Blending Mixed Reality with Learning
Blended Learning
Blended Learning mixes digital media with real world classrooms or learning situations to create more effective learner outcomes.
Mixed Reality
Mixed Reality is a continuum between the Real and Virtual worlds. It encompasses both Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.
The ratio of digital to real world content you are experiencing defines where you are on this continuum.
It’s magic!
The promise of Mixed Reality is purely magic, providing immersive and pervasive information that shows us a better world.
This is not something you should just look at on a diagram. This is something you really need to see working.
But there are too many hurdles
When we translate this into today’s technology, the hurdles you must climb over to get at these Mixed Reality experiences can be formidable.
The traditional approach to creating & delivering Mixed Reality includes a massive amount of friction. It can take significant effort to create a Mixed Reality experience, often requiring a large budget and specialized team.
That’s not the end
Then you need to expend a lot of effort to drive educators and learners from knowing your Mixed Reality app exists (e.g. “awareness”) through to actually using it (e.g. “use”) and returning to it again and again (e.g. “adoption”).
Say hello to the modern web
Over the last decade we have been working hard to push forward the open web standards that are required to deliver Mixed Reality using any standard web browser. Our goal was to remove all the friction.
This is not a prototype. This is a reality and you can use it right now!
Create Mixed Reality in your browser
Now anyone can easily create a Mixed Reality experience using the web browser that’s in their pocket or on their computer.
View Mixed Reality in your browser
Sharing the experience is easy too, it’s just sharing a web link. A link that can be opened by over 3 Billion capable web browsers today.
Real Learning
Mixed Reality and Blended Learning are perfect pedagogical partners and the modern web makes them more open and accessible than ever.
So what’s possible right now?
— 360° photos
— 360° videos
— VR
— Location based AR
— Vision based AR (iOS adopts required standards from September)
— Seamless UX
What’s on the horizon?
— iOS Safari adds camera support
— Depth sensing devices
a. Hololens
b. Tango
— More…
It’s never been easier to link digital content to the real world.
How will you blend mixed reality with learning?
Also checkout my latest post on “Real World Learning Objects”.
NOTE: This post is my presentation for the session I have been invited to present at the New World Order in Education event on 27th June. Come along to see live demos and more info on what’s coming.
