Augmented reality in education: Key Examples and Benefits

Augmented reality is a technology that can completely change your vision of education.

Augmented reality in education can change the way in which children apprehend learning material. After all, it gives a chance to transform the very approach to educational institutions. Instead of bland places, they can turn into colorful spaces full of new information. The AR in education can make many virtual things appear in real-world environments, creating a powerful incentive for creativity. In short, you can transform the very nature of learning with the platforms of this type. We recommend not to waste the opportunity in question. After all, it gives a way to mad the attention of children for longer. How to use AR in education? Don’t hesitate to utilize it for the improvement of all learning processes.

What is Augmented Reality in Education?

Many people associate the virtual environments of AR with gaming or, at best, communication (for instance, Snapchat). The outcome is not surprising: games such as Pokemon Go or Witcher: Monster Slayer obtain the highest attention of the press when it comes to mobile devices. Ultimately, however, the situation is very different. Just as you can use AR for gaming, augmented reality in education is also highly potent. For example, imagine that your math teacher can now show concepts directly in the classroom. All you have to do is point the camera at the place. AR gives relevant 3D models and other strong elements. Thus, the future of augmented reality in education is very bright.

How to use AR in education?

AR in education can have many potential uses. How utilize the augmented reality app you have? Firstly, try to showcase some spatial information with it. For instance, you can do a virtual dissection if you study in a biology class. In this way, one can remove the need to use a real animal and resort to violence in class. Secondly, it’s a strong tool for creating a potent virtual classroom. You can try to create an environment full of AR elements in this way. For instance, it’s possible to showcase some books and even their authors in this manner. In short, you have a wide range of options in the presented case. The role of augmented reality in education is likely to grow in the upcoming years.

Benefits of Augmented Reality in Education

We have many benefits of augmented reality. Let’s take a look at them:

More interest on the part of the students

One of the most difficult things in education is keeping the attention of the students. They usually have no intention to be overly enthusiastic about learning. Virtual objects in the classroom space can change the situation. AR for education adds surreal elements to education, making it more enticing. Moreover, the technologies of this type are essential for adding game elements to education. Hence, you can expect more attention from the students in your classrooms with AR.

Creation of novel learning space

The best way to ensure strong learning opportunities is to make the process all-pervasive. What do we mean by this? Augmented reality in education creates a learning space within the learning space. In short, it gives a chance to enhance the very scope of learning. Instead of having to rely on your whiteboard, for example, you get a chance to turn everything into a learning space. Since smartphones are all-pervasive, it’s possible to describe more complex processes with the use of the outlined technologies. You can often engage in a sort of background training with this technology.

Improved understanding of information

Our experience in education shows that understanding some information in 

classroom settings is often very difficult. In this regard, augmented reality in education changes the whole game. One of the most difficult aspects of learning for many students includes spatial concepts. For instance, it’s not uncommon to have issues with geometric figures. Digital content can show many of the concepts in a real-life environment. As a result, it’s possible to greatly reduce the time it takes to explain something to students.

Team Work

Another positive impact of AR in education undoubtedly stems from the ability to enable collaboration. For example, you can use technology to ask the students to create some objects for the in-class examples in teams. The collaboration element of AR technology is not surprising. It stems from the online games and chats, showing that AR now has a potent cooperative element. Don’t waste this opportunity to augment learning in the classroom scenarios.

Improving the memory of the students

Augmented reality in education makes many things much more memorable. It’s one thing to see some mathematical concept on the whiteboard. An absolutely different reality arises when you can view it in reality and even walk around the relevant figure. This approach provides students with opportunities to memorize more information as the technology uses more parts of the human brain in the memorization process. Humans think in an embodied way. Thus, if you the motor-related parts of the brain for learning, your chances of teaching something grow significantly. It’s the reason why a field trip is so good for learning: you simply get a chance to maximize the movement-related benefits

Development of senses

One of the worst problems stemming from modern education lies in the fact that it’s too abstract in nature. Students learn formulas without getting a chance to see their real-life applications. As a result, not only does the student engagement fall but also their ability to think in spatial terms. AR in education solves this problem in a radical way by giving some spatial features to the space around students. 

Efficient management of resources

AR makes the need to invest in the learning spaces of physical nature less prominent. One of the key benefits of augmented reality in education lies in its ability to create learning spaces almost everywhere. Are you in a bare classroom and have no ways to improve the space? Don’t worry! AR can fill it with all the relevant information. This innovative technology represents a perfect space for enhancing learning-related opportunities.

Access to materials from any space

A big strength of mobile technologies lies in their promotion of access to materials from anywhere. Do you have to engage in distance studying? Extended Reality will solve all your needs by projecting the relevant information into any space. Augmented reality for education can, thus, play a tremendous role. After all, it enables the ability to take the learning space together with a smartphone. Thus, you will no longer have to rely on your classroom. That’s what AR online education means.

A possibility to feature large-scale immersion

What does AR stand for in education? In our opinion, it’s a chance to dive into the subject you’re learning. No professional training is possible without hands-on experience. AR gives this type of experience to the users. Their educational experiences are enriched with a large set of very practical applications. As a result, AR greatly reduces the difficulties in education.

Speed of learning

Obviously, augmented reality in education and training can greatly reduce the time it takes to learn a concept. It removes the problems with spatial understanding. As a result, the students can get more opportunities to obtain a higher level of education.

Learning spaces become safer

When it comes to applications for education, AR is also a potent way to avoid dangerous situations in the classroom. After all, the method enables the transformation of many potentially dangerous activities into something much safer. For instance, what does AR mean in education related to chemistry? Above all, it allows for the showcase of some reactions without the usage of the actual equipment.

Examples of Augmented Reality in Education

Many ways to envision augmented reality in the education sector exist. What does AR stand for in education? Let’s see!

1. Mathematics: as mentioned before, you can use the technology to show the formula and some figures to the students;

2. Chemistry and biology: want to show the spatial characteristics of a bacteria or molecule? AR is there to help you!

3. History: using AR, you can create a complete environment aimed at showcasing a certain historical period.

4. Coding: programming is full of challenging concepts that can be visualized. AR in education resolves this problem by giving a way to showcase everything relevant in an efficient manner.

Augmented reality apps for education

Many pieces of software that showcase perfect examples of augmented reality in education exist today. Here are some of them:

1. Quiver: this application offers coloring services to the students. Thus, they can engage in a very fun activity of filling a certain object with color;

2. MathAlive: this product’s goal is to show that math is everywhere. The service is a de facto AR-based virtual teacher, which uses various video and image resources to promote mathematics-centric messages;

3. Elements 4D: this app gives an ability to display various chemical formulas. As a result, you can quickly teach the spatial characteristics of chemistry.

As you may see, the apps of this type in education are numerous. You just have to pick the best solution.

Challenges of augmented reality in education

Insufficient training

The first big problem of augmented reality in education is the lack of experience regarding it. In many cases, teachers simply don’t know how to use it in educational settings. As a result, the problem results in the inefficient use of the technology and the creation of a negative reputation around it.

The need for the use of technology is overwhelming

To have a complete learning experience with AR technology, you MUST have a smartphone or at least a PC. What if some students use a feature phone? Well, they’re excluded from your classroom. AR is very dependent on technological adoption. 

It may be difficult to bring content with you

Even though augmented reality and education seemingly benefit each other by enabling distance learning, they can also impede one another. How is that possible? Above all, due to the fact that some content pieces can be tailored to a classroom. In short, you can be stuck with the configuration you have for a certain classroom environment.

Devices are very costly

Smartphones capable of running AR are still not as numerous as may seem. As a result, the problem is that you heavily depend on the affluence of your students. Not everyone has a smartphone today that is capable of AR. Hence, you risk closing access to education for many students. Collaboration with teachers may also be restricted.

The Internet connection can be very unstable

Many AR technologies depend on the ability to connect to online servers. What if you don’t have the Internet? Well, your augmented reality and education experience is likely to be over. Have a class and don’t have an online connection? Education should be very difficult to continue in such spaces.

The future of augmented reality in education

The augmented reality in education has a very strong future ahead of it. Indeed, some challenges of augmented reality in education mentioned above exist and they’re serious. However, we don’t see anything that should be impossible to solve. Reliance on the Internet can be removed and technological development should make most of the smartphones in the world capable of using the relevant technology. With more complex programs being developed, the overall phenomenon would inevitably lead to the further proliferation of AR. In our opinion, it will soon enter almost every learning program in the world.

Wrapping Up

To summarize, AR in education is one of the best options you can consider for your classroom. It can develop a large number of additional tech skills, for example, among the students. Don’t hesitate to use the technology today and become a leader in its utilization. In this regard, the good idea is to use the help of experts. Our company, Keenethics, can provide you with all the relevant help regarding augmented reality in education. Do you have any questions on AR in education? Write us, and we’ll do our best to find a solution!