Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

CES 2014 was all about wearable technology [ http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/7/5284144/the-best-wearables-of-ces-2014-stream ]. Naturally, I’m left wondering what this trend (fad? tip of the iceberg? beginning of the end?) might mean for education. Whether it is here to stay or not, I think wearables have some really neat potential.

Often, we talk about a need for authentic real-world contexts content. Imagine basing all word problems on data about students’ own lives collected by their bracelets! Now that would be authentic.

Related, we want students to think about their learning all day, every day, and not just while they’re in our classes. Wearables integrate technology more seamlessly than even a smartphone does; while a smartphone is designed to be put away in a pocket, a wearable is as much a part of a person’s everyday as his/her clothing. Developing apps for these devices that introduce information, offer challenges to be solved, and allow students to identify examples of their learning in real life will show them how meaningful their learning really is.