I admit: I have grown bored with Google Wave. Oh, I still think it could have potential. My boredom stems not from how it works, but rather from who is not on there. Namely, pretty much anyone that I interact with on a daily basis.
Oh, I sent out invites to some friends and several colleagues, but most of them never got an invite. The few that did are the ones that are too busy to really kick the tires around. So it pretty much sits in my Google account, lonely and unused.
What worries me is the relative silence coming from Google about Wave. Anybody remember Lively? Google released it with as much fanfare as Wave a few years ago. People were pretty excited about Lively. Many articles were written on how it was the future of educational virtual worlds. Then came an uncomfortable, prolonged silence from Google. And finally, out of no where… Google pulled the plug.
Let’s face it, Google Google has no problems hyping their priorities. Why the silence about Wave? Every other educational article seems to be about Wave, but Google seems to be mum. The momentum is starting to die for Wave. Google needs to build some fresh momentum soon….
Matt is currently an Instructional Designer II at Orbis Education and a Part-Time Instructor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Previously he worked as a Learning Innovation Researcher with the UT Arlington LINK Research Lab. His work focuses on learning theory, Heutagogy, and learner agency. Matt holds a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas, a Master of Education in Educational Technology from UT Brownsville, and a Bachelors of Science in Education from Baylor University. His research interests include instructional design, learning pathways, sociocultural theory, heutagogy, virtual reality, and open networked learning. He has a background in instructional design and teaching at both the secondary and university levels and has been an active blogger and conference presenter. He also enjoys networking and collaborative efforts involving faculty, students, administration, and anyone involved in the education process.
They have been very quiet for a while, but I think they just broke their silence (see http://www.theshinywave.com/developer/google-wave-making-improvements/) – @twephanie (Stephanie Hannon – Google Wave Project Manager) would be the person to ask about upcoming changes – I’d expect to see more before Google I/O 10.
Nothing like new features to get the hype engine going again. That is good news – thanks Russell!