Last month Gartner released their annual Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies and claims that augmented reality (AR) is two to five years away from reaching mainstream adoption. However, given the popularity of Pokemon Go; AR filters on Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram; and the upcoming release of ARKit with iOS 11, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a giant leap in AR adoption much sooner.
My love of AR and my colleagues geeking out with Breakout Edu over the summer led me to start thinking about ways that we might integrate AR into Breakouts. Here are some of my current favorite FREE apps (that aren’t Aurasma) and ways to integrate them into a Breakout.
My love of AR and my colleagues geeking out with Breakout Edu over the summer led me to start thinking about ways that we might integrate AR into Breakouts. Here are some of my current favorite FREE apps (that aren’t Aurasma) and ways to integrate them into a Breakout.
Shapes for a 4-digit lock WallaMe (iOS and Android)
WallaMe allows you to leave messages as graffiti on a wall or window. You can either share your messages directly with someone or make them public which makes this app perfect for a Breakout. After students open the app, they will be alerted that there is a discoverable wall nearby and can use the WallaMe app to find and read the message. Note: There are sometimes connectivity issues with this app so make sure you are connected to WiFi.
ROAR Augmented Reality App (iOS and Android)
What if you want to show video? ROAR allows you to attach videos to a trigger image but, unlike Aurasma, you can share these publicly which makes it perfect for the quick pace of a Breakout. You do need to add your AR content to your digital images on their website instead of being able to do it through the app.
Google Translate (iOS and Android)
This is hands down one of my favorite apps, and I’m always surprised by how many people don’t know about it. While it is incredible for travelers, it also allows you to increase the difficulty of your Breakout challenges by giving students information in different languages that they can then use their camera phone to instantly translate. Obviously, the translations aren’t 100% perfect, so you always want to double check that the app is translating your signs the way you want them to be translated. Note: The camera is not available when in “Detect language” mode so you will want to make sure you use a language your students will be able to recognize.
Directing students to download the app
While students might be more familiar with Google Translate, if you decide to use any of these apps you will want to add a clue to direct the students to the exact address. Here are some ideas:
WallaMe allows you to leave messages as graffiti on a wall or window. You can either share your messages directly with someone or make them public which makes this app perfect for a Breakout. After students open the app, they will be alerted that there is a discoverable wall nearby and can use the WallaMe app to find and read the message. Note: There are sometimes connectivity issues with this app so make sure you are connected to WiFi.
ROAR Augmented Reality App (iOS and Android)
What if you want to show video? ROAR allows you to attach videos to a trigger image but, unlike Aurasma, you can share these publicly which makes it perfect for the quick pace of a Breakout. You do need to add your AR content to your digital images on their website instead of being able to do it through the app.
Google Translate (iOS and Android)
This is hands down one of my favorite apps, and I’m always surprised by how many people don’t know about it. While it is incredible for travelers, it also allows you to increase the difficulty of your Breakout challenges by giving students information in different languages that they can then use their camera phone to instantly translate. Obviously, the translations aren’t 100% perfect, so you always want to double check that the app is translating your signs the way you want them to be translated. Note: The camera is not available when in “Detect language” mode so you will want to make sure you use a language your students will be able to recognize.
Directing students to download the app
While students might be more familiar with Google Translate, if you decide to use any of these apps you will want to add a clue to direct the students to the exact address. Here are some ideas:
- Hide a QR code to the iTunes and/or Google Play pages
- Print out and cut up the URLs to the iTunes and/or Google Play pages and have students unscramble
- Print and hide the icons for any of the apps and then have students do a reverse image search to find the app’s name