Unleash the Power of Storytelling With These New AR and VR Tools

By Jaime Donally (Columnist)     Apr 4, 2018

Teachers can bring VR stories into the classroom in many different ways for meaningful learning experiences. Imagine a scavenger hunt where students narrate a story based on what they find. Or consider using objects they see to identify vocabulary words or recognize letters. Students should have purpose in their viewing and it should directly connect to standards.

Starting with virtual reality, stories in apps such as Google Spotlight Storiesand YouTube 360 videos have been popular from the start.

Similar to the new movie, Ready Player One, they provide an intense experience where the viewer feels like they are in the center of the story.

Using a mobile device or tablet, the student can start the story and look around the scene based on their interest, rather than the cameras focus. New apps such as Baobab VR have continued to appear with more interactions and engagement.

A creative way to have your students create their own virtual stories is using the app Roundme. Upload your 360 image and add directional sound, links and content. Upload portals to walk the viewer into multiple scenes and then easily share the stories by link to the story.

Newer augmented reality apps that work with ARKit have taken another approach to storytelling.  Augmented Stories and My Hungry Caterpillar.Qurious, a company that is working on a release blending gaming, making and storytelling in one app.

Storyfab, turns our students into the directors of the show

A new AR book, SpyQuest, has moved the immersive experience a big step forward as it helps define the story by bringing the images to life. Through the camera lens on a device, the stories make students the agents in an adventure into the world of espionage. The augmented reality experiences on the images use the accompanying app to scan the scene and provide further insight into the story.

+++++++++++++
more on storytelling in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=digital+storytelling

more on VR and storytelling in this IMS blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=virtual+reality+storytelling