Augmented Reality: Getting To Know Aurasma

Aurasma: "The World's Leading Augmented Reality Platform"

Aurasma's bold claim is underpinned by their theory that anyone can create, manage and track augmented reality experiences.  Fresh from a summer of playing Pokémon Go, students have arrived at school with background knowledge of AR. Seizing upon students' authentic and high-interest experiences with AR, this is an ideal moment for teachers to create their own interactive content to capture a student's (or adult's) attention, maximizing learning time.

A Brief Video: How To Create Augmented Reality in Aurasma Studio

Getting Started: Introduce Something by Creating An Aura

Aurasma is a way to personalize learning experiences, allowing a Trigger Image to launch correlating content, as detected through the open application on a mobile device. A colleague of mine told me about a getting-to-know-you activity she has planned, where each student will research a bird to represent themselves, supporting the premise that although each student-as-bird is very different, they will all "soar through their year together." One way the use of AR can be used as a tool in this activity is by matching the student's personal Trigger Image, their bird selection, with customized content, media about their bird.

Albatross Example

I chose to profile the albatross for this activity, a bird which seems unwieldy and even has a name which is a metaphor for a persistent problem (!). With these strikes against this gangly bird, learning about its amazing technique for flying is a nice surprise, revealed through video when scanned using the Aurasma App. 

Basic Process

With an albatross photo downloaded, free Aurasma Studio software is used to edit the Trigger Image, basically masking blank space, so that the picture is easily read using the Aurasma App on a mobile device.

After the image is sufficiently masked, the next step is to upload an Overlay; I chose a video which explains the amazing Dynamic Soaring technique of the albatross. (It turns out the albatross is adept at soaring.) There are a range of Overlays and Actions you can apply to your Trigger Image. 

The last steps in the Aura creation process are to name the Aura, add hashtags, and share.  

When scanned, using the Aurasma App, the video will launch from the above image, try it out. Here is a quick video of the initial launch of the content, filmed on an iPhone through an option in the Aurasma App. The video turns to full-screen with one tap, a command entered when adding the Overlay.