Let me read your Aura

I have to admit that there are times now that I am absolutely overwhelmed by the technology that is available to us.  Every week it seems that there is something new that will change the face of education.  The challenge is sifting through all of it and finding out what meets the needs of our classes.

Aurasma is one tool that I found to be very interesting and useful.  Sure, when you first hear or read the word it sounds like some sort of disease that would require some serious ointment, but Aurasma is an augmented reality app that could have great potential in the classroom.

Each year, we do a major research project in which students pick a person or event that they would deem worthy of a memorial or monument.  They submit a standard research paper but the true star of their project is the memorial that they design and build a model of.  Through the years, we have had submissions turned in that would rival some of the best memorial designs in D.C. for their sheer symbolic quality.

The issue has always been that when kids bring in their projects, passersby are sometimes left to wonder what their design means.  This year each student filmed themselves giving a guided tour of their project which we then linked in Aurasma.  Now, when looking at the projects, the viewer can simply open the app, point it at the project and the student pops up to explain it virtually.

We also used the app the create interactive bulletin boards as well where short videos were linked to a picture or item.  For example, a picture of former president could be linked to a student created one minute bio.

This year, I plan on exploring Aurasma even more by incorporating it into a family history project.  Every year we do what I call the "panel project" in which students create a hanging timeline of their family history in which they share a family moment while also sharing about what was happening in the United States and the world at that time.  Basically, how were your family members a part of the time they were living in and how were they affected?  Using Aurasma, I plan on having the kids link in interviews with family members.

The fun downside of using the Aurasma app is that now the kids think EVERYTHING has an aura and they are constantly scanning things to see what pops up.  Hey, it's obvious that their curiosity is sparked.  One way I solved this is by printing out the company logo and attaching it to things that have an aura.

Yes, there are many things out there to use and just going through the app store can give you heart palpitations, but I really think that choosing a few and really focusing on those is better than inundating kids with dozens of apps.  In the last year, I have seen quite a bit of app fatigue among colleagues and students.  This year, I plan on developing multiple ways to use Aurasma so the kids feel very comfortable in using it and also using it well.

I welcome any feedback that anyone has about using Aurasma.  I'm sure that I have not begun to scratch the surface of its uses.  Please visit my website at One if by Land Adventures.