By Rebecca Mitchell and Dennis DeBay
Get Real
AUGMENTED REALITY FOR THE CLASSROOM
Kids love AR simulations because they
are like real-life video games. Teachers
love them because they can differentiate
instruction and engage even the most
reticent learners in mastering any type
of content while practicing digital age
skills. And they’re easier to create
than you think!
Imagine a video game that takes place in the real world— right outside your classroom! In this game, the players learn that an alien spaceship has crashed on their school
grounds, and they must solve a mystery: What are the
aliens’ intentions toward Earth?
Each of the players, working in a team of four, has a role to
play: chemist, cryptologist, computer hacker, or FBI agent.
And each gets his or her own GPS-enabled mobile device,
such as a smartphone or tablet, displaying a map of the school
grounds with digital markers tracking each player’s location
as well as the locations of virtual people and artifacts. Players
must walk to and inspect these markers to gather evidence
that will ultimately help them solve the mystery.
Would some of your students be more interested in playing a game like this than in doing math problems? What if
they could do both? With augmented reality (AR) simulations, they can!
