AR in the Classroom

"Augmented reality (AR) is the interaction of overlaid audio, graphics, text, and other virtual elements on a real-world environment displayed in real-time." (Green et. al., 2017)

Potential Usage: Using AR in the library presents some potential uses. Below are some ideas of how AR could be used in the library to support learning.  

For exploration: Apps like Google Lens can be used to explore topics further. When students are doing research and see an image of something in a book that they would like to know more about, they could use the application to take a picture of it and Google will search it for them. Using Google Lens like this could spur student curiosity and give them some independence in looking into their interests. 

For sharing: The article by Green et. al. (2017) mentions an application called "Aurasma". Students could use this to link their reviews to books in the library, making it an innovative way to share their thoughts. While students are looking for a book to read, they could use the application to hover over the book's cover, which would be linked to a list of reviews created by students. This could be an innovative way to encourage students to share their thoughts on the books they are reading from the school's library. 

Potential challenges:

Location and technology dependency: While most students have a device already, there may be privacy issues with asking students to download an application. If students were to use it on school devices, I would assume that there are policies about downloading applications on district devices. Getting things set up at the beginning may be a challenge for the library. Location may also pose an issue, as AR relies on adding to our current reality and location. If it were to just be used in the library, the full capabilities of AR may be limited to what can be done in the space. If we were to consider "the library" as not a space but an idea (and that it refers to the TL, not the space), then there may be more potential for its use in and around the school (ie walking field trips). A paper by Wu et. al. (2012) states a similar sentiment, that learning in context is important for students, but having portable and location-independent resources makes such resources easier to share with a lower cost. 

Learning curve: For both students and teachers, learning new technology can be highly overwhelming. Wu et. al. (2012) state in their paper that many students reported feeling overwhelmed with having to learn new technology, skills, and information all at once. Teachers may also feel the same when preparing to share it with their students, as they would have to be comfortable with the technology in order to teach it. This may bring up more questions, such as the effectiveness of such applications and whether it can be used more than once (as the learning curve may be so steep that it is not worth it for just one day). Teachers may also want to consider what is truly being learned while using the application. While digital literacy is important to learn, especially in this generation, Wu et. al. (2012) brings up an important point that many students lack skills such as "spatial  navigation,  collaboration,  problem  solving, technology  manipulation, and mathematical estimation".

If these skills are necessary to accessing a deep learning experience in AR, perhaps those need to be built up before students use such technology. 

References

Green, J., Green, T., & Brown, A. (2017). Augmented Reality in the K-12 Classroom. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 61(6), 603–605. https://doi-org.proxy.queensu.ca/10.1007/s11528-017-0223-z

Wu, H. K., Lee, S. W. Y., Chang, H. Y., & Liang, J. C. (2012). Current status, opportunities and challenges of augmented reality in education. Computers & education, 62, 41-49.