Finding Trends in the Tech Industry Augmented Reality

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TRENDS IN THE TECH INDUSTRY

Finding Trends in the Trends Tech Industry: Utilization of Augmented Reality in the Education Sector

Rickey Nichols

University Of Maryland Global Campus

PRO 600 9042: Communicating, Problem Solving, and Leading in Professional Fields

Dr. Theo Stone

October 27, 2020

Finding Trends in the Tech Industry

Introduction

To a large extent, one of the advances in tech that has had the greatest impact on multiple fronts is augmented reality. The education industry has not been left behind. Education institutions from across the world are deploying augmented reality with an intention to improve the education experience. Thanks to augmented reality, educators can further promote learning outcomes. This is more so the case given that virtual reality makes it possible for educators to mimic real-world settings without incurring any cost. This text concerns itself with the deployment of virtual reality (VR) in education and what it means for the sector as a whole.

Findings

From the onset, it is important to note that as Deutsch (2020) points out, the tech industry happens to be one of the five industries driving the U.S. economy – with the other four being: healthcare, construction, retail, and non-durable manufacturing.

Following the initial search, some of the most relevant search terms identified were inclusive of, but they are not limited to alternate reality, augmented realty, virtual reality, machine learning, as well as artificial intelligence. To a large extent, these are the search terms that were utilized in attempts to identify the tech industry’s top trends. The three top trends were inclusive of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and blockchain.

Top Trends of the Tech Industry

a) Artificial Intelligence: Increased Utilization of AI in the Monitoring and Refinement of Business Processes

Essentially, artificial intelligence relates to the programing of computerized systems to mimic human actions via human intelligence simulation. According to Uzialko (2019), there is no doubt whatsoever that artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming the way business is conducted. This, according to the author, is despite the fact that most people still associate AI with the work of fiction, i.e. sci-fi movies. In the words of the author, “the modern field of artificial intelligence came into existence in 1956, but it took decades of work to make significant progress toward developing an artificial intelligence system and making it a technological reality.” Today, AI has become a standard in process automation. For instance, more human-machine interactions are driven by AI. A good example would be Siri, Apple’s personal assistant, which most persons with Apple devices are familiar with. Siri offers assistance in an interactive manner – from adding events to calendars to giving directions and much more. There have been various predictions over where exactly we are headed in as far as the continued deployment of AI in business is concerned. As per a 2018 predictive report by the Harvard Business Review, “AI stands to make the greatest impact in marketing services, supply chain management, and manufacturing” (Harvard Professional Development, 2019).

b) Augmented Reality: Utilization of Augmented Reality in the Education Sector

Augmented reality could be perceived as the merging of real-world environments with digital elements to create an interactive interface. Porter and Happelmann (2017) point out that augmented reality (AR) happens to be one of the advances in tech whose impact is being felt in multiple industries – from education to manufacturing. As a matter of fact, the authors are convinced that in the coming years, this particular technology will most likely change the way we do a wide range of things – especially when it comes to learning. In the words of the authors, “AR is already redefining instruction, training, and coaching” (Porter and Happelmann, 2017). When applied to education, AR effectively makes it possible to combine the virtual and physical worlds. In such a case, it becomes possible for a learner to manipulate his or her interactions with the world in a less costly and cumbersome manner. This is particularly the case in the realm of medical education where it becomes easy to immerse students into complex undertakings in scenarios mimicking real-world settings without necessarily incurring the associated costs or inconveniences of practical setting instruction – for instance, “VR enables students to encounter clinical situations in a safe environment, which is essential with the increasing complexity of patients encountered both in the hospital and community” (Mendez, Piasecki, Hudson, and Renda, 2020, p. 77). Thanks to the introduction of AR in the classroom, students can be able to interact with specific visual representations in a more intimate manner to enhance their understanding of various concepts. It is for this reason that the relevance of AR is likely to continue growing in the education sector.

c) Blockchain: Blockchain tech as a disruption to mainstream financial services industry

Blockchain technology could, in basic terms, be described as a distributed ledger technology – or what is known as DLT – that makes it possible to store data in multiple servers distributed across the globe. According to Meijer, a senior economist, “the world of banking as we know for many years is in a fundamental transformation process, triggered by new technologies” (Meijer, 2019). One such technology, as Meijer points out, is blockchain. According to the author, this particular technology is poised to revolutionalize the handling of financial transactions across the globe. It should be noted that although blockchain technology is presently at its infancy, its ability to disrupt the financial services industry (specifically banking) lies in its very characteristics. According to Meijer (2019), in addition to being immutable, blockchain also happens to be distributed and decentralized. As the author further points out, these are key advantages that this particular technology possesses, and banks (as we know them) lack. For instance, in as far as decentralization is concerned, blockchain stores data across its network. This, as Meijer (2019) observes, “eliminates risks that come with data being handled centrally” – like is the case with the traditional banking system. The said decentralization also comes in handy in the further promotion of security. To a large extent, it is easier to corrupt or interfere with the operations of a centralized system than it is to corrupt a distributed database system

Emerging Issue: Utilization of Augmented Reality in the Education Sector

Augmented reality does not have a fixed definition. This effectively means that various definitions have been offered in the past in an attempt to explain augmented reality. In the words of Porter and Happelmann (2017), augmented reality could be conceptualized as “a set of technologies that superimposes digital data and images on the physical world.” As it has been pointed out elsewhere in this text, AR is increasingly transforming the way that instruction is delivered. This is more so the case given that in promoting the interactive nature of lessons, AR makes it possible for students to comprehend topics and subject matters that are rather tough or difficult to understand.

There are a number of ways through which AR is being deployed in education. To begin with AR is being actively used to ensure that learning becomes more interactive. Unlike traditional approaches to learning, AR permits teachers to formulate more engaging classroom setups that not only capture the attention of learners, but also promote their understanding of core concepts. For instance, as Cohen (2019) observes, in its implementation of AR, the Air Force has found that digital methods such as AR promote the quick learning of airmen due to their responsiveness. In the words of Frehlich (2020), AR effectively “brings to life abstract topics, such as set theory and logical reasoning, and makes learning more effective than ever” (p. 174). One of the areas that AR has found greatest utility is medical education. In this particular domain, learning involves the acquisition of a set of complex skills and capabilities. To ensure that the skills acquired can be deployed or utilized in real-life scenarios, there is need to ensure that during learning, students get an opportunity to interact with simulated scenarios that mimic real-life scenarios as much as possible. AR comes in handy on this front because in medical school, a wide range of issues make it hard to undertake some functions (such as nasal gastric tube insertion) in real-life environments (Frehlich, 2020). To be more specific, as the author points out, “since training in this real-life context is not always possible for reasons of safety, costs, or didactics, alternative ways are needed to achieve clinical excellence” (Frehlich, 2020). This is where AR comes in.

Next, it should also be noted that AR has made it possible for teachers and students to collaborate in more effective manner. With the deployment of AR in classrooms, the teacher’s role becomes that of guide – as opposed to an issuer of instructions and orders. For instance Google Expedition could be instrumental in science, geography and history – whereby students can explore 3D objects (such as rocks, geographical features, etc.) without leaving the classroom. This converts the learning process into more of a collaborative effort where both students and instructors team up to advance the learning agenda. While AR allows the instructor to present concepts that would have otherwise been difficult to capture in abstract terms, the very same technology captures the attention of students and effectively motivates them to learn (Porter and Happelmann, 2017). It is within this interchange that meaningful collaboration between learners and their instructors takes place.