Augmented reality apps are giving a new meaning to interactive learning in the home and the classroom.
PBS Kids Interactive and WGBH Educational Foundation have discovered a way to help kids learn using resources that don’t actually exist.
With advanced technology and a bit of imagination, they created an augmented reality app called Lunch Rush that turns simple math problems into a virtual sushi collecting game for young children.
Participants at the Sandbox Summit at MIT had a chance to create their own augmented reality game from simple art supplies. The biggest challenge? Making it kid friendly.
“You go down the line … device up for too long”
Developers are thinking up ways to expand the range of how kids learn and how to utilize devices like tablets and smartphones in an educational way. The groups needed to consider not only how well a child could understand the game and handle a device, but also device capabilities, which included GPS, screen limitations, and much more.
Augmented reality is enabling educators to teach in new ways that would be very hard or impossible otherwise.
“This is one of the main things that we’re exploring - what advantages can we demonstrate through research that augmented reality has over other teaching approaches…We’re out there trying to teach kids math with games and we’re having a lot of fun doing it.”
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