Augmented Reality - How Real can we get?

Attended a very interesting session today at ICEM. A senior lecturer from MacQuarie University presented the possibilites of leveraging Augmented Reality technology or simply termed as 'AR' for education. For the skeptics out there, I was once like you where I loathed the idea of flashing sexy technology for learning. Not until today when I am totally wowed over by AR's affordances to immerse learners in an unprecedented learning environment beyond what the human minds could ever imagine!

Before you begin to dish out on the exorbitant cost involved, the time investment and not to mention about the level of technical expertise required to pull this educational stunt, I would like to assure you that the AR technology has evolved since and has permeated the masses. For those of you who aren't exactly sure what AR is, allow me to provide you with a simple definition. As the term 'Augmented Reality' suggests, the technology aims to fuse or merge virtual and real-life elements to produce rich media resources for learning and visualisation. How the fusion occur is really simply building overlayers of virtual elements over physical elements i.e. a physical location. AR is not as tech-intensive as Augment Virtuality and of course, Virtual Reality which really lay at the other end of the spectrum.

It's really invigorating to know that we could optimise technology to enhance learning and this could play to our advantage if we know how to harness its potential well. Of course at the othe end of the pendulum speaks of the possible cyber threats that may potentially undrmine the use of technology for learning. Common threats such as cyber-bullying and even getting to users to observe cyber-etiquette are challenges that we need to overcome. 

Before embarking on the integration of technology to classroom learning, a trainer or a teacher has to first deal with a wider set of what I would term as 'first order barriers'. Taking reference from the TPACK framework, we need to recognise that the mastery of technological skill sets is not a given and yet, is a crucial component driving the successful implementation of digital learning endeavours. Teachers and students alike have to be comfortable in manipulating and navigating the technological aspects of the learning above and beyond any other things. Similarly, like what I've mentioned earlier - teachers have to be aware and address cyber behaviours. There could possibly be a disparity in behaviours when someone hides behind the facade of a digital identity as compared to real-life interactions.

Fortunately, the experts had taken cognizance to these pertinent issues in the form of advocating digital literacies. The set of digital literacy skills is well-defined under the 21st Century Learning Framework and you may want to consider them in your learning design. 

Well, time for me to rush off for the morning keynote for Day 3! Hope that the day's sessions would be jam-packed with more refreshing and though-provoking ideas!