Aurasma is a free app for iPads, iPhones, and most Android devices. Using Aurasma you can create augmented reality layers, Aurasma calls them “auras,” that pop-up when you scan objects with your phone or tablet.

This afternoon at the BETT Show I saw James Pollock give a nice presentation about Aurasma which I’ve been playing with for a couple of years. I like going to presentations like Mr. Pollock’s because it gives me an opportunity to see how others are using the same apps that I love. One of the uses of Aurasma that he showed that I really liked was creating Aurasma auras that served as the jumping-off point for review activities. The demonstration that James Pollock gave was having students scan an explanatory diagram with their iPads. When they scan it an “aura” pops-up on their iPads. The aura has three boxes students can tap to indicate if they understand the content, don’t understand it, or somewhat understand it. The students’ choices send them to a new resource for either review or further challenge.

Watching what Mr. Pollock’s students are doing with Aurasma prompted me to think about using multiple part Aurasma auras to create augmented reality choose-your-own-adventure challenges. Through the sharing of Aurasma auras your students could create a multiple part story about historical artifacts, landmarks, and models. Then as viewers of the story scan each item they can jump to different videos or webpages based on their choices in the auras. Watch the video below for a basic overview of the Aurasma aura creation process.