Augmented Reality for Education. New Opportunities

It must be okay to compare the rapidly progressing technology trends to science fiction. Cars are literally driving themselves on the roads, just like we used to predict they would be in very distant future. Not everyone anticipated the huge success of UAV’s and drones, but now they are making advancements in filmmaking, agriculture, and law enforcement. The progressive development of technology has changed every aspect of our living, education included.

Due to the inclinations of young generations to rely on technology when they seek any solutions, teachers are often challenged to use tech tools in the process of sharing knowledge, with the aim to bring the lectures closer to students’ understanding. The concept of augmented reality allows them to present the world of knowledge through active learning experiences supported by technology.

Ronald Azuma, Research Leader at Nokia Research Centre, defines augmented reality (AR) as “an environment that includes both virtual reality and real-world elements. For instance, an AR user might wear translucent goggles; through these, he could see the real world, as well as computer-generated images projected on top of that world.” (Azuma, 1997 )

The British Museum’s Ancient Egyptian trail is a great example of the way AR can enhance educational processes. The trail guides the explorers through a realistic experience of human history. The John Paul Getty Museum allows website visitors to explore the 17th century Augsburg Display Cabinet via a 3D overlay on a live video feed from their web cams. The model responds to the viewer’s actions and creates a sense of participation.

Recent research conducted by Jisc showed clear results: students are definitely ready for it. 32% of the participants said that tech facilities were an important factor that helped them choose a university. 37% of the students said they were interested in virtual lectures, and 35% of them expressed their approval of dedicated mobile apps.    

In general, teachers who are ready to implement AR in their classrooms can work with two methodologies:

• Location-based AR, which displays layers of virtual information and objects upon real-world locations, and

• Marker-based AR, which uses computer vision methods to detect and recognize 2D barcodes, symbols, and other visual markers.

Reasons for Using AR in Education

With Augmented Reality, students can understand the real world through their iOS and Android devices, but they can manipulate it as well. There are two major reasons for implementing this technology in educational processes:

• AR provides extended information about the objects students see. The projects include links that lead to relevant resources they can explore. If, for example, they are exploring a natural environment setting, they will find more information about each tree and plant they spot.

• AR helps students relate the knowledge they already have with the new information they obtain. They recognize the links between different objects and pieces of the puzzle that surrounds them. This is the type of knowledge that sticks within their memory.

Ways of Using AR for Educational Purposes

The usual way of bringing Augmented Reality into the classroom is through QR codes. The students need iOS or Android devices with QR code app readers, such as i-nigma . They use their tablets or smartphones to scan the QR code provided by the teacher, and they access art shows, history lessons, links to extended information, and anything else the educator wants to share.

In this way, the classroom becomes more than a space filled with random objects; it’s a source of information about the world that surrounds them. Each QR code is a trigger that creates a subsequent action in the learning process. That action can be a 3D animation, an image, video, game, or anything else the teacher decides it to be.

In addition to using QR codes in the classroom, AR can be introduced in other ways into students’ learning processes:

• Photo Walls

When photographs of important scientists, researchers, writers, athletes, and other people are displayed on a board, students can scan the images and get all information about the particular person.

The photo wall technique is also a useful way for introducing teaching staff to the students. It helps them know more about the teachers, so they will perceive them not as authorities, but as people they can learn from.

• Help with Homework

Tech-savvy educators can provide videos that assist students in solving a problem after they scan a page of their homework.

• Demonstrating Sign Language

Teachers can use AR technology to educate deaf students by presenting videos that show how to sign a phrase or word.

• Accessing Book Reviews

The teacher can display several books and ask the students to choose the book they will read and review. The brief descriptions they access through AR technology will give them the base of information they need to make a decision.

• Lab Experiments

When the students scan a trigger, they can access an entire virtual science lab, where they can learn about laboratory equipment, safety procedures and protocols.

Apps that Support AR

Teachers and students can use some of the following apps to bring AR to life:

• Google Sky Map – an app that identifies stars and constellations when the users direct their device’s cameras to the sky.

• Elements4D – this app makes chemistry lessons more effective by bringing the periodic table to life.

• Anatomy4D – an app that presents realistic images of the human body and its organs.

• FETCH! Lunch Rush – a 3D app that uses the smartphone camera to place graphics over the real surroundings. Its goal is to help elementary students develop math skills through visualization techniques.   

Augmented Reality is incredibly useful technology that takes learning experience to a higher level. It can make the learning process as simple or as complex as the participants want it to be. It’s safe to say that the future of education will be guided by AR; we just need to see where its development takes us.