Lauren Owen

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (January 6 - February 6)：

According to a recent Brookings Report, performance in kindergarten is predictive of third grade reading, high school graduation, and future earnings. Additionally, there is no doubt that technology has interjected itself into every piece of people’s lives-- especially young learners. So how can people further prepare children for education while keeping them interested as technology progresses at record rates? Introducing Augmented Reality (AR) Story Books — a complementary mobile app that will allow young children to further engage with their physical books. The first application prototype was developed as a proof of concept that made illustrated book characters come to life using Unity and C#. The research conducted through the Graduate Research Institute in Shanghai will be on the proven methods of learning technology that can be incorporated via AR and the preliminary-production of a new prototype that encompasses these features. Owen will be looking at the methodologies of researchers before her on learning and AR from various levels and documenting her research for future implementation into the next iteration for further testing upon return to Tandon.