Augmented Reality in Education – Immense Potential Ahead
Those who are familiar with Harry Potter movies can easily visualize a scenario where school hallways are stuck with paintings and images which come alive and interactive. Envisage crafting a similar atmosphere for kids in the school and how much they will enjoy it. Yes! Learning is going to be more of fun, lively and interactive. Augmented Reality (AR) lets educationalists and school children to do just that: unravel or build digital information layers on top of the static objects and images that can be seen through an Android or iOS device using smart phone or a tablet. The process of Augmented Reality in learning redefines the way students listens and interact even during a boring session because there is two way communication taking place. The entire learning process is redefined via AR at a very nominal cost though. With the help of AR students can choose, pick and match elements live from each pages. When the teacher says the monkey came and ate banana and ask kids to scan the image, they will see monkey popping up and eating the banana and even can listen to monkey’s screech. If it is a chemistry class, scanning the image of chemical compositions, students may be able to see how combination of elements creates a product. Application of AR in different context of education is listed below for a better understanding.
Practical Learning Experiences: Studies have shown that human brains tend to absorb only 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear‌.. 90% of what we both say and do. Hence, it is significant to impart training from young age by giving real-world learning experiences. New age education has started moving towards this theme and integration of Smart Classes with the Syllabus is showing a positive sign in this direction. One of the key elements of successful practical education is DIY Flash Cards. Many schools and technical educational institutes have started using Flash card idea in the last couple of years. Realizing the potential of Augmented Reality in flash cards comprehensive efforts are put in by innovative AR enterprises worldwide. Major element of building AR in flash card is creation of asset which is initially a tedious and time consuming process. Asset creation and synchronized integration will make flash cards come so lively; students will enjoy learning even the toughest equations to the chemical compositions. For children, AR has completely changed the way of learning. Through flash cards, each alphabet becomes interactive and real which gives a memorable experience in learning and remembering. Homework: Homework is the most difficult part of education for students as well as teachers and parents. Even though many schools boast of not entertaining homework, practically homework continue to be a strong part of curriculum. By scanning the image or table in the textbook AR helps student to watch the video of how to do the homework. This is as good as listening to the teacher in the classroom. Moreover, by scanning the image, the students will be able to revise chapters and improve the level of memory.
Online Education: Online learning or E-Learning is picking up pace dramatically for specialized subjects and for higher education. Most of the E-Learning institutes provide backup presentations and pdf files of the subjects to refurbish subjects. Augmented Reality can play a key role in this. Students need to scan the marker in the home work section of each chapter and a list of do’s and don’ts will pop up with necessary guidance on learning critical areas of the subject. Also, an analysis of previous chapters which collaborates with the present chapter can be immersed to help sustain continuity in learning. Virtual E-Learning: It has been a routine practice in schools and colleges to create posters and prototype models for better understanding as part of learning process. They develop limited knowledge while doing so. Especially when the students are in engineering or in higher education arena, it is more important to try and test circuits by assembling it as many times as possible. The power of AR is simply amazing here. Students can use it as a riddle to see whether the project is done properly by using flash cards and if there is any mismatch or wrong assembly will get digital feedback instantly. Likewise, if done properly students will get instant notifications too. This is an important milestone in E-Learning process irrespective of kinder garden or for higher education. Performing lab experiments can be made easier by providing a means for students to practice visually in class or at home which leads to better performance while doing it manually in the lab. For Deferentially-Abled Students: Schools can create flash cards of words and matching images to help students with hearing difficulties understand better by incorporating a video overlay to show the correlation. Also, the disabled children can get immersed into the subject by scanning the image which will create an unparalleled learning experience.
For Academic Faculties, Staffs & Management: There may be enormous potential in the form of highlighting the brand image to the public by keeping logo as the marker in any medium whether it is on paper, on board or in hoardings. Scanning the logo will showcase a corporate video or USP of the institution and can highlight corporate vision. Adding to it, when prospective parents or students enter the campus, they need to simply scan the image of the faculty from the display board to get a complete augmented CV about him/her. AR can make teacher/faculty pop up from the image and speak about themselves and their USP’s. By scanning the catalogue or logo, prospective clients will be roped in for a guided walk through inside the campus and Geo location apart from a detailed map can be shown which makes interaction more dynamic and productive. Ultimately, success of educational institutions and their ROI is measured by the new admissions for which better results and embracing new technologies to show case difference among peers is critical. Augmented Reality (AR) can be a major contributor in achieving the desired result since the students as well as parents will feel excited and as a result will bring in more admissions eventually. AR is maturing from a buzz word to reality in educational parlors and hence do not wipe it off as another fad. AR is going to make learning a joyful experience and create new environment full of excitement in learning whether it be on a C for Cat or for studies on high end engineering. We at SMACAR SOLUTIONS, provide one stop solutions in implementing AR for education from creating contents to super impose objects, provide AR experience and in getting detailed Analytics in a micro level. Our team at Smacar are here to help you implement AR in your campus and please get in touch with kalyanaraman.s@smacarsolutions.com for any queries or support in this regard. SOURCE: http://smacarsolutions.com/augmented-reality-education-immense-potentialahead/