Hello from the ISTE 2019 Conference in Philadelphia! OTAN is here at this four-day conference to see the latest in educational technology from presenters, organizations, and companies all over the US and the world. This week, we will take a look at some of the topics and trends we are following during the conference that we hope to share with our adult education colleagues in California in the coming months.

There is a lot of excitement about VR, AR, and MR at the conference – namely, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality. We have discussed VR and some of its applications in recent news items this year.

Take a look at our news articles discussing VR:

• 3/27/19: Virtual Field Trips Bring the World to Your Classroom

• 2/21/19: Using Virtual Reality to Explore the World (and Beyond)

• 8/17/18: Four Ways Augmented and Virtual Reality Can Transform Your Lesson Plan

Today we discuss uses for Augmented Reality in the classroom. According to Merriam Webster, Augmented Reality is "an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device (such as a smartphone camera)." If you came to the OTAN booth at the CASAS Summer Institute in Orange County last week, we showed people some very basic applications of AR. We used an AR app on a tablet to scan one of a number of images on our poster, and then a video, website link, or PDF popped up on the screen, which the user could then view or read.

We are learning about all kinds of applications that teachers and staff could use with AR. Here are links to some poster session presentations we visited:

• VR/AR for the Everyday Teacher – See how to practically implement VR and AR in your classroom. From the materials needed to curriculum related apps, you can be up and running with VR/AR lessons in no time.

• StARt With AR: Incorporating AR in Any Classroom – Get an informative and interactive introduction to ARIS. Learn about some augmented reality games you can take back your schools and classrooms.

• Bringing Literature to Life with AR and VR – Discover new ways to immerse your students in a literary text through AR/VR experiences while learning new tools that can be quickly implemented in the classroom.

We at OTAN are excited to learn more about VR, AR, and MR at the ISTE Conference this week and share our ideas with adult ed teachers and staff across the state in the coming school year!

Photo by FunkyFocus