Google Glass and SixthSense

Google Glass and SixthSense are two new amazing emerging technologies that according to Dr. Thornburg (Laureaate Education; 2014a) would be considered a disruptive technology because there is nothing on the market quite like it but it has the potential to replace many different technologies. Both of these devises can do similar things and can replace smart phones, tablets and other portable electronics that people carry today. The nice thing about both of these technologies is that they are in essence hands free.


The biggest issue with portable electronics in education is the battery life. By the end of the day many students need to charge their phones or electronic device so that they can use it in class. Not all classrooms are equipped with the necessary outlets to allow for mass charging. It would be interesting to see what the battery life on these devises is and how they need to be recharged. In reading reviews of the Google Glass one of the main issues is battery life they are only reliable for two to three hours at a time which can be shortened depending on what application are being used (Swider, 2015). However as these devises become more popular I can see teacher accessibility to be greatly heightened. Teachers will no longer be tied to a computer and LCD projector. They will be able to turn any wall, desk or flat surface into a screen to demonstrate applications to students, show videos, collect data and so much more with the SixthSense technology.

In the next 5 to 10 years I think the next bigger and better thing will come out to replace the portability these devises have brought to us. I think Google Glass will be replaced with Google contacts that will eventually be replaced with hardwiring a computer to your brain. (That last one I think is much farther off.)

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014a). David Thornburg: Disruptive technologies [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Swider, M. (2015). Google glass review. TechRadar. Retrieved from http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/gadgets/google-glass-1152283/review/7.

Rhymes of History

“The affect or impact of a new development rekindles something from the distant past,” is how Dr. Thornburg (2014h) describes Rhymes of History. When examining the criteria for Rhymes of History it is important to look at what it is bringing back and not necessarily how the technology was developed in the first place. The impact that the new technology is striving to bring back is the most important aspect of Rhymes of History. It is possible for technologies to fall into more than one of the six forces that drive emerging technologies.

 In Kevin Kelly’s talk he The next 5,000 days of the web he states “We will increasingly be dependent on the Internet and it will increasingly be dependent on us.” The technology that we see and utilize today will not be the same as what our children or grandchildren utilize. Technology will surpass the capacity of the human mind.

The technology that we use today was not available to previous generation but the ideas and what they represent bring back past fascinations. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) is an example of technology that demonstrates a Rhyme of History. GPS devises allow for man to further their quest for exploration and travel. GPS though originally used by the military has come into mainstream society with car GPS navigation systems and cell phone GPS systems (Mio Global, 2014). GPS bring back man’s fascination with space. In that man looked to the night sky in order to navigate the waters and make it safely across an ocean. GPS utilize the sky to have satellites orbiting earth in order to triangulate position so that ships don’t get lost at sea (Mio Global, 2014).

Resources:

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014h). David Thornburg: Rhymes of history [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Mio Global (2014). History of GPS. Retrieved from www.mio.com/technology-history-of-gps.htm

TED. (Producer). (2007, December). Kevin Kelly: The next 5,000 days of the web [Video file].