W5 Activity: Assessing AR

Reposting to attain badge. please read comment below

I downloaded the 4D Anatomy App and have graded based on a few of the criteria on the rubric provided. I gave the Student Demographics a rating of 3, the AR device/app is able to meet the needs of most learners with diverse technological skills. This app could be used by a variety of different types of learners from K-12 learning about anatomy and sex-ed to public health nurses and wellness coordinators for community and employee wellness promotion projects. For Student Access I rate this app a 4, this app is compatible with both android and iOS mobile smartphone and tablet devices using wifi or data. For Learning Styles I would rate this app a 2, the 3D graphic of the body is awesome and the printouts have some information but it only really appeals to visual learners and doesn't take into consideration those learners who benefit from doing an activity or listening to a demo. It also would not be appropriate for learners with visual disabilities. For Student Health I give 4D Anatomy a rating of 4, there are no health risks to the learner with this app as far as I know. For Ease of Use; Informational/Computer Literacy and Orientation I rate this app a 4. It is very simple and straight forward to use, I figured out how it worked within seconds and the printouts are already stored on the app. You can just email them to your self and print. Cost, i would rate it as a 4 as it is a free app that anyone with a smartphone or tablet can download. If schools or companies wanted to use this for their learning they wouldn't have to spend money to implement it. For Teaching Function and Media Selection I would give this app a rating of 4 as I feel this app would greatly enhance the learning about the human body through its detailed diagram of various bodily systems, and is appropriate for various methodologies. For Interactivity I would rate this app a 1, although it is a great app that could enhance learning it doesn't really have an interactive feature that allows learners to interact among themselves or with the instructor through the app. For Networking: Organizational Implementation and Technical Support I would rate this app a 2, aside from a simple introductory text instructions with a picture of the print out there is not much tech support provided if this app were to glitch. For Security I would rate this app a 1 as there are no clear policies and guideline regarding privacy but access to camera is needed.

I downloaded and used Aurasma and in the Ease of Use: Interface Design category I will assess the app as a 3. The device/app’s interface is not built specifically for learning activities, but it has the flexibility to make it adaptable for learning styles. However, I don't think that students with visual disabilities will find the app and its features accessible. The app scores low in this sub-category. However, in terms of graphic design, interface and functionality, the app scores high because the software interface and haptics provide an integrated and interactive user experience that allows the user to make use of the features of tablets and move them with ease in order to use the app.

I asses Aurasma’s privacy policies as a “2” on the SECTIONS rubric. The platform has limited policies and guidelines in place to protect the privacy of students and staff. Users must provide an email address during the registration process, which indexes much more personal information online. The company acknowledges that they “may” store names, email, location data, country, language and interaction data on servers in the United States or the European Union. Additionally, although they “may include or utilize social networking or “share functionality” or may contain links to third party sites that are not owned or controlled by us”, they reject any responsibility for how those parties use the personal information. All auras are openly available to anyone using the studio or app when the public sharing option is selected. They do allow for the emailing of links to chosen users under the private option to allow for instances when students only want to share their work with parents. Auras suggest that privacy concerns to do with content can be addressed by having students create free accounts rather than the studio version. The difference is that assets like images and video are uploaded to the editor from student computers rather than the Aurasma server; however doing so would create an audience of one - the author.

I reviewed the Quiver app and would have to give it a rating of 2 in the area of cost, as outlined in your rubric. More specifically, my rating pertains to both financial cost and inclusion of features. Shortly after downloading the app, I realized that only some of the pictures were free and the remainder needed to be purchased. From an educational perspective, students would find themselves limited to only a few characters and drawings if they were to use the app as part of a storytelling presentation or creative project, unless the additional content is purchased. Not only is an ipad needed to download the app, yet a few other requirements include a printer and associated materials such as ink and special paper. Of course, the in-app purchases are fairly inexpensive. However, those seemingly small purchases add up, and the need for additional equipment may create barriers for students without access to these resources.

I took a look at Layar from the Teaching Function and Media Selection: Media and teaching design category. I think I would have to give it a four simply because of the easy augmentation of any existing print media. By adding layar capability print media can be made interactive an allow students to access further information. This could be particularly helpful in creating avenues for students to access in developing subject areas. In particular, NASA and other research agencies who continually provide new content comes to mind.

I looked at the Anatomy 4D app from the Ease of Use section of the rubric. I gave it a 3 since it is fairly straightforward to use, but did take me a little while to master. In class it would be a good primer on anatomy, though I think it could capitalize much more on its features by including more information.

I looked at Aurasma from the Security/Privacy part of the rubric and have to give it a 2. Student information collected includes their name, email address, device ID, and location. This data can be stored in the US or the EU meaning that Canadian privacy laws have no jurisdiction. Aurasma does not offer a teacher account where teachers can create student accounts and control the amount of information collected on students. This is a serious shortcoming that can cost Aurasma a dedicated revenue stream especially when you consider that teachers can host data on their school's server and have students access it via QR Codes all for free! Homemade AR with no accounts needed and no privacy laws violated. And it's infinitely easier to do.

The Layar application has a component of Geo layers using your current location. Layar has different layers “pop-up” when you are outside using your device pointing it in any direction giving information from different landmarks, restaurants, and instragram photos from popular places. Students living in smaller cities and rural areas would be at a disadvantage because lack of franchise’s and high populations reveals places that haven’t implemented this type of technology so you are left with places without any Layaring capacity. So in terms of Student Access I would put them at a 2 as Geo layers is only one component of the app and using the QR reader or layers on magazines would be unaffected. Although, local print from rural areas probably wouldn’t have implemented Layar technology yet either.

Google Translate Student Demographics Review: From a student demographic perspective I would rate this app as a 2. If you a sighted student with no physical or mental challenges then you would probably have no problems using the application. It is definitely aimed at sighted students so those who have visual challenges or even dyslexia would be hard pressed to find it useful without someone to assist them. Align the text can be a bit challenging (at least it was for me) and I can see students becoming frustrated with this aspect. Another drawback is the lack of verbal translation for some of the languages listed. Finally, those students who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds may not have the means to afford the devices required to use Google Translate.