Application and Multimedia Resources

        Two applications or multimedia resources that have the potential of enhance adult education are augmented reality and iTunesU.

Augmented reality or AR is the technology that allows one to superimpose, sounds, images, videos clips, etc. onto the world as one sees it; like an overly. For example, the game Pokémon Go uses augmented reality to place 3D images in one’s reality. AR is looked at as a futuristic technology, however, a form of it has been around for years. The heads-up displays in many fighter aircraft go as far back as the 90s showed information s about altitude, direction and speed of a plan and only few years later they could show which objects in the field of view were targets.

            In the past 10 years, a number of labs and companies have created programs and built devices that give us augmented reality. In 2009, the MIT Media Lab's Fluid Interfaces Group presented SixthSense, a device that combined the use of a camera, small projector, smartphone and mirror. The device hangs from the user's chest in a lanyard fashion from the neck. Four sensor devices on the user's fingers can be used to manipulate the images projected by SixthSense. Today, many social media outlets have augmented reality features that allow their user to create images with various objects superimposed into their reality. One popular social media outlet that provides various augmented reality features is Snapchat.

            Within education, most importantly adult education, augmented reality can enhance adult learning by giving learners an opportunity to learn and practice various skills without actually having the item present. For instance, a medical student whose studying to be a surgeon can practice surgery using AR and can reset the program if a mistake is made. This prevents having to find, let’s say a heart to use. Once they use the real object and make a mistake they will have to find another one to use. With AR this obstacle is avoided.  

iTunes U is a multimedia resource  which is a dedicated section of Apple's iTunes Music Store that features educational audio and video files from universities, museums and public media organizations for free download to PCs and mobile devices. iTunes U allows a visitor to search, download and play educational content in the same way that they can manipulate songs, podcasts, television shows and movies. Participating institutions include Stanford, UC Berkeley, University of Melbourne, Texas A&M, MIT, Yale, Trinity College Dublin and many more. I addition, iTunes U also delivers programming from American Public Media, PBS, the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian. Material can be either be watched directly on the PC or synchronized onto a portable media player for mobile learning. Educators can use the service to upload coursework and lectures for easy distribution on a platform that students are generally already competent navigating.