USC Planning to Offer Journalism Course Using Google Glass

While developers consider a number of industries for which Google Glass may have useful applications, some are considering the headset’s potential use in the news business. Professor Robert Hernandez of USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is offering a course this fall on Glass Journalism. “The class will consist of teams (Journalist, Designer, Developer) working together to research and develop different types of news apps designed specifically for the Glass platform,” reads a Tumblr post about the course.

The class plans to explore ways in which wearable devices such as Glass could transform newsgathering and consumption. It promises to be “innovative and experimental” and will include some “impressive media partners,” according to Hernandez. Via Tumblr, he says the course will explore the following:

  • How will these new devices disrupt journalism?
  • How can we create journalism content with wearables?
  • What is the future of the “article” on this platform?
  • What unique experiences can be created for this device?

Hernandez explains that the Glass headset is never going to merely serve as a steady tripod while conducting interviews.

“Instead, the goal is to work side by side with developers and designers to build apps for accessing news on the device,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “For example, if a person wearing Glass is staring at their local City Hall, an app could show them the latest articles about the mayor or the city, Hernandez said.”

“Hernandez said the class is going to examine apps that are being developed to help people absorb information on tiny screens,” notes WSJ. “One example is the speed-reading app Spritz, which helps people zip through 1,000 words a minute without having to squint. Another is Circa, which displays headlines in scrolling bullet points.”

Google Glass, which is expected to launch commercially Q3/Q4 of this year, already has news-related apps from Zite, Watchup, Fidelity Market Monitor, Mashable, CNN, Elle magazine, The New York Times, and WSJ.

 

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