USING AUGMENTED REALITY IN HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOMS TO COMPREHEND SURFACE GEOLOGICAL MAP FEATURES

Incorporating technology into the classroom while using it correctly, and still keeping it affordable with accessibility to all of the students can be problematic. In Northglenn High School Geology classes, students are using augmented reality to explore the complex surface geology of Colorado. An app scans and captures selected geological formations. The students then load the app onto their cells phones and can virtually visit the formations. The app’s augmented reality allows the students to investigate the geology of the area and learn about some of the possible geologic processes that formed the location. The students gain the understanding that 2-dimensional geologic maps are really representing a 3-dimensional world with relief and erosional surfaces.

Apps such as Aurasma allow students to use their smart phones as learning tools, thus making it easier for most students to have access to technology. Technology should be used to enhance students’ learning and not just because it is there. The SAMR model (Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition) explores the idea of why technology should be introduced and then looks at the issues associated with student expectations and levels of understanding that come from this usage.

Using technology appropriately not only allows students from inner city locations to explore the geology of areas that would otherwise only be represented in a text book but opens up exploring and learning science in ways that are only limited by the user.