The College Fix

One of the most controversial tech gadgets to hit the market in recent years – Google Glass – is coming to Indiana University Bloomington for some student-driven experimentation thanks to a “Google evangelist” on campus.

Indiana University – Bloomington’s Wesley Craig, a student enrolled in its Kelley School of Business and a “Google Student Ambassador,” convinced the student government to purchase the device. He is also a member of the student government’s tech team.

“I wanted to expose students to Google Glass because it’s kind of the talk of the town right now,” Craig said in an interview with The College Fix. “I wanted to have a place where students could come and try it on.”

Craig’s role as a “Google Student Ambassador” requires him to devote 10 hours per month to spend on “Google evangelist work,” and to be “involved with student organizations and activities,” according to the company’s online description of the position.

Craig said that Google Glass is cutting edge and deserves attention.

With that, the public university’s student government recently agreed to purchase the roughly $2,000 device, a computer worn like a pair of glasses that includes a camera, which can take pictures and video, as well as identify images users see before them. It is expected to arrive sometime this month.

The device in general has prompted massive privacy concerns across the nation, because the pictures and videos can be easily captured without those in its view knowing they’re being filmed.

Craig said the technology will be used for “educational” endeavors, and a little fun, at Indiana University.

“The logistics of how it will be used is still being figured out,” he said. “What we want to do is have Google Glass office hours where students can come in and play with it for a little bit. … Another part would be specifically for informatics and computer science students.”

He said students in the university’s School of Informatics and Computing will have access to the device for projects, research and application development. It remains to be seen what type of apps might be developed.

Google Glass has generated some controversy over its potentially invasive functions. Some have voiced concerns that it may allow people to violate other peoples’ privacy by taking unwarranted photos or video. On a campus as large as Indiana University, students already run similar risks with smartphone cameras.

Craig told The College Fix that use of Google Glass will be strictly professional.

“It’s all educational,” he said.

College Fix contributor Crystal Hill is a student at Indiana University Bloomington.

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IMAGES: Google Glass Website screenshots