Is Augmented Reality Really Going to Impact Learning

Question

I recently had a chance to experiment with the new Microsoft Hololens. I was stunned by how different the experience was when compared to something more familiar - like virtual reality. It's no secret that I've long been a fan of VR, and an enthusiast. But AR is something extraordinarily compelling.

For the uninitiated, the AR viewer (in this case the Hololens) let's you look through the media to see the whole environment around you. So your office or living room is combined with data displays, virtual holograms, web browsers etc. I've often felt that longing while wearing VR goggles - to just be able to see the room - even if for a second, as the VR experience is quite isolating from the outside environment.

Augmented Reality however is interactive with the real world, and encourages you to see and hear both the virtual and the real simultaneously. The implications are pretty apparent. Guided lessons while performing real tasks, communications and interactions that augment instead of interrupt your workflow. Referential media, notes, video and other tools.

It also strikes me that AR points to a future with even smaller bite size learning tools, and ones that are more likely to be associated with virtual objects that can be somehow linked to the world around us. Tools like QR codes and Near field communications are already being used for this.

But, the glasses were still heavy - hard to wear for more than an hour or so. It was still ridiculously hard to type. The simple gestures were intuitive, but the device didn't always seem to follow me and I wondered how long the battery life might be. (Though it seems to be seriously longer than I'd imagine.) It was clear - it needs to be lighter weight, less bulky, and a little more power savvy - but certainly is starting to look like a short time span before these devices are exactly that.

So what do you think? Do you see a future for this kind of thing in learning? What will change for those of us creating content?

BDuckWorks · Answer

I would say there is definitely a future for this kind of learning, but it is more likely to take the form of performance support than what was computer based training, or even eLearning.

I think there will need to be safety procedures put in place, with data and sensor integration to confirm the users safety, before life threatening measures would be attempted. The Internet of Things (IoT) allows us to take the first steps in this direction.

My first example was going to be automotive, changing the oil or spark plugs, but those will likely change in light of the electric vehicle efforts underway.

In the household sphere of baking, an AR application could advise a novice baker of advanced techniques, with sensor integration it would know how hot the oven is, and could remind the user to use hot pads, turn the souffle and return it to the oven; even give a warning if the oven is allowed to cool before the task is complete.

Under these approaches AR appears as virtual heads up display, projected or reflected on the glass inside of a vehicle may be an interim option.

All the concerns you discuss: weight, typing, gestures, battery life; they're all temporary! Think about the Apollo astronauts having the computing power of NASA on the ground and in their ship. Now, we're carrying more power in an outdated cell phone!

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