Augmented Reality – Overview

References provided in Literature Section

Augmented Reality (AR) is when virtual data such as text, pictures, or video is combined with what we see in the real world, for the purpose of enhancing the information we can perceive with our senses (Horizon Report, 2010). When American football is televised, the virtual line seen by viewers indicating the distance of the ball from the goal is a basic AR application. Special software registers and aligns virtual, visual overlays that can then be viewed using hardware such as a television, PDA or smartphone. Augmented reality is effective for learning procedural tasks in manufacturing and medicine as well as for providing digital information for simulations and investigations. The affordances provided by AR are well suited to pedagogical models such as cognitive apprenticeships, situated learning, and problem-based learning.