Benefits and Possibilities of Augmented Reality in Elementary Education
Education systems have already begun to take advantage of mobile AR opportunities in small ways, but many existing limitations prevent widespread use at present. When 5G access is commonplace, and school boards are able to commit to teacher professional development and funding to broaden the use of mobile technologies, AR use in all areas of the curriculum will grow exponentially. Students will be able to get out of their classrooms to explore and learn about their world with the aid of mobile devices, providing AR experiences to bring the curriculum to life, improving engagement, motivation, understanding, and ultimately, student learning.
This exponential growth in usage will bring about similar growth in the development of quality educational mobile AR applications so that teachers and students, whether they are based in a school or a distance-learning situation, can take full advantage of this technology. Concepts will come to life in real environments in ways they never have before, as students actively manipulate their world in mobile augmented reality. The examples below provide a taste of AR applications that are already available today.
"An interactive scavenger hunt or a guided historic tour” (Pellas et al., 2019)
Recognition-based natural objects for learning in the field (Alakarppa et al., 2017)
Location-based AR 3D sculptures of key historical figures, who give a famous speech in the location where it was originally given (WRAL TechWire, 2021)
In Vienna’s Rasthaus educational AR experience, students can discover “Painted historical figures ... trees popping up and animated creatures dashing around ... underwater themes, with submarines, fish and stingrays, and deep-sea divers creating breath bubbles in the air.” (Sutton, 2021)
AR Indoor Positioning Navigation System allowing ancient creatures such as dinosaurs and fossils "resurrect and interact with visitors” (Tang, 2021)
Museum exhibits with superimposition-based AR to see skin and movements on animal skeletons (Tang, 2021)
The possibilities are limited only by our imagination . . .
Apple ARKit 4 and Google ARCore - enable easier app development, supporting increased use of AR-enabled devices (Makarov 2021)
AR glasses will become more “comfortable, affordable, and socially accepted”, enabling more widespread use (Makarov 2021)
AR use on any device (Lynch 2020)
Most apps will not require Wi-Fi access, so mobile AR use will be much more accessible (Lynch 2020)
Various types of devices may be able to interact, allowing for groups/classes/schools to work on the same activity (Lynch 2020)
AR models “will be able to interact with real environments and detect real-globe objects” (Lynch 2020)