Lesson 2.1: Why Focus on Augmented Reality (AR)?
Have you ever considered AR in your teaching? Have you experienced AR supported teaching/learning? What has been your experience?
One might wonder why choose to focus on AR as opposed to VR, when VR is more glamorous and higher-tech, and- one might argue- more impactful is an option for creating immersive opportunities in education!
The high- level answer is that AR is a great way to get into immersive technologies if you have never done it before. Here is why:
Easy access, lower cost, investment and maintenance
All AR apps work on smart mobile phones or tablets (more on AR glasses later!) which are increasingly becoming ubiquitous. To access AR content, the user may or may not need to download an app on their mobile device with an active internet connection, and use the camera to the AR enabled object or location. In some case, specialized glasses are needed, such as for the Holo Anatomy software.
To start using an AR application in a lesson, a teacher may be able to find a readymade app with lesson plans that meet the educational need, ask students to download the app and whip out their phones to begin the lesson (more on creating content later!)
In contrast, Virtual Reality (VR) requires specialized headsets and a somewhat dedicated or safe space to interact with the virtual world. While the cost of the headsets has come down substantially, they can be expensive to purchase, maintain and keep updated over time or replaced if technology changes substantially. Since VR experiences require much more realistic and high-resolution imagery and imagination, the software cost for the experience can also be high. The learning curve for using the VR experience effectively can be high for both the teacher who must design useful learning activities and the learner who needs to get used to working in a virtual space.
Thus the adoption barrier for AR is lower for all parties involved- teacher, student and the administration!
Wide range of applications are already available and many more coming up
Because of the relative ease of developing applications for AR experience, there is already a significant library of experiences, lesson plans, applications and case studies that can help a teacher select the experience that best meets their needs. As large tech and content providers get more interested in AR and the government gets into funding such innovations, one can expect this library to grow.
Later, we will see examples of apps that are currently available and highly rated in a wide range of disciplines such as medicine, chemistry, biology, astronomy, business, language, construction, communication and others.
Relative ease of use
Since there are a number of applications in the market that can meet some of more common lessons and learning needs, such as the well-established HoloAnatomy software suite, Anatomy tables. Astronomy apps, language learning app, etc. the teacher’s role is primarily to use the content to fit into their lesson plan. The learning curve for the student is probably going to be pretty short, as most of the learners today have experience working with mobile devices, games and other interactive digital media.
If however, the teacher finds that the content that is available on the web is not suitable for the lesson, then it will be necessary to build their own lesson using one of the AR platforms available. Even here, there are some platforms that can make it easier to develop these experiences with or without the need for coding. We will look into this in the next section.
Rapid development and growth by major tech and content providers
AR has caught everyone's attention, and big and small tech and content providers, governments, private corporations are all jumping in to either provide technical solutions, innovative content, research and grants for implementation, and demand creation. For example, Qualcomm's latest eye tracking glasses using AR2 technology is lightweight, has a long battery life and decent lower resolution graphics. It has already built partnerships with Lenova, LG, Microsoft to make their platforms cross compatible. Major Museums and art galleries, national parks and arboretums, and labs and incubators are developing AR content or providing resources for people to develop and distribute AR content to schools and colleges and general public. These are great resources that can be leveraged as part of a lesson plan, with minimal added expense and learning curve.
Assessment and Reflection
Visit your Teaching Innovation/Support Center and inquire if there are VR or AR glasses at your university in any lab. If yes, request to participate in some activity that would allow you to experience VR or AR. Compare and contrast your experience with AR and VR. Which one do you think is better for educational purposes? Why?
