You Say Cheating, I Say New Reality

After watching the various clips about Augmented Reality and how it is being developed for practical use in the classroom and elsewhere, my first response is to say that augmented reality is not cheating like some might think, but a vision into what will soon be reality.  In this blog post I will argue for augmented reality in the classroom by providing counterarguments to potential positions against it.

1. How can you truly test a student's knowledge if they are using augmented reality technology?
Will we still want to test/assess student knowledge in the same way if augmented reality becomes the new reality in our world?  If this type of technology becomes prevalent enough in everyday life to be considered for use in the classroom, why will students need to be tested for retention?  Would it not be a disadvantage for students' later lives if they were hindered from using modern technology in the classroom that they may one day be expected to use in their jobs?  "Assessing what you know" should look different as our world changes and "what is necessary for success" also changes.  I'm not saying that assessing student performance will become obsolete, but it should reflect reality and augmented reality may very well become the new reality.

2. How can teacher's monitor what students are learning if with augmented reality students have freedom to explore many different avenues?
Bringing augmented reality into the classroom will change the role of the teacher.  Instead of being a vast source of knowledge, teachers will need to become guides and facilitators for tapping into the vast source of knowledge provided by the technology.  Teachers will need to be trained for using these devices well and for monitoring student progress during their use.  The adaptability of augmented reality shown in the videos just expands on what good teachers already know to be true: everyone learns best in a different way and the more ways available to learn something, the better.

3. What if giving students free reign with this powerful technology leads to them becoming off task and distracted in the classroom?
Do you think students will be more willing to pay attention to your teaching if you bore them or if you engage their senses?  If augmented reality becomes a norm in everyday life, but is not permitted for students to use in schools, then schools will become guilty of (they already are by not allowing students to use their laptops, smart phones, etc!) providing students limited reality.  For the upcoming generation of students, the omnipresence of technology is just a way of life.  Wouldn't students be more likely to be engaged and less distracted, if at school they had the chance to use technology beyond what they normally experience, rather than being limited to less than in what they consider reality?  Schools will only stay relevant if they progress with technology, rather than fight against it.

3 Ways Today's Universities Can Prevent "Borders Syndrome"

 I recently read an article that discussed the possibility of traditional universities succumbing to the same fate as Borders Bookstores--closing as a result of becoming obsolete in our changing world.  The author related questions and answers from an interview with associates from Georgia Tech who were re-imagining the school's operations to stay relevant, and therefore desirable to perspective students.  These efforts seemed to focus mainly on reaching students in mass via the Internet with advanced level courses.  While I think it is noble (and necessary) for universities to change the way they "do learning," I also believe that traditional universities have to raise the white flag just  yet.  Here are three ways in which I feel today's universities could transform without going totally online:

1. Play up their unique "value."
Every university is unique in some way and it is often these special features that draw perspective students when there are so many options to choose from.  Universities should play up what makes them special, giving perspective students incentive for attending a traditional university over taking online courses.  For example, online courses cannot compete with the life experience gained from the "college campus" experience.  Without ignoring academic offerings, schools should make sure their atmosphere is a major selling point.  Not all students consult solely the price tag of a university; intrinsic value is also critically important.

2. Do adapt learning environments to match our progressive world.
While I agree that traditional teaching methods have lost their relevance for today's generation of undergrads, I think that these methods can be revamped rather than nixed.  Even though the digital generation is adept at devouring information online, information absorption alone does not provide experience.  Many students still greatly value hands-on learning experiences.  Professors must recognize that this new generation does not desire or expect them to have all of the information--information is easily attained from many sources!--but they do need someone who can help them interpret their information and discover what can be done with it.  A great example of this is Project Based Learning where students work to solve a driving problem or question in authentic real-world learning environments.  Here, the teachers acts more as a facilitator, guiding students.  This type of learning experience could be of great benefit at the university level, but is less easily accomplished in a strictly online setting.

3. Provide mentoring experiences.
This new generation of students craves to be mentored.  In the book Generation iY by Tim Elmore (which I highly recommend) Elmore writes that today's young people desire a "guide on the side" rather than a "sage on the stage."  The Georgia Tech article also included the idea of professional mentoring in it's online programming, but I fail to see how authentic, enriching mentoring can really take place over the Internet with a professor who is managing 10,000 plus students.  University professor who are approachable and respectable (not just for their work/knowledge) is a big draw for today's perspective students.  They want their teachers to be mentors to whom they can relate and from whom they can (indirectly) learn.  They want someone they can walk through life with rather than someone who is trying to transfer information to them (again, they already have many sources of this).  If universities professors can learn to adapt to this newly desired role, they will have great opportunity for attracting more students to traditional universities, keeping university students engaged, and helping transform the future.