Both students and Squirtles recently returned for another academic year. Pok\u00e9mon Go, that irrepressible summer craze, has infiltrated the classroom.<\/p>\n
Many teachers worry that the wildly popular game \u2014 accessible on any smartphone \u2014 presents yet another digital distraction for their students. And while absolutely valid, there\u2019s also potential to harness the game\u2019s popularity as an innovative teaching tool.<\/p>\n
Pok\u00e9mon Go relies on augmented reality, which could change the way games are played \u2014 and classes are taught \u2014 long into the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cAR [augmented reality] has been around for years but if I had to guess, looking into the future, [Pok\u00e9mon Go] would be what brought AR into the limelight,\u201d said Dave Dannenberg, director of Academic Innovations and eLearning at University of Alaska Anchorage.<\/p>\n
As an assistant professor of instructional technology, Dannenberg knows students will play the game in class this fall. It\u2019s a common concern; another UAA professor explicitly wrote in his course syllabus that students playing Pok\u00e9mon Go will be docked participation points. But rather than bemoan students\u2019 lack of focus, Dannenberg sees the game as an opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAR opens up different things we can bring into the classroom,\u201d he noted. With the right app, chemistry students can move element blocks around on a table while their iPad tells them whether they have a viable chemical bond. Language students can hover their Android phone over a map to hear dialects from different regions. Preschool picture books jump to life with AR technology.<\/p>\n
Augmented reality enhances the real world through a digital lens. Pok\u00e9mon Go, for example, capitalizes on GPS maps to overlay computer-generated content (in this case, animated \u201cpocket monsters\u201d) on the physical world. Academic apps, though, can be programmed to react, reward, explain and educate when a digital lens \u2014 like your everyday smartphone \u2014 passes over digital triggers.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust because [students are] playing a game doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t figure out a way to work it into what you do,\u201d Dannenberg said.<\/p>\n
The beauty of AR is its prevalence and accessibility. Most classrooms are already equipped with the right technology and, according to Dannenberg, college students carry three to four internet-connected devices every day (think laptops, smartphones, tablets, smart watches). That\u2019s a lot of possibility for engaging students in creative and innovative learning.<\/p>\n
Pok\u00e9mon Go may not be an educational app, but it\u2019s certainly taught students of every age how to work within augmented reality.<\/p>\n
Campuses are great for AR education in part because they\u2019re also hubs for Pok\u00e9mon Go. To boost skills and add Pok\u00e9mon to their stable, players must visit \u201cPok\u00e9 stops\u201d and \u201cgyms\u201d\u2014 virtual locations locked to recognizable real-world sites. As the Chronicle for Higher Education noted, \u201cCampuses are prime destinations for players because of their landmarks.\u201d<\/p>\n
UAA is blessed with roughly 30 Pok\u00e9 Stops and four gyms, which many students are discovering for the first time now that class is back in session. Though the game launched in July, its popularity hasn\u2019t cooled this fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been crazy,\u201d student Josh Rutten said of the game\u2019s impact on campus. \u201cThis game is reaching out to my generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rutten \u2014 president of UAA\u2019s Anime Club \u2014 lived and worked on campus this summer and says he noticed a serious uptick in interest among student workers when the game debuted. That enthusiasm carried into the semester; students have been spotted with \u2018Pok\u00e9mon trainer\u2019 t-shirts and members of the cheer team even sported Pok\u00e9mon face paint at a recent campus fair. Student radio station KRUA released a tongue-in-cheek PSA about playing the game safely.<\/p>\n
He works part-time in UAA\u2019s Academic Innovations and eLearning department and is also excited about the future of AR.<\/p>\n
\u201cIts crazy to think that organizations that have never thought about Pok\u00e9mon as a tool to entertain or inform people are now jumping on this bandwagon, and its proving to have positive results,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his eyes, the app has already made a significant cultural impact, citing it\u2019s focus on social interaction and physical activity (the game\u2019s emphasis on exploring the physical world led Vox to dub Pok\u00e9mon Go \u201can exercise app that actually works\u201d).<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t seen anything this positive in a long time,\u201d Rutten continued. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen people come together in negative times, but this is a positive. That\u2019s a really good thing in this day and age.\u201d<\/p>\n
Months after its release, Pok\u00e9mon Go has proven to be more than a splash of sweet summertime fun. The current game is essentially a first draft and will continue to evolve with new quests and characters, making for a more social experience further fine-tuned for environments like a college campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see AR come to the forefront is kind of exciting,\u201d Dannenberg said, adding that he hopes to help faculty capitalize on the craze in their curricula this year.<\/p>\n
Whether or not this app proves to be a fad, the monstrous exposure for augmented reality can only be a benefit for the classroom.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Joey Besl highlights alumni stories and campus events at UAA.<\/p>\n
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