Augmented Reality Apps in Education—as mentioned previously, augmented reality technology can change education for the better. Augmented Reality helps teachers to more easily visualize the material being taught. In addition, AR also serves to increase student interest in learning and helps students become more active in the learning process.
Augmented reality allows students to gain a deeper understanding by utilising the ability to merge physical and virtual spaces. The visuals provided by AR can keep learners engaged and keep it interactive. No wonder the AR industry is predicted to grow and expand, especially for educational use. It is expected to grow with a market size of USD 125.19 billion over the period 2020-2024.
The easy use of AR and the fact that it does not require difficult devices make the application of AR in the learning process more feasible. Simple devices such as smartphone cameras are already capable of bringing AR into the classroom. However, for a more eye-pleasing augmented reality experience, devices such as Google Glass, Dream Glass, and Vizux Blade are recommended.
The AR content is actually generated by AR software. However, the software is usually developed for a specific AR hardware vendor and is often sold with the AR hardware kit. Nevertheless, Augmented Reality in education allows the user to easily adapt anywhere, anytime by learning on the go with real-time instruction.
There are so many augmented reality apps being developed by startups for all sorts of purposes. Below are some of the recommended AR apps that can be used in the classroom.
- Quiver
The application offers a magical experience by providing AR colouring pages that emphasise the educational content. It provides the immersive learning experience by animating the colouring pages. For example, students can colour the plane and then fly around the country they want to learn about in geography class, or have interactive learning by animation of human cells in biology class.
- Human Anatomy Atlas
This app is specially designed for teaching human body anatomy. Generally, learning human anatomy can be boring because students are only given 2-dimensional images and can only visualise the object in their minds. By using this app, students can see visualisations of human body parts and even turn the classroom into an anatomy laboratory.
- Animal Safari AR
Animal Safari AR is the application that brings 3D models of wild animals into the physical world. It also provides the sound of the animal, which makes it more realistic. The scale of the 3D models is also created to the real scale of the object. The application also gives the user the experience of feeding the animal, so students can learn and watch them consume food in a life-like way.
- Google Translate
For language learners, Google Translate provides a real-time translation service for the user. By clicking on the camera button, you can point your camera at the image containing foreign language text. It can then detect the language and quickly translate it for you. This is really useful, especially for people visiting another country and wanting to understand the language of that country.
