Technology has advanced significantly in the past decade, and with the ever-growing number of people using smartphones, leading-edge technologies like Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are gaining prominence in several industries, including education.
According to Statista, the number of global mobile AR users is estimated to grow to 2.4 billion by 2023, a tremendous rise of 2.2 billion from 200 million in 2015.
Many educational institutions have realized the constant need to improve the learning process and started using AR in classrooms to reinvent the way we learn and teach. AR has immense potential as it offers new and exciting ways for learners to interact and engage with the subject material.
In this blog, we will delve into the advantages and downsides of using AR in the classroom.
Pros of Using AR in the Classroom
Interactive Learning Experience
Adopting AR in classrooms changes the way students interact with the subject material and augments the learning experience. An interactive learning environment presents an opportunity to implement a hands-on, practical learning approach that helps students improve their level of understanding in less time. With AR in classrooms, students can improve memory retention by learning through interactive, visual 3D models and carrying out practical exercises rather than reading information from a textbook.
Heightened Student Engagement
Conventional education methods rely heavily on the ability of teachers to deliver engaging lectures and hold the attention of students. Unfortunately, sometimes this can be a major challenge; it is not the teacher's fault, the subject may be abstract, and students may quickly lose interest.
Adopting AR in the classroom can provide significant help in this regard. AR can significantly boost student engagement by adding an interactive, visual aspect to classes.
Since AR tech is highly interactive, it piques the students' interest and motivates them to actively participate in classroom activities.
Transforms Study Materials
Would you believe that AR can potentially replace textbooks and other printed resources? You may find this hard to believe, but AR technology is growing rapidly and can certainly displace all forms of printed study material someday. This can help improve a school’s budget by eliminating the cost of expensive textbooks.
Furthermore, AR can greatly enhance the educational content with 3D imagery, and AR worksheets can change the way children do homework. These worksheets also present students with an opportunity to experience interactive learning in their homes.
No Need to Use Special Equipment
VR requires you to invest in gear such as VR headsets. Many schools are not blessed with large budgets and operate on moderate funding, so using VR may be infeasible for some schools.
Unlike VR, AR does not require any specialized hardware equipment. AR is mobile-friendly, and most smartphones meet the requirements to effectively run AR applications.
Enhance Distance Learning
With a growing internet presence, distance learning has become more viable in recent years. However, there are still shortcomings in distance learning, such as the absence of practical elements and the lack of engagement with teachers and fellow students. Incorporating AR in classrooms begins to address these issues. AR can revolutionize online classes by bringing in experiential learning elements that give an authentic classroom experience and leave a lasting positive impact on the learners.
Cons of Using AR in the Classroom
Privacy Issues
The necessity to generate, analyze, and collect large sets of user information is one of the major downsides of AR technology. AR raises privacy concerns due to the potential sensitivity of the data collected.
To provide an immersive experience, AR collects extensive biometric data of the users. While this is essential to provide a better experience, it does present a privacy risk.
Health Concerns
While immersive technology can drastically improve the learning experience, there is also the risk of addiction and other health concerns. Generally, parents are open to using technology in classrooms, but they are slightly concerned about health issues such as eye problems and social isolation when it comes to implementing immersive technologies like AR in classrooms.
Adaptability of Teachers
Before introducing a new technology in a classroom, institutions must ensure their teachers possess the prerequisite level of technical knowledge. Some teachers may find it hard to transition from traditional methods to newer, tech-heavy methods of teaching. Not being comfortable operating the tech or troubleshooting a problem can be a real concern, for students maybe highly likely to lose focus if there are technical glitches during the class.
Concluding Thoughts
The EdTech world is expanding, and many educational institutes are utilizing Augmented Reality in their classrooms to enhance the conventional ways of bestowing knowledge. More people are migrating from reading and writing to understanding and experiencing through AR. With each passing day, AR in education is becoming more beneficial and accessible to everyone. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, AR is here to stay, and it will make education better in the long run.
If you wish to become a part of this educational revolution by incorporating AR in classrooms, XR Guru is the place to go. XR guru is an immersive learning hub designed for all devices with curated and interactive learning modules, optimized lesson plans tailor-made for your AR learning needs.
Get in touch with us for a free consultation on implementing augmented reality in classrooms
Claim Your Free Consultation