7 Augmented Reality Apps for the Classroom

Posted on March 3, 2011 by eduhowto

In a quest to look for ways to get my students outside active and learning in the real world. I have begun messing around with different Augmented Reality Applications. I have made a couple of games using different programs, as regular readers of my blog know. If you are a new reader and are interested in these past blogs click here for a list of past blogs on this topic, or click on the Augmented Reality in Schools link on the left side of this blog.

I have had phenomenal success with this type of application in the classroom from the few games that I have created, so I have begun to look for more programs to create these types of applications. The following is a list of 7 programs that I believe could be excellent for creating location based educational games.

Note: All of these programs require the use of a GPS enabled device to play like a cell phone, or Garmin GPS device etc.

FourSquare : This application can be used on almost all hand-held devices from the iPhone to Android. It is very universal and is great for scavenger hunts. Has a large support community and is well maintained. You can download the app from the Android App store.

SCVNGR : The idea behind this site is to complete challenges at specific locations. This application is also for the iPhone and Android devices and is well developed. This application allows users to collect points and easily share information and locations like FourSquare above. You can download the app from the Android App store.

Joyity : Like other location based games this turns your environment into a game space. At different locations you must complete certain tasks to earn point and accomplish missions. “JOYity is for use on both Android smartphones and Java (J2ME) phones.” You can download the app from the Android App store.

GPS Mision : This is a webbased game creator for Windows Mobile phones, Nokia and the iPhones. This application allows you to create location based games. You can also download and play games as well.

WhereIGo : Originally designed for Geocaching, this application can be easily converted into location based games. This application is limited to Windows Mobile devices and Garmin GPS devices. Game creator can only be used on specific Windows machines. You can download the app from the Android App store.

Tourality : This location based game like the others can be played on Andriod, Nokia and Blackberry devices. You can download the app from the Android App store. Another great application for multiplayer games.

Layar : This application can be download on most devices. This application is great for overlaying material over the real world using the camera on the device. Great for showing what something looked like in the past or may look like in the future. You can also overlay game characters to instruct or provide information for the game.

Here is a great video that shows the type of things that this type application can deliver to students to engage them.