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What is Virtual, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality

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What is Virtual, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality

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-Virtual Reality (VR)- is taking a person and putting them in a computer generated or simulated world.
-In this space they can interact with the environment that was generated for them.
-Augmented Reality (AR)- is taking computer generated images and putting them in the real world.
-Mixed Reality (MR)- Is the idea of taking both of these ideas and putting them together so taking the items generated by a computer and interacting with them in the real world.

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Using these different realities is not only subjected to games and the classroom this website talks on other ways these can be used school wide.

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The poster child for a cutting-edge classroom over the years has included computers (back in your mom's school days), iPads (a surprisingly long time ago), 3D printing, Maker Space, and G Suite. By now, those have all been mainstreamed, with savvy parents asking, "What else do you offer?" In today's world, "Augmented Reality" is the most popular ending to the sentence that begins, "My school actually has..." Called AR for short, the technology does exactly what the name suggests: It allows students to learn more about what they see.

Using reality inspired by their lesson plan, teachers expand-in fact, they supersize-lessons with motion, color, websites, audio, and other pieces that enrich students' experience. When students unpack learning via AR, they want more and don't want to leave. They also develop a willingness to solve complex math problems and understand deep concepts just
so they can see what else comes with augmented reality.

As an affordable boost to educational engagement, AR in theory takes students into Harry Potter's world where school hallways are lined with interactive paintings. After downloading an Android or iOS AR app, students aim their phones at an image (called a "trigger") and reveal deeper content layered on top of the physical world. The content can be a student's discussion of a book they read or the inspiration behind their artwork. Unlike QR codes or other embedded link technologies, AR content is superimposed onto existing materials in the student's own real-time environment.

How is AR Different From Virtual Reality?

Ask anyone about AR, and the usual answers will conflate it with Virtual Reality (VR), which is a wonderful education tool in its own right. But there are important distinctions between the two. Kathy Schrock, Adobe Education Leader, Google Certified Teacher, Sony Education Ambassador, Discovery Education STAR and a DEN Guru, and columnist for Discovery Education (just to name a few of her accolades) said it best:

"Augmented reality layers computer- generated enhancements on top of an existing reality to make it more meaningful through the ability to interact with it."

"Virtual reality is a computergenerated simulation of real life... It immerses users by making them feel they are experiencing the simulated reality firsthand."

How to Use AR

While AR isn't difficult or expensive to use (especially when compared to 3D printing or makerspaces), it does require forethought and planning. You'll need a smartphone or tablet with a back-facing camera, an augmented reality app (many free versions are available), a trigger image (you can create one yourself, probably for free), and an Internet connection. Then, scan the trigger image with a mobile device app and see what happens!

10 Ways to Use Augmented Reality in the Classroom

I collected the best ways to use AR in the classroom from colleagues and edtech websites (like Edutopia) to provide a good overview of the depth and breadth of education now being addressed with AR-infused projects:

Book Reviews: Students record themselves giving a brief review of a novel that they just finished, and then attach digital information to a book. Afterward, anyone can scan the cover of the book and instantly access the review.

Classroom Tour: Make a class picture image trigger a virtual tour of a classroom.

Faculty Photos: Display faculty photos so visitors can scan the image of an instructor and see it come to life with their background.

Homework Mini-Lessons: Students scan homework to reveal information that will help them solve a problem.

Lab Safety: Put triggers around a science laboratory that students can scan to learn safety procedures.

Parent Involvement: Record parents encouraging their child, and attach a trigger image to the child's desk.

Requests: Trigger to a Google form to request time with the teacher, librarian, or other educator.

Sign Language Flashcards: Create flashcards that contain a video overlay showing how to sign a word or phrase.

Word Walls: Students record themselves defining vocabulary words. Classmates scan them to get definitions and sentences using the word.

Yearbooks: So many ways, just know AR will energize any yearbook.

AR is the next great disruptive force in education. If your goal is to create lifelong learners inspired by knowledge, AR, in its infancy, holds the seeds for meeting that goal.
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over 100 tech ed resources including a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. Murray is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to TeachHUB. Find her resources at Structured Learning. This essay first appeared at askatechteacher.org

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The Wild and Amazing World of Augmented Reality - NEA Today

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The poster child for a cutting-edge classroom over the years has included computers (back in your mom's school days), iPads (a surprisingly long time ago), 3D printing, Maker Space, and G Suite. By now, those have all been mainstreamed, with savvy parents asking, "What else do you offer?"

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Exploring different realities for teaching is a great tool to engage students. It is something fun and interesting. For some of them who can't afford to take trips with their families this is their opportunity to explore and learn.

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Being a Social Studies teacher this could greatly benefit my classroom and future students.
- From a VR perspective I can have students using some form of virtual reality have first person experiences that will allow students to have first person experiences fully immersing and engaging their learning experiences.
-From an Ar perspective I can take items from history that students usually would only be see on a SMART Board and bring them into the real world giving them different perspectives on what they are learning about.

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From a virtual reality standpoint I there are countless videos on YouTube that are Virtual reality compatible. For example one video from a Social Studies perspective I would use is entitled Battle Road: The American Revolution to help my students understand what warfare was like. This is a good starter VR experience and I would have a few students explaining to the class what they are seeing.

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Many augmented reality apps use images from qr codes to display specific items in the real world. I would set up my classroom with qr codes in different parts of the room, and have my students go around and see what items are going to be brought to life using the apps on their iPad or phones. Then they would describe how it is related to the topic at hand.

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Merge Cube
Oculus Apps

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Mixed Reality has the most possibilities out of all of them. From a science perspective students would see and interact with organs inside a humans body. In art they could create 360 images in their own virtual paint shop. For social studies students can interact with weapons and technology used in the past.

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With the use of virtual reality devices students can travel around the world and across time from their classroom.

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Google Expeditions: over a million students, on trips to virtually anywhere

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The most downloaded game of 2016 on smart devices was an Augmented Reality Game, Pokemon Go. This game was a global phenomenon and is still popular today. If this game can be so groundbreaking why can't something similar be used in the classroom?