Augmented Reality

My User name for Aurasma is michaelgaia 

This is my Aurasma aura:


Augmented reality (AR) is the use of technology to superimpose a digital or computer generated image on a user's view of the real world, thus providing a composite view. (google definition) Augmented reality is sometimes referred to as blended reality as it is blends together the technologically created, together with the real world around us. (NMC/CoSN Horizon Report, 2016) Augmented reality differs from virtual reality in that it is an enhancement of a users actual reality with layers of information, as opposed to the creation of an artificial immersive reality where the user is no longer engaging with their actual surroundings. While it may seem like something out of the world of science fiction, AR has actually existed since the sixties. With recent and rapid advancements in technology, augmented reality is becoming more applicable, attainable and affordable by the broader public.

In the area of education, special education students can greatly benefit from AR technology. Students with disabilities could often benefit from having their realities enhanced. Deaf students, for example, could benefit from the use of AR looking glasses. These glasses can use voice recognition technologies to create speech bubbles that will allow students to visually recognize what is being said in real time, sometimes replacing the need of sign language interpreter. (2016) Similarly, technologies and apps have been created that can translate the visual world into audio, thus allowing blind people to have audio interpretations about what is happening in the world around them. AR technology can definitely enhance the educational environment for students with disabilities by allowing them to access information through a variety of different ways. (2016)

Augmented Reality: speech bubble technology at a train station in Vienna

Museums are often using Augmented Reality technology to provide layers of digitally created information for exhibits for their general collections. This enhances patrons', often students', experience by providing a variety of history, scientific and geographic information about particular works of art or installations. 

Augmented Reality Demo for American Museum of Natural History

The ability to transfer learning from one context to another is a significant skill, one that AR can facilitate in its overt use of context and layering. (NMC/CoSN, Horizon Report 2012)

The area of medical education seems to be where AR is having its most significant impact so far. The Augmentarium at the University of Maryland develops innovative deployments for surgery training; physicians can utilize AR technology to “see through” patients’ bodies before beginning operations. (2016)

Companies and labs have been developing a variety of technologies for AR. Google developed google glass but took it off the market in 2015. They are working on a new version to be released soon. This is a stand alone AR headset. In 2009, the MIT Media Lab’s Fluid Interfaces Group presented SixthSense, a device that combined the use of a camera, small projector, smartphone and mirror. The device hangs from the user’s chest in a lanyard fashion from the neck. (Emspak, 2016)

Smart phones and tablets are proving to be the most effective way that augmented reality gets into people's lives. Vito Technology's Star Walk app, for instance, allows a user to point the camera in their tablet or phone at the sky and see the names of stars and planets superimposed on the image. Another app called Layar uses the smartphone’s GPS and its camera to collect information about the user’s surroundings. It then displays information about nearby restaurants, stores and points of interest. (2016)

One criticism of the increased use of augmented reality is that with all of these layers of information being provided to us we have the possibility of being overloaded with too much information that can confuse us or hinder our inherent understanding of a subject matter. In his article, 7 Ways Augmented Reality Will Change Your Brain, Author Thomas K. Carpenter warns that we must be careful and selective as we enter the world of AR so that we aren't overwhelmed by too much information and made incoherent by this cognitive overload. (Carpenter, 2012) Information can enhance and inspire a more profound understanding of reality but too much information at inappropriate times may muddle our understanding just the same. 

paragraph on my Aurasma aura:

I currently work as a health and life skills teacher at Hope Learning Academy in Toledo. One of the major components of my health curriculum is dental hygiene. This week we had a visiting dental hygienist come to visit so dental health is fresh in my mind. I created an Aura with a short video that explains how kids should care for their teeth. I am planning to test this out with my kids next week and see how they like it. Just having a phone and app activated seems to get children more engaged. This AR technology is so much fun that I think the kids will enjoy the novelty of it as much as I have. With a little more advanced technology, I envisioned an aura, or series of auras, of a mouth with multiple videos that explained the different kinds of teeth and parts of the mouth -- gums, tongue, etc.. I have found these weeks on virtual and augmented reality to be very enriching for me. Before this class I was practically a novice at even downloading an app! This segment on AR really came together without a hitch and is so much fun! 

screenshot of my aura:

References

Google, https://www.google.com/#q=definition+of+augmented+reality

Carpenter, Thomas K, 7 Ways Augmented Reality Will Change Your Brain,  2012. http://thomaskcarpenter.com/2010/02/23/7-ways-augmented-reality-will-change-your-brain/

Emspak, Jesse, What Is Augmented Reality? Live Science, 2016 http://www.livescience.com/34843-augmented-reality.html

NMC/CoSn Horizon Report, 2012 K-12 Edition https://blackboard.utdl.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-5176843-dt-content-rid-18800231_1/courses/XLST.N5.201710/2012-horizon-report-K12.pdf

NMC/CoSN Horizon Report, 2016 K-12 Edition https://blackboard.utdl.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-5169561-dt-content-rid-18672524_1/courses/XLST.N5.201710/2016-nmc-cosn-horizon-report-k12-EN%281%29.pdf

Virtual Reality

https://www.thinglink.com/video/886808453333385217

embed link:

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Virtual Reality, VR, is the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors. (Google dictionary) Virtual reality often allows the user to immerse themselves in a computer generated 3D reality that is artificially created. There are several different kinds of virtual reality technology that are becoming better accessible and more utilized in educational environments. Some are fully immersive where the user interacts with the VR environment through movement and the use of a head set. Non immersive VR technology can be used through a desk top computer, a mouse and a keyboard.

There are several ways that Virtual Reality can benefit students and help them learn. Virtual reality delivers immersive, simulated worlds, enabling complete focus on content without distractions. (NMC/CoSN Horizon Report, 2016) Students can engage in new situations and activities in realistic settings, fostering greater knowledge retention than textbook learning. (2016) In the K-12 sector, VR is well-positioned as an educational tool, generating immersive environments for field trips, with simulation and research activities serving as a prime enabler of student-centered, experiential, and collaborative learning. (2016) By providing immersive experiences, VR can also help to compensate for shortcomings with STEM education that is often too theory based and does not always provide students with enough direct hands on experiences.

As an educator and a parent I have yet to see Virtual Reality technology utilized in any classroom setting. According to the article Virtual Reality in the Classroom, the biggest barrier to the use of VR is access to the technology and cost. (Riel, 2016) I think another barrier is the fact that many teachers, especially veteran teachers that have not been exposed, or are unaware or the possibilities available through Virtual Reality and benefits it could have, pedagogically. Students are often more knowledgeable than their teachers about new technologies and this is especially the case with Virtual Reality as they use it in gaming.  As VR becomes more readily available and affordable with advances in technology, this technological awareness gap should close over time.

GoPro VR: The Fourth Phase in 360, uses GoPro camera technology to provide 360 degree angles of activities. This allows the viewer to have a very close to 3D fully immersed VR experience and can be experienced watched on a desktop computer. There is a directional indicator that can be used with a mouse and keyboard to change the perspective of the viewer throughout the video. Using google chrome and headphones for listening is recommended for the "maximum" experience. This is a fun to watch video of snowboarder Travis Rice hitting the slopes. 

Oculus Rift is the Virtual Reality headset that has been created by Facebook. It provides for full immersion experiences in a simulated 3D reality. One of the aspects I like about Oculus Rift, and see could be beneficial in the classroom, is that you can create avatars for people and yourself that can meet and interact in a simulated 3D environment. I would love to be able to do this with my students but it is still too cost prohibitive to do so. This is a simulated 3D guided meditation.

VREducation http://immersivevreducation.com/ allows students to learn about historical events by immersing themselves in historical experiences and having a first hand feel of what the event was like, its historical relevance, etc.. Through VR simulations students are able to land on the moon and experience the sinking of the Titanic. This is a simulated 3D experiential exploration of the Titanic and its shipwreck.


References:

Google, https://www.google.com/#q=virtual+reality+definition , Retrieved on 2/5/2016.

NMC/CoSN Horizon Report, 2016 K-12 Edition Retrieved on 2/5/2016 from https://blackboard.utdl.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-5169561-dt-content-rid-18672524_1/courses/XLST.N5.201710/2016-nmc-cosn-horizon-report-k12-EN%281%29.pdf

Riel, Jeremy, Virtual Reality in the Classroom, September, 2016. University of Illinois, College of Education, Recess Blog. Retrieved on 2/5/2016 from http://education.uic.edu/academics-admissions/student-life/virtual-reality-classroom