A number of my recent blog articles have discussed different learning opportunities created by virtual reality experiences, but ClassVR has a whole other side to it- augmented reality. For those of you with puzzled looks on your faces, augmented reality means that computer-generated images or objects are superimposed on the individual’s view of what is around them.
Whenever we show people our augmented reality app, we always know the moment they see the 3D model because we’ll hear a gasp, a ‘Wow’ or even an ‘Oh my goodness!’.
With ClassVR, the ARC (Augmented Reality Classroom) app recognises a 2D image and brings it to life by bringing up a corresponding 3D model, for example an animated beating heart which floats in the air in front of you, allowing you look as closely as you dare.
So many times, when teaching a History topic, I wished I had relevant artefacts for children to ask questions about: What is it made from? What might it have been used for? Who might have used it? To feel like the object is right there in front of them would not only have been a more exciting and engaging activity than just talking about a picture, but with the added ability to view it from all angles, gives them a much clearer idea of what the artefact is like.
This is also true of sculptures in Art, machines in Design Technology and skeletons in Science. It has so much to offer the classroom environment. Simply put, augmented reality can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
