This article was written by Dr. Josh Fisher with assistance from ChatGPT-4.
Students from Burris Laboratory School participate in an AR Workshop with Dr. Fisher and Mr. Robert Jones.
As technology’s role in education steadfastly expands, it falls upon us educators to pioneer the path toward the use of emerging media in our classrooms. In my journey as a researcher, I concentrate on using Augmented Reality (AR) as a tool to facilitate, encourage, and inspire community involvement. Recently, I facilitated a workshop at Burris Lab School, focusing on utilizing Adobe Aero to create AR experiences, and it provided compelling evidence that once students learn how to use AR, they will be motivated to use it to better their communities.
Delving into the Burris Workshop
During the school’s May term, a two-week program that allows students to explore a topic of their choice, we ventured into the world of AR. I had the opportunity to co-teach with Mr. Robert Jones of Burris. We were thrilled to have 18 enthusiastic students sign up for the AR workshop. Over ten days, these students engaged with AR technology, learning how to design and develop their AR experiences.
The students were exposed to the workflow of AR development, experienced the iterative nature of design, and received constructive feedback. The culmination of the workshop saw these students testing their AR experiences within the Burris community and beyond.
Harnessing the Power of AR: Student-Crafted Experiences
The tangible outcomes of the students’ engagement with AR unfolded as a diverse portfolio of immersive experiences:
• Delving into mental health issues
• Envisioning the transformation of dilapidated buildings into parks
• Crafting scenarios to tackle social anxiety in school
• Celebrating their Dungeons & Dragons (DnD) and Call of Duty (CoD) communities
• Proposing the establishment of additional basketball courts around Muncie
• Carving out a serene space within the school
• Cultivating virtual friendships with other schools
• Designing a nap room at Burris
• Conceiving a new broadcasting education space and van
• Encouraging respect for sanitation and janitorial staff
• Honoring track and field athletes
• Uplifting their choral community through AR
The Potential of AR as a Research Tool: Looking to the Future
The teaching workshop provided an invaluable experiential journey for the students while also serving as an instrumental component of my research. The driving question behind my inquiry is whether students, having gained familiarity with AR, would be motivated to employ it within their communities and for their collective benefit.
As AR evolves from a primarily entertainment-oriented medium to a tool of practical application, it becomes crucial to gauge how future generations perceive its value and utility. With our world increasingly becoming a stage where digital and physical realms seamlessly intertwine to create new experiences, it is our mission to ensure that our students are prepared to become active and engaged creators in this novel landscape.
Continuing the Mission: A Bright Future with AR
This AR workshop at Burris Lab School seamlessly builds upon the initiatives I had previously orchestrated at the Muncie Public Library using Snapchat. The success and engagement of students in the Burris workshop affirm AR’s potential to foster unique opportunities for community engagement. It is my intention to continue leveraging AR’s potential to enrich the learning experience, preparing students to make the most of emerging media for community engagement and development.
The Burris Lab School workshop has shown that when students are empowered with AR tools, they rise to the challenge, creating imaginative solutions and experiences that not only enhance their personal development but also benefit their broader communities. As an educator, I believe we must continue to explore these emerging technologies, for they have the potential to redefine the dynamics of the learning process and shape the future of education.
Joshua A. Fisher, Ph.D. is an expert in interactive non-fiction storytelling through XR. He is an Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Design and Development at Ball State University. There he teaches classes on Immersive Media design and development at the Center for Emerging Media Design and Development.