We are an SME that embarked on an Augmented Reality (AR) journey, from an educational perspective in 2017, believing that this emerging technology could provide a significant improvement in literacy attainment outcomes for all students that are underperforming because of their reading and spelling difficulties.
Initially in 2011, we launched an online browser-based application (not an app) for improving English language reading and spelling skills. It is being used successfully in Ireland, in schools and at home by parents, for students that need help in this area.
In 2018, we successfully introduced AR into our programme through involvement as a partner in an EU Funded Research Project (AHA-ADHD AUGMENTED) which was led by UCD. The project won “Best Research Project” in the Irish Education Awards 2020.
In 2020 we are using the AR content from the previous AHA project to create iOS and Android apps, as part of another larger EU H2020 Funded Research Project (ARETE) again led by UCD. Again, our objective is to improve literacy outcomes for students in primary and secondary school education that are struggling to achieve competent reading and spelling skills and not reaching their true academic potential. From our experiences so far, we can see that the introduction of AR technologies and applications will play an essential role in the development of new pedagogies for this sector e.g. providing additional educational material, adaptive and available, in context and in real time, to help students that would benefit from another approach.
Most AR applications are delivered through mobile devices which are now becoming commonplace in schools, and this suits our current medium-term business plan using AR. However, going forward we believe that AR delivery will increasingly shift to hands-free wearables (such as smart glasses) and it is then that AR applications in education will play a major part in releasing what AR potentially has to offer.
David Ross
CEO – WordsWorth Learning Ltd.