Current Applications

CURRENT APPLICATIONS OF AUGMENTED REALITY IN EDUCATION

The advent and introduction of new technologies into our classrooms is exceptionally important in all grade levels. Our youth today are significantly entrenched in the digital age, so much so, that they are more acceptive and adaptive to innovative educational mechanisms. At this juncture, Augmented Reality (AR) has already become a staple within devices across the cellular spectrum, and in certain ways, has already altered behaviour in several sectors. Paul Milgram suggests the existence of a ‘virtuality continuum’; is a continuous scale ranging between the completely virtual and the completely real. “The reality–virtuality continuum therefore encompasses all possible variations and compositions of real and virtual objects. The area between the two extremes, where both the real and the virtual are mixed, is called mixed reality. This in turn is said to consist of both augmented reality, where the virtual augments the real, and augmented virtuality, where the real augments the virtual” (Theodossiou, 2019).

Augmented Reality Sandbox

The AR Sandbox is, quite literally, exactly what it implies. It combines 3-D visualization applications projected onto a box of sand which affords the opportunity for students to learn about earth science concepts. “The AR sandbox allows users to create topography models by shaping real sand, which is then augmented in real time by an elevation color map, topographic contour lines, and simulated water flow. The system teaches geographic, geologic, and hydrologic concepts such as how to read a topography map, the meaning of contour lines, watersheds, catchment areas, levees, etc” (Theodossiou, 2019). On a more basic level, the AR sandbox combines education, entertainment, and therapy in a way that boosts children’s development and aids in gaining basic knowledge about fundamental school subjects while stimulating creativity, constructing, exploration and developing imagination.

Augmented Reality and the Textbook

There is a stigma about today's learner - They do not prefer to read, let alone read hard-cover books. Today's youths are digital natives, and being such, are overloaded with visual media on a daily basis. "The undeniable fact is that the new generation, no matter whether it belongs to the group of digital learners or not, cannot be trained in the traditional ways. Teachers should adapt pedagogical approaches and implement new tools and technologies in the learning process in order to keep the relationship and communication between them and learners" (Kiryakova, 2018). By combining the physical aspects of textbooks with the virtual design of Augmented Reality, we are able to combine both virtual and real objects co-existing in the same space. Moreover, AR Textbooks has the capability to cut down on production costs, as they no longer need to be reprinted in yearly volumes but rather, 're-uploaded' with updated materials.

One such application is The MagicBook. The MagicBook is billed as transitional tool to allow new AR users to become more comfortable utilizing Augmented Reality strategies within their pedagogies. One of the more interesting applications is "an educational textbook designed to teach architects how to build Gerrit Rietveld’s famous Red and Blue Chair... On each page is a two-dimensional picture of the current stage of the chair construction. When readers look at this page in their hand-held displays, they see a three-dimensional model of the partially completed chair popping out of page. On the final page they see a virtual model of the completed chair that they can fly into and see life-sized. Being able see the chair from any angle during the construction process as well as a life-sized model at the end is a powerful teaching tool (Billinghurst, 2001).