On 27 February, a taster workshop on augmented reality (AR) was held in Ravensbourne University as part of the New World (Dis)Orders festival. During the workshop, we tested out different AR apps and tools, and offered to play with a virtual reality machine which was a whole lot of fun (perhaps good exercise too since we had to smash the boxes)!
We were first asked to color some pictures and create a storyline out of it. Afterwards, we were given a tablet to scan the pictures we'd made. A 3D animation immediately popped out, which was fascinating!
In this school, tutors use these technologies for teaching on a daily basis, just to make the lessons more fun, even during induction days! They use interactive posters and let students walk around the building with their phones. The building will ‘talk to them’, instead of a teacher standing on the stage.
We also got a chance to take our own augmented reality video, in which we stood in front of a green screen, then the teachers added backgrounds to the video, like space and the Whitehouse. Such technology is freely available for those of you who use Macbook, in the photobooth function. Definitely worth trying and have fun with it when you are stressed out by your readings and essays and get a little tour to outer space!
The workshop was entertaining and rewarding at the same time. In the near future, Ravensbourne University is planning to hold more workshops introducing innovative and upfront technologies. Hopefully I 'll get a chance to join one of their workshops again. For those who missed out on yesterday, don’t worry! Do keep an eye on their taster courses, I'm sure you'll enjoy learning through doing!
Written by LSE Social Media Ambassador Hayli Chiu