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Hololenses are Here!

October 5, 2016
Beth Seltzer gets Jancy Munguia suited up.
Beth Seltzer gets Jancy Munguia suited up.

Bryn Mawr College is one of a few educational institutions chosen to partner with Pearson Education to explore how the HoloLens, which Microsoft describes as a "mixed reality" device capable of superimposing 3D holograms onto a real environment, might enhance college teaching and learning.

On September 15, ETS received several Development Edition Microsoft HoloLens and basic training in how to use them from members of the Pearson Education team, including Bryn Mawr College alumna, Linda Bush. Over the fall semester we will be organizing several events where faculty and students can experience the devices and brainstorm about ways they might be used in teaching and learning, including a November 29 tech talk.

Melanie Bahti experiments with gaming applications.
Melanie Bahti experiments with gaming applications.

With our Pearson colleagues we will be testing basic issues of usability and functionality in two of Professor Elizabeth McCormack's classes this fall, including how to get faculty and students up and running with the devices quickly and the functions of the built-in Skype integration and core hologram apps. For the spring, we hope to develop and test some of the disciplinary classroom applications identified through the fall brainstorming sessions.

The HoloLens devices feature a built-in computer processors with a user interface controlled by head movements, hand gestures and voice commands. Users see the interface and other virtual content  superimposed on their environment, and the operating system has spatial mapping functionality that developers can use to enable the virtual elements to interact with real-world elements. Users can interact with and manipulate virtual objects using head movements, gestures, and voice commands.

Interested in experimenting with or developing content for the HoloLenses? Contact Jennifer Spohrer.