Augmented Reality Sandbox
For my undergraduate senior research project, I decided to build an AR Sandbox and to research how it can be a beneficial tool to use when teaching topics in the areas of geology, geography, watersheds and many more. For this project I collaborated with a current Graduate student, to build and introduce the AR Sandbox into a fourth grade classroom at Linville-Edom Elementary School in Rockingham County VA. After spending several sessions with the students, it was clear that the students were far more engaged, motivate and significantly more willing to work with one another.
"Augmented Reality has become a proven toll to achieve academic success within the classroom. Although commonly used with tablets and phones to see things in different ways, another use of AR is when teaching geography and geology. The Augmented Reality Sandbox is rarely seen but can be a beneficial tool to use when teaching students spatial analysis, topography, watersheds, runoff and much more. AR Sandboxes make it possible to combine the interactive benefits of physical models with the flexibility and diversity of virtual tools. A powerful tool for bridging the gap between two-dimensional (2D) representations and real landscapes, as well as enhancing the spatial thinking and modeling abilities of students. The Augmented Reality Sandbox allows users to create topography models by shaping sand with their hands to have the sandbox show elevation, contour lines and simulate water. Through the use of AR, there is an increase in content understanding, memory retention and collaboration in students."