Education and Augmented Reality – The Edvocate

When it comes to Augmented Reality, educators often wonder if some tech is not merely a distraction from proper learning. Are educators spending too much time creating immersive, incredible worlds for their learners, only for their learning outcomes to be relatively narrow?

It is essential to question and examine trends, even if you are a consumer of tech. Tech can enhance learning greatly, and if you are a wise educator, you’ll be making good use of it. If you try to turn your class into a hybrid of the latest computer game and a blockbuster movie, you will always lose. 

We’re going to take a look at the role that Augmented Reality plays in the classroom. 

Cost of Implementation

Although it is true that virtual reality and augmented reality can transform teaching, most schools just don’t have the funding to implement that sort of tech. Many need to focus on more important necessities before they can implement luxurious technologies. 

Another thing to ponder is that the BYOD programs present a disadvantage to learners and their families who cannot afford smart devices for their kids. Although most free apps make it cost-effective to introduce augmented reality and augmented reality into the class, there is still a gap between augmented reality as an immersive side activity and augmented reality as a practical classroom tool.

Many educators are wary at best and exhausted at worst when it comes to learning, designing, and introducing another way to teach in the classroom. This is thanks to most educators being stretched thin by the demands of adhering to district regulations and the Common Core. 

This short window of time means that educators have to carefully evaluate augmented reality in terms of the outcomes for learning compared to the time it takes for both learners and educators to learn the new technologies surrounding augmented reality. 

Augmented reality applications rely on images and need to be connected to fast networks to function correctly. WiFi networks in schools are always overburdened, and most explorations into augmented reality for teaching will likely fail from the get-go. 

Educators need to spend a good chunk of time determining whether the augmented reality app will work with the school’s network environment. What will be done to ensure that the app works across all devices? 

Is there live support available if the tool were to crash in the middle of a learning experience? How much time goes into rescheduling an augmented reality lesson that failed? These are all questions that educators and school staff members must ask themselves before implementing augmented reality into their classrooms. 

Can Augmented Reality Exist in ELearning?

Although it is possible to use augmented reality in an eLearning space with training simulations, gamification, and learning paths, there is still the task of getting the tech to all of your learners. 

BYOD programs are also not applicable in this scenario, as learners will not be entering a brick and mortar classroom and can’t use any devices provided to them. Learners without devices will not be able to participate in augmented reality at all.

We need to take a reality check now and then. Measuring up new tech against your teaching style, and having a clear view of what is working and what isn’t, is essential.