A new report from Research and Markets took a look at the projected growth of classroom wearable technology in the U.S. classroom over the next four years and projected that the tech is expected to increase at a speedy rate.

Wearable technology is defined by the firm as products that can be mounted anywhere on the body of a user depending on requirements; the report’s summary says a majority of the technologies studied are worn by students via wrist or head.

"To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from sales of classroom wearables technology devices such as smart glasses, smartwatches, fitness trackers, wearable cameras, and virtual reality headgears,” the report’s description says.

The 63-page report, which is available for download here for various pricing, projects that wearable tech will grow in classrooms by 45.52% over the four-year period.

Featured companies include big names in the education sector like Apple, Google and Microsoft but also include companies like Fitbit, Nike and Samsung.

The report attributes the rapid expansion of wearable technologies to companies’ capitalization of smart phone-syncing.

"The global smartphone shipments increased from 173.5 million units in 2009 to 1,200.4 million units in 2014. The growth of the consumer market for wearables technology largely depends on how rapidly existing smartphone users integrate wearable accessories and alternative devices with their smartphones,” the report’s summary says.

Likely mentioned in the report is the recent explosion of virtual reality head gears in the classroom thanks to the affordable option created by Google through Google Expeditions. Though that product is still in a testing phase, it is predicted to become a staple in the classroom to help students reach distant lands without leaving their classrooms.

On a negative note, the report also makes mention of the data security concerns that wearable technology brings.

"Since wearable devices have wireless capability, it may challenge the security of institutional data. Data access protocols and physical controls may be compromised by students and teachers either intentionally or inadvertently,” the report’s summary says.

Read more about the report and find out how to purchase here.

Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

Related readings:

• Another School Reports Positive Experience After Testing Google Expeditions 
• 35 Ways to Use Wearable Technology in the Classroom via Teach Thought 
• What Wearable Technologies Could Mean for the Classroom via Edudemic