Learning English with Augmented Reality

Thanks to Live ABC and the Education Bureau, we got to experience one of the latest innovative teaching trends, learning English with Augmented Reality. My students, two other teachers and I actually went to the Martial Arts Compound and used the smartphones to explore and interact with the renowned historic site.

To unlock the mission, you have to point your mobile device at the designated sign and get the questions. These students got pretty excited to work out the answers collaboratively and get the coins after the mission was completed. With the real-time GPS tracker, you can move on to the next premises accordingly and start new AR missions again.  

Of course, there's no such thing as perfect. Some students experienced a few technical problems, including failing to log on and losing connection. For those who were using others' WiFi hotspots, it may be unstable or fail to run at times.

Technology enhances learning. However, you should always align learning activities with teaching objectives, not the other around. What exactly our students are expected to Do with the language is always my first priority. What comes next after students have fun completing these AR missions?

For me, the answers are clear. I will get my students making English-speaking videos to introduce any tourist spots here in Taichung so that they know exactly what to say when doing video conferencing with their counterparts outside of Taiwan. Then, I will keep on learning this new trend and try to create our own homemade version of AR and VR inside the campus.