McGraw Hill and Verizon bring learning to life with free augmented reality app

McGraw Hill and Verizon today announced a new mobile application to bring augmented reality (AR) learning activities to K-12 students and classrooms across the country: McGraw Hill AR. The free app leverages the immersive and interactive features of AR technology to bring academic concepts to life and give students and educators new ways to engage with educational content.

“As we look to combine the value of hands-on learning with the benefits of emerging technologies, we found AR to be a natural area of exploration in the development of our suite of education tools,” said Shawn Smith, chief innovation officer for McGraw Hill's School group. “Following the disruptions to classroom learning over the past few years, our AR app will pioneer new ways of engaging students with important concepts and materials. While AR technology may still be an area of uncertain utility today, we see the possibility of boundless impact tomorrow and are excited to take this step in support of the students and teachers we serve.”

The McGraw Hill AR app is available with standards-aligned lesson plans for educators that are exclusively available through Verizon Innovative Learning HQ - a next-gen online education portal that provides free access to immersive extended reality (XR) educational experiences for K-12 students. The McGraw Hill AR app joins a plethora of AR and virtual reality (VR) educational materials, tailored lesson plans, and credentialed professional development on technology integration within the learning environment. The app currently features three activities on algebra readiness and geometry for grades 6-12, with the full suite of 10 math-centric activities to be live by fall 2022.

"Seeing how educators are rethinking how they teach, how students learn, and how to reinvent using emerging technologies, now more than ever it is imperative that they have access to next-gen learning tools and the powerful learning opportunities they unlock," said Alex Servello, director of corporate social responsibility at Verizon. "With Verizon Innovative Learning HQ, we've democratized access to next-gen learning, putting technologies like McGraw Hill AR in the hands of educators to help deliver and enable more immersive, personalized learning experiences for students."

Verizon has been committed to fostering digital inclusion through its transformative education initiative, Verizon Innovative Learning, which is celebrating ten years of driving equity within education for some of the most vulnerable populations across the country

The McGraw Hill AR app offers dynamic, standards-aligned, publisher-grade lessons that motivate and engage students while promoting deep conceptual understanding. The activities offered through the app supplement any core curriculum by stimulating engagement and improving learning retention through interaction, exploration, and multi-sensory experiences using tablets and smartphones.

The easy-to-use AR app will help to foster increased adoption of the technology in the classroom. In a recent survey conducted with Hanover Research, over three-quarters (78%) of educators reported student engagement as the greatest benefit of leveraging AR technology in the classroom. This is particularly important following substantial pandemic-induced learning loss. While teacher and student access to AR technology has been limited to date, 74% of educators who use AR use it often – at least once a week.

The McGraw Hill AR app is available for download today, free of charge on any Apple or Android tablet or smartphone via the App Store and Google Play, and with accompanying lesson plans for educators at Verizon Innovative Learning HQ.

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