Alive Studios to Launch Augmented Reality Storybook for Elementary Students
Alive Studios, which creates
supplemental reading and math materials for students in grades preK-3,
is
introducing its first augmented reality children's storybook.
While the printed version of
the first book, "Amos Alligator Arrives at the Airport,"
must be purchased, the
app that makes the story come alive with 3D interactive animation on
tablets
and smartphones is free.
Augmented reality is the
integration of digital information with the user's environment in real
time.
Unlike virtual reality, which
creates a totally artificial environment, augmented reality uses the existing environment
and overlays new information on top of it.
With the Amos
Alligator Arrives at the Airport app, young readers will be able to
point their tablet or smartphone at the print version of the book and
see the
characters come to life on the device. As the reader touches the
screen, they
can interact with the characters. Children can have the book both read
to them
or read it themselves.
What is expected to be the first in a series of
augmented
reality storybooks, "Amos Alligator
Arrives at the Airport" will teach the letter A, the sound it
represents and
several words that include the letter that are relevant to Amos's
adventure.
"It's so funny when teachers
see our animated characters pop into their mobile devices," said
Cynthia Kaye
whose title at Alive Studios is chief zoo keeper. "They get as excited
as the
kids do."
The new augmented reality storybook will be
demonstrated
at ISTE 2016 June 26-29 in Denver.
The storybook app is available now on the iTunes
App
Store or Google Play. The printed book can be purchased from Alive Studios.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.