Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

How can you improve school education with augmented reality lessons? Schools that are using the flipped classroom in Austria, 90 percent want to continue using the pedagogy. A survey on the subject shows that e.g. mathematics and English has improved dramatically by flipping the classroom. Some of the advantages are the expansion of space and time and the opportunity to receive much more personalised teaching and learning opportunities within the classroom.

K-12 schools are beginning to see the educational value of virtual and augmented reality and are investing in these technologies even though price points are still aimed at higher-end markets.

A new application makes it possible for students to explore delicate historical artifacts without ever laying a finger on them.

The Augmented Archives project, started through a partnership between the Washington College Archives and Washington College’s Academic Technology Department, brings artifacts to life “using augmented reality technology to make rare documents, fragile artifacts and curator commentary videos accessible to exhibit visitors.”

“I see this as a great way for us to change the way we are engaging with our artifacts” says Heather Calloway, archivist and special collections librarian at Washington College in a video on the project. “We could take something out and digitize it in various ways.”

Augmented reality-based apps infuse more engagement into learning exercises, and students often grasp complex concepts quickly with interactive content, said Peterson, referencing Drew Minock, an advocate for augmented reality in the classroom and outreach manager at augmented reality company Daqri. “If you can captivate those kids when you introduce the lesson, you know they’re going to pay attention throughout the lesson,” Peterson said. “This is a great way to grab kids and get them involved.” Relevant educational uses include using augmented reality during a visit to a museum or historical location, seeing science concepts in motion, looking at math from new visual perspectives, watching books come to life, and animating art.

According to Webster's Dictionary, augmented reality is "an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device (as a smartphone camera); also :  the technology used to create augmented reality."  Think of it as a type of virtual reality, using the computer to copy your world. You are probably familiar with a tool created by Google which falls into this category: Google Glass. Although augmented reality has existed for a long time, we as teachers are only now grasping how to use it in the classroom.