A keen-sighted CIO’s inter-view on Glass


Open-eyed and thoughtful views on Glass’ realistic usability in higher education

google-glass-interview“OK Glass,” take a picture. It’s most likely the first thing a Google Glass Explorer will try, as I did.

Now, entering my third month, in the beta Google Glass Explorer program, I saw a need to refocus my exploring, no pun intended, on requesting an open and frank “Glass” interview with the CIO-Chief Information Officer, Paige Francis, at Fairfield University.

By accepting the invitation, Paige has already broken through many proverbial “glass ceilings,” as the first woman, Jesuit University CIO, Google Glass interviewee, represented in a Google Plus Glass community. Paige is now visible on the Google Plus Community, actively engaging in technology dialogue, via Google Glass.

Her interview responses focus on infusing Glass and potentially more wearable technology devices, into higher education environments. These recordings have caught the eye of Glass Explorer, and Professional Associate at University of Canberra of Australia, Alexander Hayes, who includes Paige in his prestigious community of exemplary Glass interviewees of high status, in the global world community i.e. Glass Engineers, educators, and explorers.

(Next page: The Google Glass higher ed experience and video interview)

Paige donned the wearable eye “Glass” device, and adjusted the right eye Optical Head Mounted Display (OHUD) prism eye piece. With a brief demonstration on the basics of using Glass’s touch screen frame, I pointed toward my eyes, and descriptively nominated it as, “The Information Eyeway.”

Paige’s palpable enthusiasm for new technology revealed her optimistic outlook for Glass, as potentially being a game changing device. In fact, when using the Glass’s media options (taking photos, video recording), she immediately added an educational value benefit, to the device, as being a one-of-a-kind educational tool suggesting its useful purpose as dynamically adding real-time, first person experiential perspectives, contributing potentially rich media content for both teaching and learning.

Paige’s observations, in reflection, are keenly poignant, mentioning that traditional face-to-face communications are by far the first choice; however, direct as well as tangential benefits of Glass’s social apps like Twitter, Tumblr, and especially with its streaming capabilities, has garnered positive attention for engagement in multiple levels of communication.

Paige offers the university community a refocused vision on wearable technologies by piloting and immersing herself in the Google Glass Explorer experience. Her engagement is clearly an open minded leadership decision, illuminating a crystal clear perception of the high technical standards for innovation, in synchronization with continued high academic standards. One question posed to Paige was about the apparent disruption that Glass technology might have on the university campus. Paige profoundly stated that, “There is nothing too funky that we are not willing to try; Disruption or not, it is expected in experiencing new technologies.”

As I left her office, there was synergistic excitement and optimism about the possibilities of Glass technology in education in two main ways. Firstly, that emerging device disruption is expected, and secondly, wearable technologies need to be taken seriously, and proactively discussed among key members of the university community. Without a doubt, Glass’s ubiquitous, “all-in-one” functional design will leave a historical mark when it arrives on campus, and that might be as soon as this autumn.

Paige’s spotlight interview on Google Glass perhaps will enlighten many stakeholders’ perspectives on wearable technologies, revealing open-eyed and thoughtful views on its realistic usability in higher education.

Follow Paige on Twitter @FairfieldCIO, and Roxann Riskin @roxannriskin.

Alexander Hayes and Roxann Riskin with Paige Francis attribution and interviews

For more resources, follow these links:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpCObhADRFVa4gMrtEebs_4fpnxwpvFk9
https://plus.google.com/+AlexanderHayes/posts?hl=en

Roxann Riskin is a technology specialist/supervisor at Fairfield University.

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