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= Welcome to the Simple Augmented Reality Wiki! =

Introduction
What is Simple Augmented Reality (SAR)? It's technology that allows for the creation of an environment that mixes real world elements and virtual reality. It is what you get when you take the real-word and augment it with computer images in real time. If you have watched any professional sport in the past year, then you have seen SAR in action. During a live professional football game, television viewers know how far the offense has to go for a first down thanks to a colored line that runs across the field. That is SAR. How about the Olympics? If you caught any of downhill ski races, or speed skating, you have seen SAR in action. Remember seeing a blue line across the screen that the racer was trying to catch? You got it...SAR. Click here to read more information about Simple Augmented Reality on Wikipedia. You can even check out some links here. For those educators who have never experienced or even heard of SAR, they may wonder how it works or is created, particularly for those teachers want to implement the use of it in their classroom. To start those wanting to create SAR projects will need to purchase the equipment. A special display, headgear or other type of device such as handheld or digital projector that can project data into the user's field of vision, a tracking tool such as a digital camera, wireless sensors, optical sensors, accelerometers, GPS, gyroscopes, solid state compasses, RFID, or wireless sensors, a input device such as a pinch glove, wand, or smartphone, a computer, and the appropriate software. Now that you know about the types of hardware needed to create SRA projects be sure to watch this clip of the creation of a simple augmented reality (mixed reality) project.

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Background Information
SAR technology as been around now for approximately 40 years. During the 1990's the technology had been mainly used for visualization and training. Over the last couple of years it as become popular and more accessible to the general population as software applications on mobile devices such as cell phones and laptops. [|Yelp] and [|Layar] are two examples of augmented reality browsers available on cell phones. Augmented Reality browsers are different in that they use the phone's camera and GPS capabilities to give information or data about the cell phone users surroundings or surrounding areas. Others that are increasingly taking advantage of SAR technology include [|marketing], video gaming, and movie making industries. Though SAR technology is being used by various industries, including the medical, entertainment, marketing, and educational fields, it is the mobile/cellular industry that is given consumers the greatest access in regards to personal use.

= Current News = Did you read the article about SAR in the New York TImes? James Cameron's newest Blockbuster film, "Avatar", seems to be taking the world by storm. The article talks about the new Avatar toys that can be purchased. Follow a few directions, click your mouse a couple of times and there it is, your own SAR character on your computer screen. Or imagine this! You are sitting at a stop light in your car. Another car pulls up next to you. The driver grabs his phone and points the camera at you. Instead of taking a picture, he is taking down all kinds of information about you. Eventually, the cameras will be able to analyze and identify your image. Instantaneously, information from all of your social-networking profiles is instantly pasted on the screen. Your name and all other sorts of information is in the palm of his hands now. This has many people worried. In the field of education specific concerns include the complexity and cost of the hardware needed to create SAR projects, the shortcomings and limitations of SAR when it comes to cooperative or group learning, and whether or not this technology impairs students' ability to learn without being entertained. While the technology has been around for a while, as far back as the 60s and 70s, some critics feel the trend will die out. I am not so sure about that.

Impact What the Future Might Look Like
According to the [|2010 Horizon Report] (a research program that takes a look at current technologies and their potential impact on education in the years to come) SAR will be a more prominent fixture in education within the next 2 to 3 years. This is great news for the education world. Imagine a student sitting in class, in the reading corner with her favorite geography book. She puts on her fancy SAR Glassesand puts in the earphones, opens the book, and **experiences places around the world, rather than just reading about them. As she's flipping through she notices a section on Egypt. She has seen the pyramids on television before, but she has never seen them like this. By pushing a button that only she can see, a movable 3-D image of a pyramid burst into life before her very eyes. By the stroke of her hand, she can rotate the pyramid around to see all of its sides. She notices that on the side of book there appears to be some buttons, so she gives them a whirl. **She presses another button that brings up all kinds of data about the pyramid: when it was made, who made it, how big it is, where it is at on a globe, etc. Then it's on to another button. This time she feels like she is being sucked into the pyramid, as she is transported inside She uses the forward command, taking in all the wonders of a pyramid that is thousands of miles away. Just as she is moseying along, Bam!, out jumps a tomb raider telling her to be quiet. "Shhhh" he says. "Come with me. I've got some stuff to show you". He's sparked her curiosity so she decides to tag along. As they enter the main chamber she has to squint. The tomb raider's light is glaring off of what looks to be like gold. It's everywhere! Her new friend tells her all about the history of the gold and the mummy that now rests in that chamber. While that story is make believe, the potential for it to happen is real. The days of pop-up books are long gone, replaced by moveable 3-D images. The possibilities are endless.

In the end what is the significance or impact of simple augmented reality on students? Unlike virtual realty, which provides simulation of reality, simple augmented reality takes a real object or place as the base and allows the user to add or super impose data such as notes and audio commentary onto the object or place. This is important to how many students learn. This technology gives students a sense of being there and hopefully a more meaningful experience by being able to manipulate the visual object or place, as mentioned previously. In the article," 7 Things You Should Know About Augmented Reality " the significance of this technology was best answered with the statement," Because every object or place has a history and a context, making that content available to individuals interacting with those places or things a richer experience. To the extent that instructors can furnish students with a broad context for understanding the real world, students are more likely to comprehend what they are learning and remember it later."