Great challenges often prompt resourcefulness and innovation. As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded, businesses and organizations embraced technology to survive, finding innovative ways to continue their operational activities while under the constraints of social distancing and lockdowns. K-12 education was not exempt from the pandemic and its challenges. Educational leaders, as others, sought out technology to keep students moving forward.
In April Jersey City Public schools introduced a pilot program using Augmented Reality to complement in-classroom learning. The program brings educational content to students in a fast and easily accessible way. It began with students and faculty members receiving tablets pre-loaded with StraxAR™, an application developed by Strax Networks that allows users to access immersive content through a simple scan. Samsung SDS America joined the pilot to provide mobile management and services for the project.
“Jersey City Public School students deserve every competitive advantage in education, and nothing brings learning to life quite like augmented reality content,” explains Jersey City Schools Superintendent Franklin Walker. “By teaming up with StraxAR and Samsung SDS, we can elevate education through state-of-the-art technology, help deepen a student’s understanding of in-class lessons, and serve as a model for schools everywhere.”
Phase I now underway entails 100 high school students receiving AR content in English/Language Arts, History, and Mathematics. Phase Two, building on Phase I, adds a focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) and STEAM, which includes the Arts in part of the program.
With the StraxAR™ app in their hands, students are empowered to scan any designated page in a textbook that unlocks videos and other content related to the text. Once done they are automatically redirected to other locations for even deeper immersion into that subject.
The importance of the pilot program cannot be understated, according to Eric Singleton, Strax Networks CEO and co-founder. “The introduction of augmented reality in education is a huge game-changer and one that bolsters the combined efforts of parents, educators and students to bring learning to life,” he explained.
There is a lot of upside for the tech providers. Though it is a pilot program, Strax Networks’ team of innovators are imagining the possibilities when looking at Hudson County where there are 38 schools serving over 31,000 students. Strax Networks is ready to partner with them, touting that they have the only Augmented Reality platform currently capable for mass adoption at scale.
Alan Mariotti, CSO of Strax Networks and co-founder commends the education leaders for establishing the pilot program and introducing their innovative technology to students, saying “Jersey City Public Schools have made a bold choice to marry the efforts of educators with state-of-the-art technology to bring a teacher’s lesson plans to life. AR content is the future of education and Jersey City Public Schools are leading the charge.”
With the pandemic accelerating the digitalization of society, many see technology as a necessity to stay competitive globally, but equally important is education and training. Sean Im, Samsung SDS America President and CEO, explains, “As students and teachers tap in to a more connected, immersive and engaging learning experience, the powerful combination of mobile technology and AR creates truly unlimited potential for improving student outcomes and understanding.”
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