Aurasma

After talking to a colleague who had witnessed a demonstration on Augmented Reality I began to do a little research on the topic which led me to Aurasma.   Aurasma allows users to create "Auras" that pop up when you scan objects or pics with your phone or tablet.  I was intrigued by the possibility of using this app with my students so I decided to give it a try with book recommendations.

The assignment was for the students to use their own device, phone or tablet, to create a short video or presentation to be used as an Aura.  Students that didn't have a device could use my Ipad to record their video.  Most students created a short video that they shared with me on Google Drive, which I then uploaded to Aurasma.  One student chose to create a Powtoon presentation for their book recommendation.  Those were the only instructions I gave them.  Some of the students just recorded themselves telling about their favorite book while others wrote scripts and acted out a short skit to tell about theirs.

Once the videos were all shared with me I uploaded them to Aurasma and used a pic of the book cover to act as a trigger.  In Aurasma when you scan the trigger image the Aura plays as long as you are pointing the device at the trigger.  When you point the device away from the trigger image the Aura goes away.  All of the Auras were on my public channel so I was the one to put it all together so the students could scan and watch them.

The book recommendation Auras turned out well and I can definitely see myself using this again in the future.  I would like to create Auras for science as an example.  Students would scan a trigger image in their book and it would take them to a short video that explains a concept.  I could also see using math problems as trigger images with the Aura being an explanation of how to work it out. Also, I would like to give the students an opportunity to create their own channels to host the Auras that they make, instead of me having to take their videos and create them.

Using Aurasma for book recommendations was my first attempt at using augmented reality in the classroom.  I have just started learning about this new tool for engaging students and plan to keep exploring ways to use augmented reality to help my students learn and grow.