“What is this magic?!?” That’s what students were saying this year when they were introduced to Aurasma in the TC Williams Media Center. This app lets students scan images to discover secret videos and animation that appear on their device screen! The media specialists used Aurasma to help teach students about different resources available in the library while also keeping them entertained and engaged. Students used iPads and followed scavenger hunt instructions that led them through the media center, scanning posters and books along the way. Each scan brought up interview videos with teachers, students, and media specialists discussing what was available in that area.
Aurasma works using “targets,” which are the images that get scanned, and “auras,” the video or animation that appears. Teachers can use the Aurasma Studio site to connect videos (that they have either made themselves or found online) to different images. Then, these Auras get published to the teacher’s personal channel. All students have to do is download the app and “follow” their teachers channel to have access to the Auras the teacher has created. Math teachers have been connecting example problems to how-to instructions for solving them, and English students have been using it to create interactive posters and presentations. At the Elementary and Middle schools, students have been creating book trailers to inform their classmates about the fantastic books they have read.
The Aurasma app is available for iOS and Android, which means most students can use personal devices to interact with your class in a whole new way!
https://studio.aurasma.com/login (free account required)