The document discusses the rise of wearable technologies and their potential impact on learning. It notes that wearable devices like smartwatches and Google Glass allow hands-free access to information and can enhance learning experiences. Examples mentioned include medical students using Glass during rotations to look up patient information, and museums testing augmented reality displays. The document argues that wearable technologies will require rethinking learning design and addressing challenges around data privacy and security.

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2. TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT | JUNE 2014 | 13WWW.AITD.COM.AU
T
he rate of new technology is evolving
exponentially. In our workplaces,
smart-phones and enterprise social
networks are disrupting our traditional
ways of working and learning.
Meanwhile, new affordances
facilitated through social media have
fundamentally changed the way we
create, organise and learn. But this is just
the beginning! Wearable technologies
are extending these opportunities
in ways that may have only seemed
possible in science fiction movies.
Wearable technologies - a networked
device that can gather and store data to
be transferred or synchronised to other
devices that are literally wearable - is
the newest emerging trend! Think of
a smart-watch, a fitness band worn on
your wrist or in your running shoes, a
chip embedded in clothing, glasses with
powerful computing capabilities. All
these devices can gather data from your
body movements or the surrounding
environment and likewise provide you
with information on location, in context
with simple user-interfaces.
Many of us are already using wearable
technologies on a daily basis. In
Australia, 20 percent of 17-75 year olds
will own a wearable device by August
2014 (1. Deloitte Tech Trends 2014).
Organisations are preparing for the
Wear Your Own Device (WYOD) era
and the associated challenges with
security of data and privacy related
concerns. “The potential is tremendous
due to hands-free, heads-up technology
which reshapes how work will be done,
how decisions will be made, and how
businesses will engage with employees,
customers, and partners” (Robert Hillard,
Deloitte 8 April 2014).
The potential of Google Glass
At the recent inaugural Australian
Google Glass meet-up hosted by the
University of Canberra’s Inspire Centre,
we were fortunate to experience directly
the use of Google Glass. My expectations
were surpassed! These devices project
a crystal clear image in your right
hand upward glance space, with voice
command, audio enabled and swipe
actions to scroll through information. I
was overwhelmed with the experience
and excited by the ease of use to
integrate these types of devices into our
learning environment. The natural user
interface made our smart-phones seem
so last week!
Although Google Glass is not expected
in Australia until late 2015, in the US
the devices are now available in beta
release to the public. One of the areas
with immediate widespread application
is the medical education field. A number
of medical educators have already
been testing applications that enhance
a trainee’s skills and opportunities for
feedback. Most recently, the School of
Medicine at the University of California,
Irvine, have issued Google Glass to
all their students where they will
incorporate the device into anatomy
and clinic skill classes, while final year
students will wear Glass during their
hospital rotations. They are emphasising
the benefits of the hands-free capability
to look up facts with a gesture, such as a
nod, and simultaneously getting access
to real-time patient information.
Museums and art galleries are testing
immersive experiences that draw upon
augmented reality visual displays.
And travel companies are testing
experiences for both staff and travellers
to enable a device like Google Glass to
deliver enhanced customer service
and supply concierge-style tourist
information, on demand, based on the
users location.
Locally, a number of businesses
are thinking ahead and developing
apps in anticipation of Google Glass
release. Examples include Saftey
Culture Australia who are exploring
functionality that enables emergency
services staff to stream data back to
base to ensure response crews have
information and relevant equipment
before they arrive at the scene (2).
And meanwhile, back in school, the
Code Cadets, a group of secondary
students studying IT at Canberra
Grammar are experimenting with app
WEARABLE
TECHNOLOGIES:
SHAPINGTHE
FUTUREOF
LEARNING
BYANNEBARTLETT-BRAGG
If you think the
future is now -
you haven’t seen
anything yet!

3. 14 | JUNE 2014 | TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT WWW.AITD.COM.AU
development for Google Glass as part of
their curriculum. Our future engineers
and leaders in computer interaction and
wearable technologies.
Implications for learning design
We’re at an exciting stage in the
development of new devices that will
drive us to rethink our relationship
with content-based teaching to a more
situation-oriented capability to engage
and interact with others and their
environment.
The wearable device should be
viewed as an intelligent assistant.
Examples such as Google Glass allow
you to interact in an unobtrusive, hands-
free way, that provides communication
tools and context sensors – layer
this with augmented reality and the
capabilities become limited only by our
imaginations! Remember - it’s a device
- how we use it is up to our creative
learning design.
Of course, there are challenges to be
considered. How do we manage the
security and privacy issues related to
personal and company data? How do
we design for a multi-device learning
environment? How will we measure the
value of new ways of learning against the
cost of devices and implementation?
Although many of these products are
new and not readily available, we need
to be monitoring their development
and considering the implications to our
future practices.
This is more than another tool to be
used as performance support - devices
such as these have the potential to
completely re-design the relationship
between work and learning.
In the next five years we will be
presented with wearable technologies
that can be integrated into almost every
aspect of our lives. They will record
information and enable us to modify
situations, they will remind us to take
action, they will communicate with
other people and devices, and provide
health-related information for our
benefit and well-being.
While many organisations are still
attempting to demonstrate the value
of more traditional approaches to
workplace learning, such as eLearning,
our workers are already embracing
mobile and apps to engage and share
experiences. The future of WYOD is less
than a couple of years away, imagining
the possibilities will start to prepare us
for the emerging potential with that is
both exciting and challenging. “See you”
in the future!
AnneBartlett-BraggistheManaging
DirectoroftheRippleEffectGroupinthe
Asia-Pacificregionandasessionallecturer
oforganisationallearningsubjectsatthe
UniversityofTechnologySydney.
Further reading:
1. brw.com.au/p/tech-gadgets/
one_fifth_technology_years_olds_
WvXx2cKsJoUL6Blsss0WUN
2. smh.com.au/small-business/smallbiz-tech/
google-glass-will-change-the-world-20140519-
38jj8.html#ixzz32hhvKyHL
3. Inspire Centre, University of Canberra.inspire.
edu.au/glass-meetups/
4. plus.google.com/u/0/communities/
107609996462187425150
5. My curated content on wearable devices:
.scoop.it/t/wearable-devices-by-anne-bartlett-
bragg
6. Alexander Hayes Google+
plus.google.com/+AlexanderHayes
7. 60 business use cases of Google Glass
goo.gl/cr5M4R