Now that app developers are utilizing augmented reality and virtual reality on a more frequent basis, it is time to take a closer look at the benefits that these technologies have to offer. For example, there are a number of teachers who are now relying on these technologies in their classroom environment.
How can augmented reality and virtual reality be used in the educational field? How can app developers help teachers to get the most out of the technology? Meanwhile, there are teachers who have already met with app developers and have begun to incorporate the technology. These are not mere trends. They are not the wave of the future.
In fact, they are here to stay. That’s why this helpful guide is here to provide further background on the advantages of AR and VR in a classroom environment. Gone are the days of relying on the good old fashioned chalkboard. Teachers are now able to keep their lessons fully up to date and streamline any number of typical processes. These are just a few of the benefits that these technologies and their associated app developers have to offer.
The technology may be in its infancy but the potential is limitless. The proper care must be taken to ensure that it is being used in the correct manner. App developers offer further insight as to what the best practices are supposed to be. There are some great uses for augmented reality and virtual reality and the following guide is here to provide the necessary insights.
Increased Levels of Student Engagement
Let’s face the facts here. The average student is always going to struggle to remain engaged. It can be tough for teachers to make certain lessons come to life. This makes it more difficult for teachers to impart the information needed. Now that technology has advanced to a stage where augmented reality and virtual reality can be used, these problems are going to start to fall by the wayside.
With the help of these technologies and app developers who have their specific interests in mind, teachers can now tailor their lessons to the students in a more direct way. While there is nothing wrong with using textbooks or more traditional learning materials, a student is more likely to sit up and take notice when cutting edge technology is used.
That’s just the nature of the beast. Even a child that is not all that enthusiastic about certain subjects will be more likely to pay close attention when the lesson is presented to them in a new and exciting way.
Taking Students On More Field Trips
There is no hiding the fact that students love to go on field trips. This is one of the best parts about being a student. Thanks to augmented reality and virtual reality, students will no longer have to head home with a permission slip in hand. The school systems are no longer forced to budget for various trips. Once the upfront costs associated with app developers who work with these technologies have been paid, the students are free to go on as many field trips as necessary.
The headsets that are used come with a variety of price points, as well. This allows schools to choose the models that work best for their needs, without being forced to break the bank in the process. There are various tools (like Google Cardboard) that are also designed to make the process of implementation easier than ever before. Google Expeditions is another common tool being used in today’s schools.
Teaching Students How To Code
The days of saying “it would be nice if more students could learn how to code” are now over. With augmented reality and virtual reality apps, teachers are able to pass these lessons along far more easily than ever before. Early studies show that these platforms offer students untold advantages when it comes to learning how to code. Augmented reality platforms are believed to be especially useful.
Mobile platforms are becoming the most commonly used by students looking to learn coding. These platforms offer the sort of interactive study that other platforms simply cannot match. Studies show also show that these students are more likely to have a positive learning experience and pass all of the necessary tests when they learn on these platforms.
Assisting With Content Creation
When students are given the chance to visit various sites in their region, they are more likely to become passionate about related topics. From there, augmented reality and virtual reality can become key agents when it comes to the creation of content about these locations. Turning trips into virtual reality/augmented reality experiences is a great way to inspire students.
From there, students who are given the chance to enjoy these experiences will work harder to virtualize other sites that they have yet to learn more about. These forms of technology give students the chance to serve as the creators of their own personalized learning experience. The added engagement is one of the many benefits.
Teachers and administrators are already enjoying the various advantages. While there are some who remain skeptical, educators and researchers alike have begun to share the benefits that they are experiencing with the general public. With the help of app developers, schools are now able to modernize the learning business and give their students the opportunity to position themselves for greater levels of future success.
Author Bio:
Melissa Crooks is Content Writer who writes for Hyperlink InfoSystem, a mobile app development company in New York, USA and India that holds the best team of skilled and expert app developers. She is a versatile tech writer and loves exploring latest technology trends, entrepreneur and startup column. She also writes for top app development companies.
We do often give some thought to what happens when we pass away, especially the aftermath that involves our family and our close friends. We may plan for this carefully and with a lot of forethought. Those with complicated estates may set up a power of attorney, take out a life insurance policy, draft a will, and many other common precautions that people take when they want their friends and family to be provided for after we pass on.
On a personal level, these are some of the things that I have taken care of, to ensure some peace of mind that most things on a personal level will be taken care of when I die. On a business level, however, I must admit I have never given this much thought until recently.
I had to ask myself what would happen if something were to happen to me when it came to my business. This is something I’ve worked hard to accomplish and hard to maintain for many years – my colleagues also matter to me. What falls upon their shoulders if their boss suddenly passes away?
Recently my company built the website for the Sudden Death Checklist book. Perfect. Someone has already thought of all of the many things that I need to do to ensure that my business is taken care of in the event of a tragedy. I’m definitely going to spend a weekend reading this book (and following the steps) to give myself some peace of mind. As complete and as thorough as I think I am, if I tried to come up with my own checklist, I have a feeling that I may omit some important things. I had never considered the ramifications of a sudden death for my business. This has been (pardon the pun) a real lifesaver.
Fundamentally, what are three things that someone should have on their business Sudden Death Checklist? If you are like me, you probably don’t have all of your passwords written down in a “safe place,” as is so strongly advised. Mine are all in my head. How could anyone attempt to unlock my financial documents stored deep in my laptop if they don’t have the password?
Therefore, it truly is a good idea to have all passwords to everything – including the wireless router – written down and stored in a safe place.
Secondly, it is important to have all of the key financial information in one place – stocks, bonds, accounts – all of that financial information needs to be quickly accessed if I suddenly am not around. Whether the information is kept safe with a spouse or key advisor, it must be accessible.
Thirdly, I realized I had quite neglected anything to do with my business when it came to my will, so I had a new one drafted. Everything to do with the business was now included, so that there would be no confusion over who was responsible for what in the event of an emergency. For me, I chose my spouse to take over the reins, but I also have an advisor in mind in case of a complete family emergency.
This is one of those things that no one likes to think about, but it’s necessary. I want to my business to live on after I do, and it’s something I need to take care of to ensure that it does.
Have you considered these things? What gives you peace of mind when you do?
When I first started managing websites, a client once called me in panic. He told me that he had received a letter from someone that said he owed them several hundred dollars for submitting his website to search engines. Even though I was an online marketing beginner, I was pretty sure that the Internet didn’t work this way. I went to my client’s office where he showed me the letter. It was a crude looking invoice that said the charges were for “submitting your website to Google, Bing, and Yahoo”. After I assured my client that it was a scam, I did some investigating. I looked up the return address and found out it was for a storage lot near Niagara Falls. I called the owner of the storage lot and he seemed just as confused as I was. Either way, I let it go and told all my other clients to disregard letters like this.
Since then, I’ve noticed a lot of scammers taking advantage of people’s ignorance. When it comes to scams related to search engines, it usually involves trying to get people to pay money for services that are free.
What To Do About Google Robocalls?
In the last few months, our office has gotten numerous robocalls saying that our Google listing is unverified and we should press 1 to speak to a rep who can help us solve this problem. If this was from a legitimate company, they probably would have noticed that our listing is indeed verified and that we operate Spider Gourmet, an SEO company that specializes in this sort of thing.
At first, I just hung up when I got these calls. But then they became more numerous so I decided to do something about it. The next time I got a Google listing robocall, I pressed the option to speak to a rep. I asked him “Do you know that you’re calling an SEO company?” He feigned ignorance. I asked him politely, but firmly, to stop calling us. He got defensive and said I was being disrespectful. Not wanting to hear any more nonsense, I hung up on him. In the next few weeks, we still got several more of these calls but they eventually stopped.
Now, I’m a SEO professional and was able to know when I was being lied to. However, not everyone else is in this position. Our clients have also complained that they have also been receiving these calls. Many of my friends have also asked me about these calls as well. This enrages me because Google My Business (the service that handles your Google listing) is and has always been a free service. If you are going to pay to have an SEO company do it for you, it should be a company you know and trust, not one that relies on unsolicited robocalls. These companies using Google’s name are trying to get business, or worse, trying to steal personal information.
Recently, Google has taken notice of these robocalls:
“This year, we’ve received hundreds of complaints from users about illegal robocalls they’ve received from callers claiming to be affiliated with Google. They often promote misleading offers for improving users Google My Business profiles or search ranking. These calls are not from Google, and we’re making sure our clients know how to report them. Should you ever receive this type of call, you can report them directly here.”
To further help users, Google has set up a place to report these robocalls. If you receive one of these calls, be sure to write down anything about the call, such as the phone number, the company name, and any other identifiable information. Then fill out this form. By each of us doing our part, we can work together to put a stop to this dishonest practice.
Well guys here is my last a weekly Mobile blog post coming from you by Mutual Mobile. Please feel free to go and signup at mutualmobile.comI apologize for the formatting look, MM changed their format which makes it a pain to copy over in here but here it is, The info is still great.
Starting in a couple weeks you will be seeing new stuff brought to you by my new employer Chaotic Moon. Please go check us out www.chaoticmoon.com
New iPads are a certainty, but there’s plenty more that Apple could have in store for consumers ahead of the holiday shopping season. Here’s what you should — and shouldn’t — expect from Apple’sOctober 22nd event.
The race for the tablet market has become a full-blown sprint. The intense competition will be highlighted on Tuesday, as Apple, Nokia and Microsoft each introduce new tablets.
While the Surface 2 is probably most fairly compared to an iPad or high-end Android tablet, the Surface Pro 2’s processing power makes it more like a laptop.
While we wait for someone, anyone, to deliver the ultimate smartwatch, what can the best devices available today tell us about perfecting the smart wrist-accessory?
Mobile’s immersion in our everyday lives actually provides retailers a valuable opportunity to embrace mobile as an asset and use it to foster the biggest advantage a bricks-and-mortar store has to offer: personalized, superior-level customer service.
The wearable devices industry, which includes smart watches and glasses, will be worth $19 billion by 2018. That’s a big jump over the $1.4 billion the industry is expected to pull in this year, according to Juniper Research, which produced the numbers.
This year, more than half of US adult internet users, or 102.5 million people, will redeem a digital coupon via any device for either online or offline shopping. New data indicates that there was a significant increase in the number of digital coupon users during the first half of 2013.
Apple’s iOS 7 has been available to the public for exactly one month. In that time, about 73% of all iOS users have updated their iPhones, iPads and iPods to Apple’s new operating system, amounting to a little more than 250 million devices.
Game Description:
Deep in the bowels of a top secret building of S.T.Z.M.N. research facility a lab assistant works late into the night tending to their quadrant smears. In the lab next door things go horribly wrong with a timeline experiment and in an instant the lab assistant is sucked into the void and transported millions of years into earth’s primordial past.
Our hero, dazed and confused, is shaken back into consciousness by a massive quake. Looking around they are surrounded by a harsh, unfamiliar, and unforgiving terrain. The ground shakes again and our hero looks around in time to see a massive volcano erupting in the distance. As the shockwave hits our hero’s fight or flight instincts kick in and they take off running for their life.
Eruption, is a 2.5D platformer designed to challenge the player to escape the hostile world they find themselves in and make it to safety. The user will be forced to look around and dodge incoming objects from all directions. Players will have to think on their feet running, jumping, and sliding in order to save themselves from almost certain doom.
The path to the end is never as easy as it seems.
Controls:
Left/Right – L/R Arrow keys or A and D
Slide – Down key or S
Jump – Space
(Beta) Zoom out – Ctrl
Eruption!!
Built by myself and 4 other guys for the VR Game Jam (@zach, @sorensilk, Nick, and Tom). Most of us were brand new to Unity and game development so it was a great learning experience. We were up until the deadline last night (2am our time) putting in final touches.
We figured most teams would make first person view games so we decided to mix it up with a 3rd person platformer. We think the end result really works well with the Rift. We placed obstacles above and in front of you to force the player to look around the level and not just stare straight ahead.
Not sure where development is going from here but we’d love feedback. Please visit the official game posting https://developer.oculusvr.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=3879
Well folks today our fearless internet overlord Google made some fresh announcements.
NEW Nexus 7 tablet will be available in 3 models: the 16gb Wifi for 229, the 32 GB wifi model for 269, and 32 GB LTE model for 349. The Wifi Model will start shipping on July 30th, with the LTE model shipping in “coming weeks”.
Upgraded specs from the last one (which ran pretty damn nice for the $$):
Also announced today brand new version of jelly bean. Version 4.3 is available today for all google devices and the samsung galaxy.
Key Features:
New to Android 4.3: advanced multi-user support, bringing in “restricted profiles”. Restricted profiles lets parents limit what their child’s account can do. (Same thing the kindle has recently been advertising. Why you say? Cause kindle is android based silly.)
Bluetooth Smart, or Bluetooth low-energy.
OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics system, allowing for considerably more detail in games; according to Hugo, they’re the first to support it.
Watching 1080p content on a tablet is great, but most of the content you get today is actually standard definition. This is because the lack of DRM. With Android 4.3, Google’s introducing hardware-level encryption for DRM. The first group Google’s partnering with this is Netflix, allowing you to stream 1080p netflix content to your Android device.
The original Nexus 7, the nexus 4, the galaxy nexus, and the nexus 10 will start to get Android 4.3 today.
Another important update comes to the Google Play store which will begin carrying a comprehensive collection of text books from all 5 major publishing houses. Books can be purchased, or rented for 6 months at a time. Text books will be available in early august.
BUT, the biggest announcement is Chromecast. Chromecast is a tiny, itty-bitty dongle that runs a simplified version of Chrome OS. Chromecast integrates into the apps you already use on your tablet, phone, or PC. You push a chromecast button, and it pushes that video to your TV. It’s like Apple’s airplay. Chromecast will play friendly with the iPhone, not just Android. You can continue to use your phone independently; once the video is playing on your TV, you can use your phone for other tasks. Even if you sleep the phone, the video keeps playing. You can pause/skip videos from the lockscreen. If you’ve got multiple devices all connected to Chromecast, Chromecast won’t be tied to any of them. You can pause on your iPhone, for example, pick up your tablet, and immediately take control and begin playing from the same place.
On a side note to the Chomecast stuff. Myself and another of other dev’s I work with spent a good hour today chatting about this part of the announcement. The conversation was a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride. At first we were all stoked simply because we had postalized that Google might announce this type of functionality because its been sorely missing for far too long. But as we spoke more about how it worked and read in between the tech lines our excitement faded as a feeling of “MEH, its pretty cool but what about this, what about that..” set in. Its a HUGE step up from the ill fated Google Q that was a major POS but the Chromecast is still missing actual screen mirroring. WHY GOOGLE WHY!!!!! So at this point your gonna have to wait for ALL of your favorite app developers to add the Chrome Play button to their apps BEFORE you can play Angry Birds on the big screen but hey for $35 its worth it if you don’t already have a smart TV, playstation, Xbox or Apple TV hooked up (Which covers about 90% of the population).
All that being said, I will let you know in three days time after mine arrives….HA
Once again your weekly collection of Mobile News is brought to you by our friend over at Mutual Mobile
This week, Instagram integrates video to its app in an attempt to defend itself against Vine. But is it a smart move? Plus: new data from Forrester on Glass, a first look at iOS 7, and more.
News and Insights
Video Killed The Instagram Star – TechCrunch, In an attempt to overcome Vine, Instagram has added video. But is it a smart move?
Apple Scores $30M iPad Deal With L.A. Schools – Mashable, Los Angeles public schools plan to equip every student with the device by 2014. (If you wanna get a better understanding of what this means to education http://www.redefiningliteracy.com/what-is-ilit)
Excerpt from http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/17/encrypting-your-email-works-says-nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden/
For my money this hits the nail on the head. If you call yourself a technologist NONE of this better be a surprise. Because if it is, your not a very good technologist. For those that aren’t Continue »
Bought to you from our friends over at Mutual Mobile…
Last week, Apple held its annual World Wide Developer’s Conference. We dive into some of the biggest announcements: a groundbreaking new “flat” redesign in iOS 7, new Macs, iOS for cars, and more.
Ever wonder whats next for mobile? Smartphones feeling old hat? Then why not make a smart hat or hop on the google train and code some GoogleGlass.
TUESDAY 6/25 we have another webinar focused on Google Glass and smart use cases for professionals that need to be hands-free (think policemen, EMTs, surgeons, firefighters, pilots, etc.). Joining us for the webinar will be Sarah Rottman Epps, Senior Analyst, Forrester (I’ve attached two of her reports for your reference).
