Learning & Leading Through Technology

case. The first generation of internet-enabled wearable devices, such as Google Glass, will likely have an interesting impact on ARt galleries.

I also had some observations of my
own during my ARt gallery experiences:

AR across the curriculum is inevitable. At
my ARt gallery installations, attend-
ees came from across the curricular
spectrum. During the ASTE and ISTE
ARt shows, we had numerous con-
versations with gallery visitors that
began with something like, “OMG, I
see incredible ways I could use this
in science!” Or history, health, home
construction—you name it. Once you
understand AR’s fundamentals, you
begin to see its potential applications
all around you. But I feel we will truly
unleash its innovative potential by al-
lowing students to explore it as a new
art form. And the artistic potential of
AR is enormous.

We need art and “creatical” thinking now more than ever. Most of the impediments to using AR are not new. We still don’t recognize art as a basic literacy. Doing so would be immensely helpful not only for AR, but also for activities involving data visualization, gamification, digital storytelling, and many other approaches to teaching and learning.

We have also not yet begun to value
“creatical” thinking, which is a blend
of critical and creative thinking into a
single, integrated approach to problem
finding and solving that emphasizes
students’ ability to not only think
critically about other people’s ideas,
but also to produce new, creative ideas
of their own.

AR has the potential to be a true innovator’s paradise. But that will happen only if we begin valuing and encouraging innovation in education.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Mike Felix, former president of AT&T Alaska, as well as Keith Zamudio, Mary Wegner, and Therese Ashton from ASTE. Without their help, the ARt gallery project would not have been possible.

Jason Ohler, PhD, has been writing, teaching, speaking, and working with students in the areas of digital art and storytelling as well as the creative use of technology in education for more than 30 years.

His most recent book is Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy Learning and Creativity, Second Edition. Find out more at jasonOhler.com.