The Power of the Pen: In Three Dimensions

Friday, December 9, 2016 by Cyber Acoustics

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but if one can bend reality to their own will, what use would they have for either?

Our students are growing up in a world where Augmented Reality (AR) or Kudzi 3.0 has revolutionized how we interface with information in 2016. It is a live (direct or indirect) view of a physical, real-world environment of which elements became augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data for the masses.

Did we lose you? In a word (or two), think about “Pokémon Go.”

The game was a first introduction, for many people, to the idea that a smartphone or mobile device can interpret data and use it to mimic real life, but with worldly features beyond that of our own. In the case of “ Go”, children and the adults worldwide seized the opportunity to collect the fictional creatures.

It was a simple AR platform, but proved an effective means of entertainment that it became impossible-to-ignore. Not without controversy, the game is merely a taste of the potential within this new tool.

If our primary source of information for centuries came in the form of the written word, can you imagine how much we can teach and learn with a written world at our fingertips?

Mobile apps commonly use AR technology to interpret an image through the device’s camera, then superimpose a 3D-generated image over the actual image from the camera’s signal as presented on the screen of the phone or tablet.

The result is that the user can interact with a digitally rendered character or object as if it is really there, in the user's physical space.

Educators already can take advantage of AR resources with their students beyond entertainment and game-playing. Company’s like Alive Studios use AR to create lessons and activities to facilitate stronger math, reading, and other skills for young learners. Meanwhile, Quivervision makes it possible for artists to practice their craft and then watch their creations come to life in front of their eyes.

Essentially, students interested in art or graphic design can animate their efforts without the help of a major film studio like Pixar or Disney. This is not a “consumer-only” innovation as it applies to educators and learners, however. Anyone interested in exploring the production aspect of AR technology can do so with a platform like Aurasma, which helps “the world's leading brands use augmented reality in mobile campaigns to drive real results.”

Some of these mobile campaigns have been for companies like AMC Theatres and, in fact, Disney. But even more interesting to us is the fact that the company singles out its usefulness to educators in teaching “the next generation.”

Our knowledge and information sources, as well as the way that we interact and, on occasion, even influence them, are gradually shifting from one paradigm to another. In this new paradigm, the restrictions of a two-dimensional world are less and less with each new upgrade to your mobile operating system.

As we find comfort in this new 3D reality that we’re working with, one can only begin to wonder what the future has in store. Theoretically, we can bring events from history to life in new ways, visualize complex concepts as they apply in the real world, and impart lessons in subjects that, previously, could only appeal to a certain portion of the academic population.

Make no mistake, the emergence of augmented reality doesn’t lessen the importance of our interactions with one another. What would be the point of these incredible innovations if we didn’t use them to engage, entertain, learn from, and teach to the fullest extent available?

Augmented reality poses new and exciting opportunities for anyone looking for entertainment or education! What will the new year offer us along the same lines? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure… the human imagination has an incredible new canvass to create upon!