Teaching language, literacy and literature using augmented reality : an introduction to AR apps and their potential for classroom use

Empirical studies of augmented reality (AR) in education have suggested a vast range of educational benefits, including deep learning (Wu et al., 2013), collaborative learning in locative storytelling (Chinthammit & Thomas, 2014), higher-order thinking skills (Bower et al., 2015), increased student engagement in play-based literacy practices (Yamada-Rice et al., 2017), 21st century skills (Wang et al., 2018), and spatial thinking (George et al., 2020). Yet, in language and literacy teaching, little is known about using AR to enhance inquiry learning, and to encourage students to experiment with affordances of new media to develop critical and creative knowledge. Although teachers are expected to support students in learning, both with and through new digital forms, there is a slow uptake of new media, such as AR, in Australian contexts. This is possibly due to a lack of mainstream understanding about what AR is and what educational affordances it offers. The lack of classroom research and a “conceptual framework regarding the implementation of technologies such as Augmented Reality system” remain an impeding factor to effective explorations of AR in education (Bower et al., 2014, p.7).