Page 180 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

Chapter 6 • Small Changes and the SAMR Model

Transformative Ideas

1. Augmenting Reality
Augmented reality is not a new concept in technology, but the introduction
of mobile devices with cameras has brought it into the classroom for the first
time. This book and the Easter eggs hidden within the images is in some ways
transformative. I could have never done this with a book if I had written it five
years ago.

In the classroom, being able to layer elements of augmented reality onto a
project can add not only a level of enhanced engagement, but also an oppor-
tunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of a
concept in a variety of ways. In my state, we teach Texas history in fourth and
seventh grades. With no national curriculum to follow, this is an area where
we see some innovative teaching ideas for the application of mobile devices.

One such idea came about from a fourth grade team at Cedar Creek
Elementary in my district. For years, they had done the standard “book
report” on a famous historical Texan. Each student would write out the report
on paper, and it would then be posted onto a bulletin board or displayed
around the school.

However, once each student had a mobile device, the team began to think
of ways to make these historical figures come to life. Because writing is an
important component of fourth grade, they didn’t want to give that up, but
they did want to breathe some fresh life into this project. Enter the idea of
augmented reality. Before posting their book reports on bulletin boards
around the school, students were asked to dress up and act out their Texas
legend. Then, using the Aurasma app (the same one used for this book—
www.aurasma.com), the students would overlay their video on top of an
image of their subject.

Almost instantly, two things happened. First, students had to have a much
deeper understanding of the figure they were studying. Because they had to
act out the part of this character for the camera, they had to pick up manner-
isms and accents and internalize some knowledge of what this person did that
was significant in Texas history—beyond what would be needed for a written

72 Mobile Learning Mindset: The Teacher’s Guide to Implementation

Mobile Learning Mindset: The Teacher’s Guide to Implementation 180