AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY AS AN INNOVATIVE TOOL FOR 3D VISUALIZATION

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the application of augmented reality (AR) technology as an effective and innovative tool in education, particularly in the study of stereometry.

Keywords: augmented reality (AR), mobile app, teaching, stereometry, increasing interest.

Today, one of the effective and innovative technologies in education is the use of augmented reality (AR technology). Augmented reality is a relatively new tool for education. It is not capable of replacing existing teaching methods, but even today this technology can qualitatively complement learning, make it more accessible, easier and more exciting. AR is not an end in itself, it is only an additional tool for teaching a subject, just like a textbook, interactive whiteboard or mobile application.

The prospects for the development of augmented reality technology in 2023 are such that the need for AR applications for smartphones is only growing. After all, these are not only games, but also a lot of useful and practical programs-assistants for everyday life and learning. AR technology provides fundamentally new opportunities for information assimilation, attention retention and increased interest in learning for students.

Modern processes taking place in our Republic of Uzbekistan lead to changes in education. In this regard, the Department of Multimedia Technology at the Tashkent University of Information Technologies named after Muhammad al-Kharazmiy is working on the project "Creating an electronic platform and mobile application of the guidebook "Literary Guide to Uzbekistan". [1]. The important essence of these changes is the digitalization of the educational process based on the use of new information and communication technologies. Scientists believe that this will simplify the presentation of complex material, facilitate the process of memorization and motivate students to study harder (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. The learning process using augmented reality

AR technologies allow to supplement the real space with exciting materials for the lesson, increase students' attention, and synchronize the process of working with the interactive whiteboard with all participants of the lesson. To take advantage of interactive content, the learner expends some effort, makes a step towards knowledge himself. Introducing AR technology is especially relevant to the understanding of technical and natural sciences, where visualization is very important for understanding many processes.

It is an undeniable fact that understanding mathematical concepts and principles is important for many fields of engineering and science. Despite its great relevance, mathematics is not very popular as an academic subject in general because of its relative complexity. One reason for this is the abstract and theoretical way of teaching, which requires students to memorize but not necessarily understand the subject matter. The complex content of mathematics education can often only be conveyed very abstractly because of the limited visualization capabilities of classical teaching methods, such as lessons at the blackboard or remote classes. Therefore, it is important to provide effective mathematics instructional activities and tools that help students overcome these challenges. They should aim to improve and simulate their interest and understanding of the discipline.

For example, when studying stereometry it is often difficult for students to imagine what is obtained in the section of a geometric body with a plane. Augmented reality technology can be used to demonstrate curves such as the parabola, ellipse, and hyperbola that are produced in a section when a virtual plane interacts with a cone.

The use of augmented reality allows students to observe how a change in a parameter affects the change in the graph of a function. Observing the dynamics of the behavior of a function in augmented reality encourages students to hypothesize about the causes of this behavior, gradually shifting from geometric representations to algebraic transformations [2].

The article [3] describes an AR Math mobile application that allows learners to make connections between objects in the environment and geometric shapes and their properties. The learner can perform virtual manipulation of objects and use a protractor in augmented reality. The AR Math application implements the following modules:

1) representation of a virtual and mathematical situation;

2) searching for specific everyday objects in the real environment and their recognition on the basis of computer vision algorithms;

3) solving the problem of detecting objects and assigning them to a certain class;

4) interactive interaction of students with a virtual character, helping to solve a mathematical problem or write down the solution in the form of a mathematical expression based on understanding semantics (or match the found solution to one of the offered mathematical expressions).

The implementation of the AR Math modules is based on the use of machine learning algorithms, including, for example, the k-means algorithm for selecting clusters of objects by color or shape.

Figure 2. Working in the GeoGebra AR application: a 3D augmented reality template of a circular paraboloid of rotation

The GeoGebra AR mobile application (Fig. 2) allows exploring second-order surfaces, a Klein bottle, and a spiral staircase in a real environment at different angles, and the user can place the geometric object in any part of the room. The work [4] describes the usefulness of "mathematical" walks for the development of spatial thinking. Based on the GeoGebra application while walking, when pointing the gadget at the surrounding architectural structures, the user can see the matched mathematical objects (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Working in the GeoGebra AR application: 3D augmented reality template

The study of the effectiveness of using the AR Math application to study geometric bodies and their volumes is described in [5]. Two groups of students were created for the experiment: an experimental group of 32 students, in which the augmented reality application was used, and a control group of 31 students, in which the study was conducted using conventional video content and computer programs without the use of AR technology. For the two groups of learners, pre-testing was first conducted to determine initial proficiency and then retesting was conducted to determine the cognitive usefulness of the learning tools after the groups had studied the learning material. The results of the retesting demonstrated an increase in academic performance and motivation of the students in the experimental group.

New technologies can make an important contribution to solving this problem in the future. On the one hand, digitalization offers many possibilities for changing methods and individualizing the learning process in schools. On the other hand, the presence of digital devices is ubiquitous and therefore accessible for educational purposes. This promises greater acceptance of the use of new technologies in mathematics teaching in the coming years.

Thus, augmented reality can immerse the learner in an environment of interaction with geometric figures and increase motivation and interest, but it is important to understand that augmented reality technology is aimed at coordinating the joint efforts of teacher and learner in mastering complex mathematical abstractions in the course of experiments.

References:

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