can fit in the palm of your hand. The Compute Stick runs Window's latest operating system 8.1(Windows 10 is coming soon) and offers 32GB of storage with 2GB of RAM. There are even ports for micro USB and standard USB. It is an incredibly small computer for $150.

It's impact on Education

I am trying really hard to find a place for this in my classroom, but I feel like there are many more options that are much more feasible. Let's analyze this…. In order for the compute stick to be of any use, you must have some kind of display. In most cases, you need an HD TV to display content from this device since it uses an HDMI port. Sure you can find a cheap HD TV out there, but you are now up to at least $250 for the Compute Stick and the TV. I believe that a Chromebook is a much better purchase for the money. The price of the Acer C720 Chromebook is $229. It is much different than the Compute Stick because it runs its own Google operation system. Google has its own document suite which is all saved in the cloud. The document suite (Google Drive) is free with 5 GB of free cloud storage. It has all of the functionality of a normal computer, it is just based online and needs wifi for its functions. This laptop is light-weight and very portable. Other options that make since are this Asus Transformation tablet that can convert from a tablet to a laptop with a full keyboard. The refurbished price for this tablet is right around $250. 

Here are a couple videos you can watch so you can see some comparison between the Compute Stick and the Chromebook.

Google Glass in Education

My Thoughts on Google Glass

When thinking about my first encounter with Google Glass, I can remember being excited about it but, on the other hand, I really didn't think that it would become something that many people used. I say this because of the shape and how it is worn. I remember the team from Google sky dived and parachuted wearing Google Glass, while at the same time they were streaming video from Glass in a Hangout, talking to a huge group of people as they were falling.

Info About Google Glass

Google Glass pairs to your smartphone for its internet capability and can also connect through wifi. You can't buy Google Glass right now, but when it was available, the price was somewhere around $1500. The battery life is a concern when thinking about purchasing one of these devices. It has a touch pad on the outside of the plastic housing, but can also be controlled by voice. I think that the hands free feature of Google Glass makes it unique. Google Glass can be used in the same way that many smartphones can now, but it adds another dimension when the device is hands free. I like the feature that allows one to translate objects that you might see. If there is something written in a different language, you can translate it by asking Glass to translate.

Google Glass in Education

In terms of education, I can see many ways it could be useful. Virtual field trips could be completed with hangouts from one person (or more) and streamed to a classroom to show many students at once the place one would be visiting. I can see science projects being documented as the student records themselves hands free preforming an experiment. If students are working on a task, and are not able to complete that task in school, they can complete the task at home and record using glass to show that they have completed it. I'm not sure if this is a device that will be affordable by many school systems as the $1500 price tag is a big concern. I would be great to get a class set of these and just explore to see what students can come up with in class assignments and projects!