The Future of Mobile Augmented Reality in Elementary Education

What's next for mobile AR in K-6 education?

Smartphones and Augmented Reality

The future of elementary education is exciting! As an elementary teacher, I see so many possibilities, just around the corner.

Let's explore how mobile augmented reality (AR) will play a major role in that future.

Between 2020 and 2027, the global value of AR education is projected to increase from US$760 million to US$41.8 billion, according to Research and Markets (Tang, 2021). So what will the results of all this spending look like?

Generation Alpha - children born between 2010 and 2025, will number 2 billion globally by 2025. According to Fortunae (2019), these children:

  • are the most technologically-infused demographic to date;

  • use technology, smartphones, tablets, and computers naturally;

  • may live in smart homes and talk to a Smart Voice Assistant regularly;

  • know about SpaceX and may want to live on Mars one day;

  • were born along with smartphones, tablets, and applications, and cannot even imagine how life was without them.

Research "suggests that children develop cognitive and motor skills necessary for using augmented reality smartphone apps by the age of seven years". (Yadav et al., 2020)

Generation Alpha is set to embrace AR in their education. Most of these students are, or soon will be carrying mobile devices, which open up a world of AR possibilities...