Thing 15: Augmented & Virtual Reality

So forgive me.  I lost my entire post and I'm more than a little frustrated (even though I clicked save and saw it auto-save multiple times.)  This might dampen my sincere zeal for the topic of AR.

So I've been thinking about this topic for a long time, since my roomie Zurlo did it and bubbled over about how awesome the possibilities are.  My slightly cynical self wanted to take it with a grain of salt.  And then I dug in and all I can say is: mind. blown.

So, at first I played around with the Quiver app.  Much like my reaction to VR, it's cool and has a sparkle "oooh... shiny" factor that could grab students attention.  I used it with my AP class to help fill out a color by number survey to identify their reaction to the Lit exam (56% found the essays most difficult, 48% said that time was the biggest factor, 60% expressed that they could have spent more time preparing).  Adding in an AR component made them more excited to finish so that they could see their creation come to life. (I was going to add a picture of one, but it apparently is what is killing Blogger and caused my post to come out blank - weird).

Then I started playing with HP Reveal (formerly Aurasma) and...

O.

M.

G.

This... this is what I've been waiting for.  For a long time there has been a movement for flipping the classroom: making it so that content consumption occurs outside the classroom and content production, analysis, and projects, occur within the classroom.  The obstacles, of course, have been access to technology.  This, however, opens the doors, because while many students do not have access to internet or a computer at home, almost all have access to cellular phones (as proven every day IN the classroom).

I loved the ideas and implementations I see.  A page of directions turns into a mini lesson, or a demo, or a model.  Texts can pop up with images or video defining unfamiliar vocabulary or a video providing context.  A reminder of expectations pops up with a word of encouragement recorded by a parent, guardian, or caring mentor.

My mind is reeling with the possibilities.  For sure I am making a series of Regents prep aura's for the next year.  Internally, I want to make sure that all of my big projects have auras - and maybe more, depending on how much I can get my team on board.  I'm also working on a parent engagement project, and I see this technology sliding right in.  I can't wait to explore more!