One of the things I discovered were Augmented Reality Books where you download an app for the book. You then point the digital device at the page and something from the page pops up such as a bug, or a dog, or the solar system.
Along the way, I discovered something called Mixed Reality. Before discussing it, I'm going to review a couple of definitions. Virtual Reality or VR is where the person is immersed in a completely artificial world sort of like the Holodeck on Star Trek. If you ever see a 360 icon in the corner of say a video, the icon means you can use a headset to experience the virtual reality.
Augmented Reality or AR is where something artificial is placed in the real world to enhance it. Mixed Reality or MR, also known as hybrid reality, is where the viewer can react with both the real world and the virtual world together. The biggest difference between AR and MR is in MR, you can react with the virtual objects or you can start with a virtual world with the virtual overlapping the real world rather than ignoring it.
Mixed reality is considered the most interactive of the three. Many of you have played a game using mixed reality. I can see people frowning and thinking. If you've played Pokeman go, you've played a mixed reality game. Unfortunately, there is not much out there on using mixed reality in math.
Several people at MIT have been working on "Mathland" which is a mixed reality world where students interact with their environment to learn math more naturally. They created a mixed reality world filled with mathematical concepts for students to interact with as a way of learning mathematics. Initial results are encouraging but if you want to read more on the topic, check these articles out.
One interesting thing about mixed reality is that it is often referred to as virtual reality or augmented reality because the activity is set up so the student can experience being on the titanic as it sinks. I believe activities such as this are classified as mixed because the construct is completely artificial but it is based on reality and the students interact with their environment. Unfortunately, these types of experiences for math students are not as easy to find. The technology is here but the topic isn't.
If you know of any mixed reality math programs or experiences, please let me know, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas. I came away from the conference with a merge cube and a beautiful headset. Talk about exploring, I am going to have fun. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.
Tomorrow, I'll be reviewing a math app that is new to me. It is instructional but it includes an interactive component that makes it more engaging. Have a great day.
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