Learning Spaces: Interactive Technology, Interactives, Widgets, Apps, Augmented Reality, & Gaming
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality involves adding a layer to your everyday experience. Your experience is enhanced with the addition of elements such as headsets that provide detailed information about your surroundings or smartphones that provide virtual tours or opportunities for gaming.
Although MUVEs such as Second Life can augment reality, there are many more applications that go beyond virtual worlds and gaming.
Watch Augmented Reality from Common Craft at YouTube (shown on right).
Augmented reality is being used to create virtual objects in museums and historical sites. Some cities are designing city tours. Headsets can be checked out to visitors as they explore the city. As the technology is enhanced, it may be used to create more collaborative experiences that combine elements of multi-user virtual environments and physical interaction with environments similar to the Holodeck on Star Trek.
Read 7 Things You Should Know About Augmented Reality (PDF) from EDUCAUSE.
Augmented Reality, Libraries and Learning
Will your library be checking out AR glasses for building orientations? Will you be creating AR applications to help patrons use your library? The Augmented Reality tools are just started to impact libraries.
Read Your Reality, Augmented by Meridith Farkas in American Libraries (August 19, 2010).
Read (Geolocation+Augmented Reality+QR Code) Libraries from The Strange Librarian.
Read Seeing is Believing: Is Your Library Ready for Augmented Reality by Christopher Harris in School Library Journal (September 1, 2010).
Read Augmented Reality and Libraries from 8bitlibrary.
Read Augmented Reality Library from iLearn Technology.
A few tools are available for building Augmented Reality applications. Go to ARToolKit for an example.
To learn more, read How Augmented Reality will Work.
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Learning Spaces: Interactive Technology: Gaming page.