Augmented reality in education can serve a number of purposes. It helps the students easily acquire, process, and remember the information. Additionally, AR makes learning itself more engaging and fun.
A Philippine health-tech company in collaboration with Museo Pambata – a children’s interactive museum that has been inspiring Filipino children to discover and experience life beyond the classrooms – have launched an Augmented Reality mobile application to support Filipino parents in encouraging healthy growth and brain development in their children.
This health-tech company has been dedicated to helping people live healthier and fuller lives in the Philippines for over 80 years through life-changing technologies and products for people of all ages.
The mobile app has been designed to stimulate and nurture children’s curiosity, problem-solving, and logical thinking skills. It also provides the benefit of learning through interactive experiences. Rather than a traditional field trip, which is usually part of the school curriculum, the platform will provide access to virtual tours and immersive experiences in the arts, culture, and science.
The mobile app will feature its first jointly created virtual tour, “Batang Katutubo” that offers a look into Philippine cultural heritage and provide children with three different experiences. The “Musika” exhibit encourages kids to try their hand at playing traditional musical instruments such as the libit and gangsa. Seed planting games in the “Kalikasan” exhibit help children learn more about local plants and conserving the environment. The “Kasuotan” exhibit gives them the opportunity to try on various native costumes through the power of Augmented Reality (AR).
Using a screen to play a game or learn something isn’t only one-dimensional anymore. With augmented and virtual reality apps, anyone can experience digital worlds in a new way. While virtual reality (or VR) requires a headset and plops you into an immersive world, augmented reality (or AR) is slightly different. The screen acts as a way to enhance or add elements to the real world. Aside from providing entertainment, AR can help kids and adults learn science, simulate experiences, or bring books to life.
With reported cases of COVID-19 in over 80 countries around the world, there is a real cause for concern amid school closures, quarantined towns, and global economic slowdown. In fact, many children especially between ages 4-6 have not begun their early education.
In contrast, an article from OpenGov stated that The Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) announced that the agency is currently harnessing different technology-based projects as part of education’s new normal that is caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking during the first Asia Pacific Public Sector Digital Summit, the agency’s undersecretary underscored the government’s initiatives to ensure learning continuity amid the pandemic, including DepEd TV, DepEd Commons, and DepEd Radio. If there are no face-to-face classes, then the education department must devise all means to reach out to learners and to bring basic education to them, said the agency.
Therefore, authorising this technology in the educational sector will allow the learning process to be completed through augmented reality. Not only will Augmented Reality support parents, but teachers will be able to see the value of students not only reading and listening in the classroom but also interacting and creating within their surroundings using AR especially during the lockdowns.
When it comes to introducing new technology to the classroom in order for there to be the success it needs to be combined with best teaching practices. There are numerous widely acknowledged boundaries, such as a lack of funding, a lack of time or training to learn new software, uncertainty about how the use of technology relates to standards, and etc.
According to research, the Augmented Reality market is worth $ 61,39 billion by 2023, after experiencing record growth in 2018. What’s more, Augmented Reality in education is a technology trend to keep an eye on. There is no doubt that Augmented Reality will take over all industries, including education and training.
