Augmented Reality for Education with Aurasma

Aurasma is a technology company that lets you create augmented reality (AR) artifacts that display additional content when viewed through their application.

Auras are created through Aurasma studio, which is free to use on their website. First you select the trigger image, then you upload images, videos, or 3D animations that overlay when viewed with the Aurasma app. The Aurasma app is available for both iOS or Android.

I've created several examples for this blog that you can view with Aurasma. To view the examples, you need to install the Aurasma app and then follow my account.

1. Go to the 'Discover Auras' search box in Aurasma app
2. Type in the account name: mrbarranco
3. Press 'follow'. My public Auras will now be available to your device.

Examples 1 & 2:

In my English class, to generate interest in a book we are reading, I like to share trailers of the movie versions. Movies can also be used for contrast and compare assignments after the book has been read. In the first two examples, I used Aurasma to add AR effects to posters that play the movie trailer when viewed with Aurasma.

Sample Objective: After viewing the AR-enhanced film advertisements, students will compare and contrast the videos with elements of the novel.

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Click to enlarge image

Example #3:

Teachers can also use this technology to provide additional instructions or examples to students. In this example, I made the entire worksheet a trigger image. Students are being asked to annotate a passage from the novel. When you use Aurasma to view the worksheet, you can see examples of annotations.

Sample objective: After reading a passage from Chapter 1 of Of Mice And Men, students will annotate the text with thoughts and ideas they have while reading. 

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Example #4:

In the next example, using the blank police report form, students are asked to write a police report about an incident that takes place in the novel. 

Sample objective: After reading Of Mice And Men, students will create a police report based off an incident that occurred in the novel. 

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Viewing the blank template with Aurasma lets students see an example of a completed police report.

Notice how I included the Aurasma "A" logo on the document itself to indicate that it contains AR content to be viewed with the Aurasma app.

This software opens up a range of possibilities. Teachers can encourage students to use Aurasma to get additional help on their assignment by overlaying videos or images that enhance learning. The segmenting principle of multimedia design says that learners perform better when they are able to learn at their own pace. Using Aurasma, students can access the augmented content when they are ready for it.