Overview
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In the previous week, you completed and shared your Technology Integration Activity assignment. This week, we will take time to explore the activities created and shared by your classmates. We will also take some time to explore what’s on the horizon in terms of digital technology developments that could be integrated into education. We will look at Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and wearable technologies. You will have a chance to explore some of these technologies, and to share your thoughts on how you might be able to integrate them into your own teaching and learning.
By the end of Week 13, you should also have completed all of the requirements for Assignment 1: Community Engagement. This should include a final reflective post, looking back on what you have accomplished with your Technology Integration Activity project, what strengths you have developed in the use of digital technologies in education, and what skills and technologies you would like to continue to explore and develop.
Topics
Week 13 is divided into four topics:
- Topic 1: Technology Integration
- Future Trends: AR, VR, and Wearable Tech in Education
- Topic 2: Community Engagement
- Topic 3: Assignment 1 Submission
Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this week’s activities, you should be able to:
- Discuss how augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and wearable technologies can be used as digital tools for teaching and learning.
- Discuss additional examples of emerging or future digital technologies for teaching and learning.
- Explore educational examples of AR, VR, or wearable technologies.
- Explore and provide feedback on technology integration activities created by your classmates.
Resources
Brownlee, M. (2015, March 27). Virtual reality: Explained! [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/i4Zt3JZejbg
Curioscope. (2016, March 1). VirtualiTee: Wearable tech you learn with [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/QOHfdqgvvFU
Power, R. (2018). Augmented reality . Power Learning Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.powerlearningsolutions.com/augmented-reality.html
Radke, F. [TEDx Talks]. (2017, April 19). How augmented reality will change education completely [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/5AjxGqzqQ54
Rempell, Z. [TEDx Talks]. (2017, July 18). Using virtual reality for education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/wKYoAVnjzbs
SBS World News & The Conversation [ConversationEDU]. (2014, July 15). The future of wearable technologies [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/i3CKsuv0Sbk
Strickland, J. [HowStuffWorks]. (2016, December 16). AR 101: The basics of augmented reality [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/HprQbTlYHuQ
Topic 1: Technology Integration
Future Trends: AR, VR, and Wearable Tech in Education
Just a few years ago, technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) were the stuff of science fiction. Now, they surround us. We often make use of them without even realizing it.
Augmented Reality
Wikipedia (“Augmented Reality,” n.d.) defines AR as “an interactive experience of a real-world environment whereby the objects that reside in the real-world are ‘augmented’ by computer-generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities.”
In AR 101: The Basics of Augmented Reality, Jonathan Strickland (2016) explains what AR is, and how it works.
Source: YouTube, HowStuffWorks
So, neat stuff! But how could AR be used to change teaching and learning? In his TEDx talk, Florian Radke (2017) discusses How Augmented Reality Will Change Education Completely .
Radke, F. (2017, April 19). How augmented reality will change education completely [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/5AjxGqzqQ54
As you watch these videos, consider:
- Have you ever used an augmented reality application?
- Can you see yourself using AR in your teaching and learning? How?
- What might be some of the drawbacks or barriers to using AR in your teaching and learning context?
- What is missing from the AR experience provided in these examples?
- If AR and VR became major components of learning at the K–12 and post-secondary levels, who would design, develop, and create these tools?
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) differs from AR. In AR, computer-generated information is overlaid onto the real world around you. With VR, computer-generated images immerse you inside of a completely virtual environment. Marques Brownlee’s (2015) Virtual Reality: Explained! explains what virtual reality is, and how it works.
Source: YouTube, Marques Brownlee
In his TEDx youth talk, Using Virtual Reality for Education , Zach Rempell (2017) talks about how he sees virtual reality changing the face of education in the not so distant future.
Rempell, Z. (2017, July 18). Using virtual reality for education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/wKYoAVnjzbs
As you watch these videos, consider:
- What are the similarities and differences between AR and VR?
- Have you ever used a virtual reality application?
- Can you see yourself using VR in your teaching and learning? How?
- AR and VR are not new; they have been around for a long time. What design problems do you imagine the inclusion of these tools poses for educators, and why do you think they are not yet commonplace?
Wearable Tech and Mixed Reality
Wearable technology means exactly what the term implies—it is technology that you wear on your body. That includes everything from personal health monitors like FitBit devices, to smartwatches, Google Glass AR glasses, or VR headsets. As ConversationEDU (2014) explains in The Future of Wearable Technologies , the concept of wearable technologies is even beginning to have an impact on the fashion industry, with specialized sensors, computers, and other technologies being embedded right into clothing.
Source: YouTube, The Conversation
For an example of how AR, VR, and wearable technologies can be combined (often referred to as “mixed reality”) for educational purposes, check out Curiscope’s (2016) VirtualiTee: Wearable Tech You Learn With.
As you watch these videos, consider:
- Have you ever used wearable technologies?
- Can you see yourself using wearable tech in your teaching and learning? How?
- What might be some of the drawbacks or barriers to using wearable tech in your teaching and learning context?
Topic 2: Community Engagement
Activity 1: Discussion Questions
Your instructor will post questions in the course discussion forum related to this week’s topics. Respond to these questions, and check out (and reply to) some of the responses posted by your classmates. Feel free to use the course forum to post any thoughts or questions you may have related to this week’s readings and activities.
Activity 2: Exploring Technology Integration Activities
Check out and comment on the Technology Integration Activities posted by some of your classmates. Feel free to include some feedback on what you liked about their activities, what worked, and any suggestions you may have for making their activities even better! And be sure to respond to any feedback that you receive on your Technology Integration Activity!
Activity 3: Share Your Experiences with AR, VR, and Wearable Tech
Create a post to share your previous experiences using AR, VR, or wearable tech. Did you check out the AR game board as part of this week’s Technology Exploration activities? Did you create your own AR resources? Share what you have created, and share your thoughts on how you see AR, VR, and wearable tech impacting education. What other emerging or future tech do you see as having a potential impact on education?
Topic 3: Assignment 1 Submission
Throughout this course, you have been working on Assignment 1: Community Engagement. You have created your own portfolio for sharing your thoughts, and the assignments that you have completed throughout the course. This week, make sure that you have met all of the Community Engagement requirements as set out in the Assignment 1: Community Engagement assignment guide. Wrap up your course portfolio activities with a final reflective post. Consider:
- What do you feel you have accomplished in this course, in particular, with your Technology Integration Activity?
- Where do you see your strengths with the integration of digital technologies in education now, at the end of this course?
- What skills and tools would you like to continue to explore and develop now that the course is wrapping up?
Refer to the Assignment 1: Community Engagement assignment guide for further details about specific assignment completion requirements.
Due Date: End of Week 13.
Week 13 Summary
In this week, we have explored some emerging technologies that have the potential to significantly impact education. We have looked at applications of augmented reality, virtual reality, wearable technologies, and mixed reality in the field of teaching and learning. You have had the opportunity to explore how a free AR app was used to create an interactive educational game board, and the chance to try your hand at creating your own AR resources. You have also taken the time this week to explore some of the Technology Integration Activity projects shared by your classmates, and to offer them feedback on their hard work. Hopefully, you have also received some feedback on your own Technology Integration Activity. As this week—and this course—come to a close, you have
put the final touches on your course portfolio and wrapped up your Community Engagement activities as part of Assignment 1. But, hopefully, that is not the end of your Community Engagement activities! Hopefully, the connections you have made in this course will become a part of the personal learning network (PLN) that you have begun to create, and that PLN will continue to be a resource for you to draw upon to learn more about and support each other in the effective and meaningful integration of digital technologies in teaching and learning.
References
Augmented Reality. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2018 from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality
