Augmented Reality in Education
Situation:
There are various educational institutes, schools, nurseries but why do we still lack in the application of our concepts? This could be owed to the reduced interest of students in the actual learning process. Students at this age at least in countries like India are encouraged to mug up facts rather than understand them and be able to use it practically. Education doesn’t just include learning and reading parts but rather should include creative and interactive elements in order to make learning both engaging and transformational. Augmented reality does just that by providing a 3 D version of every concept we study.
Problems and implications:
Some of the problems with current education systems and places that provide information are as follows:
Visualization of concepts: Many students find it difficult to imagine abstract and complex concepts. Just going through books and attending lectures may not help them to understand the concepts deeply. Reasons could be the lack of imagination, time, accurate models etc.
The expenditure involved in out-door sessions: In today’s world it isn’t as easy as it was before to provide real-life zoo experience to the children. Time constraints, traffic, financial problems, distance, weather conditions, geographical constraints etc. matter. Therefore, children might not fully grasp the idea and image of animals in their natural habitat.
Engagement of classes: Students can grasp only a particular amount of information at a time. When the information is given in excess they tend to understand little than they used to. Moreover, just stuffing information on students’ heads isn’t enough. They need to get interested in the subject in order to gain a deep understanding of the concepts. Classes nowadays are rarely engaging and more than often monotonic.
Learning skills: Some skills require only passion whereas other skills additionally require accessories. Basketball, for example, requires a court, a basket, and a ball. In the modern day space is one of the amenities that are hard to find. And moreover, every backyard cannot have a basketball court.
Interactive sites: Most of the educational visits are more often than about just looking at exhibits and moving forward. More than interest, it is about the lack of information displayed near the exhibit. Many of the exhibits in museums are even prohibited to be seen due to security reasons which affect the audience experience.
Need pay-offs:
Augmented reality deals with the above problems by providing the following solutions:
Object modeling and animations: Manual elements in education, such as the usage of their hands in practice or solving some quiz, may help learners better understand a lesson. By using apps medical students may easily learn human anatomy. AR helps them explore different parts of the body individually and discover its unique features. AR technology also allows students to interact with the 3D model be it rotating, customizing it by setting transparency, changing colors, styles and even parts. Inverse abstract and difficult content in visual models would help visual learners and other students to get a deeper understanding about lesson topic and integration of theoretical concepts to real concepts. Springing to life 3D models with animations, sound and interaction actions attracts children's attention. Apps like Anantomy4D, Human Heart 3D etc. are some examples for the same.
Engagement of classes: Including AR into lessons may help educators directly involve students in the studying process by interacting 3D model. Taking part in such kind of things helps motivate students, capture their attention for the whole augmented reality classes and helps them understand subject deeper. Interaction with AR may be part of lesson like a teaser, support of the main topic providing extra info to students or be the main content of a lesson. Moreover, AR can help students by addition virtual reviews of books wherein certain contents in the book are animated to provide a better engagement and understanding of the topic.
Real life experiences: Taking young children to zoo’s might be a tough task at hand. AR can provide assistance through providing virtual animations of the animals in their natural habitat to engage the students and also visually impart the knowledge. VEVOplanet provides a similar AR based interactive multimedia for young children.
Skill learning: Technical students need practice and hands-on experience to get skills of maintenance and assembly suitable for their profession. Though such training is not possible in a classroom level using AR features students may virtually study and practice with fully digital content, or additional 3D models linked to real parts. AR tutorial animations and graphics content also may give extra knowledge about new methods and innovative concepts. Meantime, AR technology could create different situations and simulations suitable for a practical process where students may acquire some experience. Other than technical skills, students may also learn physical games through AR. One such fine example is the Gym built by Canadian tech company CASE where AR implementation allows children to through balls on the wall to destroy the floating shapes.
Interactive sites: Visitors in the museums may access AR and discover historical events by exploring various additional content in connection to objects through their mobiles. AR can also provide visitors with extra information about what they see, allow them to virtually equip some stuff to themselves or take a tour to the past. Using AR capabilities provides great opportunities for museums to present more than it is possible in normal conditions. Augmented reality gives visitors the ability to use their mobile devices as pocket-tool through which area around them receive endless additional layers of information. Shiffu orboot is one such AR platform that provides interactive knowledge about regions, heritage, and culture all over the world just by sitting at your home.
Conclusion:
Usage of Augmented reality in Education offers new ways of teaching and learning. Though it is a new frontier result have shown the improvement in students’ performance and engagement in classes as a result.