Summer Fun with AR

Have you heard about AR?  Not Accelerated Reader, but Augmented Reality.  If you have not, this is a really fun summer challenge to take on with kids of all ages.  What is Augmented Reality (AR)?  Well...we live in the real world.  What you see is what you get.  Hold up your hand, look at it.  It is your hand.  Reality is that you have 4 fingers and a thumb.  Augmented Reality is when you look at something, through the eyes of technology and what you see changes.  Perhaps when you look at your hand through the eyes of technology, and Augmented Reality gives you an alien looking hand, or maybe a hand like Elmo’s, or shows you the bones that make up your hand, the muscles or more!  Augmented Reality is changing what you see and bringing it to life.  To learn more check out the How Stuff Work’s article at: http://www.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm

Still confused?  Sometimes you have to see to believe.  Check out this video on YouTube.  AR is becoming VERY popular in advertising and you will see it more and more to promote products, or provide "added value/content" to things like books, magazines and other print materials. There are currently books you can purchase with AR content.  For example, check out this list of just a few examples for kids.

 

How to complete the Challenge(ages 7+):

1.    Download the free Aurasma app to your Android device, iTouch, iPhone, or iPad.

2.    Create an Aura using method A or method B.

Method A:   Using the Aurasma app itself you can create your own Auras.  These include a simple trigger image that you can capture with the camera installed on your device and an overlay that you select from that same device.  
Mrs. Wallace created a GREAT tutorial on how to complete this method, check it out here: http://prezi.com/7nly6reprrhb/aurasma-instructions/ NOTE:  You should NOT, not, not use the username and password provided in this tutorial.  Please create your own account. 

      Method B: Using the online program called Aurasma Studio you can create Auras that are much more complex and interesting.  This version could be used on your table or using a computer.  Benefits to this method include more control over your Auras and you can use sequencing to have multiple overlays (or actions) based on a single trigger image. 
Two Guys and some iPads created a GREAT tutorial on how to complete this method, check it out here: http://www.twoguysandsomeipads.com/p/aurasma-tutorials.html

3.  When your Aura is complete it needs to be shared!  Show your friends and family, or post about it here!

Want an easier version?

Try out the ColAR Mix app.  This app will ask you to download and print images then color them in.  After you color these images, you can scan them with your device using this app and watch them come to life!

 Also check out  other AR apps including ARBasketball, Drawnimal (sort of AR but not really),  AR Flashcards Animals, PBS Kids Fetch! Lunch Rush, and PBS Kids’ CyberChase ShapeQuest.   

Bonus:  Imagine a world where everyone wears a pair of “glasses” that allows them to see both reality AND Augmented Reality.  How would this change the world?  What would be good about it?  What are some possible negative elements?

Then think about a future that is a little closer…..next year’s yearbook.  How could AR be integrated and used in a yearbook?

 

Important Vocabulary:

Trigger Image:  The picture that you are scanning and bringing to life. Also called Markers or Marker Images.

Overylay: The image or video that appears

Aura: A trigger image and its overalys together make an Aura.  Auras can be as simple as a video and a link to a web page or as complex as a lifelike 3D animation.