USING AUGMENTED REALITY IN BIOLOGY TEACHING

Abstract

In this study, prospective teachers' views on Augmented Reality (AR) in biology teaching were examined. The study was designed as a case study. The study participants consisted of 16 prospective teachers who took Instructional Technologies and Material Design in the third grade of the Biology Teaching Department of the Faculty of Education of a state university in the spring term of the 2018-2019 academic year. During the application process, AR activities were carried out with the students. The data of the study were obtained using the interview form and the "Mobile Augmented Reality Questionnaire" developed by Küçük, Kapakin, and Göktaş (2015). After the activities, prospective teachers were asked for their views about AR in biology teaching. As a result, it was observed that future biology teachers mostly expressed positive thoughts about AR activities. Some advantages of the AR activities were as follows: concretising the subjects; retention; being exciting and entertaining; repetition capability; and multimedia support. Apart from these advantages, some disadvantages were emphasised such as internet connection cut off, the necessity to keep the phone stable, passivation of the students over time, being costly, and not being suitable for every subject. Prospective teachers also suggested extending AR activities in schools, ensuring equality in accessing technological tools, using these activities in different lessons and developing various applications.