CU Denver professor peering at teaching habits through Google Glass

DENVER | In the classroom, there are four sets of glasses, but Bud Talbot’s pair are a little different.

Talbot, an assistant professor at University of Colorado Denver in the School of Education and Human Development, wears Google Glasses on Friday to help him better understand how teachers interact with students. His glasses are part of a semester-long study in observing and critiquing teaching techniques.

“When we train teachers, initially, or even when they do professional development … you watch a lot of video. The hypothesis is if there’s something unique about the point-of-view insight that you might learn about your own intentionalities and interactions.”

Typically, teachers have relied on back-of-the-classroom video or peer notes to review how they’re teaching, Talbot said. Reviewing video taken at his own eye level gives him a different vantage of instructing students.

“The fact that I’m looking at you is very explicit … if the camera was in the back of the room it wouldn’t be as apparent as to where my gaze is or what I’m doing with my hands,” he said. “We’re seeing if that (Google Glass) video is more rich.”

He also lets his students watch, and wear Google Glass if they’re interested on what it looks like to him.

Sterling Glass, a biology student in Talbot’s class, said it could help better understand their teaching methods.

“I’m a firm believer that it’s worthwhile to have any and all data,” he said. “Having that point of view could help.”

Talbot uploads the video to a private Internet page where he can review the footage for his study.

“It’s pretty abrupt, you move your head around a lot,” he said.

Talbot said he’s using the wearable computer to better understand the role of technology in the classroom. Simply wearing Google Glass during class isn’t enough, he said, but knowing whether it can be useful to teachers.

“We’re always attracted to shiny things. But it’s whether technology is useful in the classroom that makes the difference,” he said.

His study isn’t complete, but he said that he’s looking forward to the results as a skeptic.

“It’s a different video, and it’s hard to interpret,” he said.