Augmented Reality In The Early Childhood Classroom

If you read my blog then you will know that I recently posted about a iPad App called ZooBurst(which is augmented reality tool that can be used within the classroom to create 3D pop up books). Well this got me to thinking about what other augmented reality tools were out there to use in the early childhood classroom and I was pleasantly surprised. One of the first augmented reality tools I came across was a program called "Letters Alive", letters alive is a augmented reality based reading curriculum which was designed not only to create a engaging learning environment but to assist students with learning and intellectual disabilities to learn about letters and their sounds, sight words and respond to statements and questions.  At a not so cheap price of $795 the developers state that Letters Alive helps students to make deeper connections with their learning by grabbing their attention visually with 3D graphics and then reinforces letter sounds and words through animated animals.  Not being able to trial this myself I would have to see it in action first to decide if it was worth purchasing.

 

The other augmented reality platform which I examined and is worth  exploring is called Aurasma. Aurasma works in a similar manner to Letters Alive however instead of having markers on cards, the markers can be images, objects or places. Aurasma's functionality in education is becoming well documented and their are various videos on YouTube which demonstrate this, however I thought for the purpose of examining its applicability in the primary classroom I would include the YouTube clip above to my blog post. As a pre-service teacher I can see unlimited potential with this app and I personally cannot wait to try it out myself.

 

ZooBurst – Augmented Reality for Books!

ZooBurst image from:  http://cf.zooburst.com/images/ZooBurst_StoryCode_LittleRedRidingHood.pdf

ZooBurst is an augmented reality program that creates dynamic pop up books on your computer screen using a webcam and an internet connection. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of augmented reality a simple explanation for this is that is a view of a physical, real world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.

The ZooBurst book builder allows narration, images, animations, and speech balloons to be added to a story. Once created these books can be viewed using an online viewer or embedded in a website. Due to the simplicity of its interface this program would be most beneficial for primary age students to use in order to create and illustrate their own stories.

The advantage of using augmented reality in education is that it provides students with more effective ways to tell stories, deliver presentations, write reports, express complex ideas and access content. For teachers the benefit of using a program such as ZooBurst is that it gives students the chance to practice digital story telling by becoming creators of content and it is also a great way for students to engage with text.

Are you ready to incorporate one of the most creative, engaging experiences imaginable in your classroom?

To view this story book:

1. Install the free ZooBurst iPad app from the iTunes app store.
2. Launch the app and tap the “Story Code button”.
3. Point the device at the story code when prompted.