Search

The internet represents an exceptional support for history teaching activities as it provides access to information from all fields of knowledge and activity, huge research and documenting possibilities, real time information updates, large grounds for imagination, creativity and resolute anticipation all while developing communicational informational processing competencies. According to the Horizon Report Europe 2014 - Schools Edition, the current tendencies in integrating ICT in education target open educational resources (OER) usage, the development of hybrid learning designs and a reevaluation of the role of the teacher as a mentor and facilitator of the learning process. The access to OERs and various online applications can be a real support for history teachers helping them improves the design of their lessons so that they can engage and motivate students more efficiently. However, it also represents an opportunity for students to learn in a new, exciting way which can lead to the development of the necessary 21st century skills (learning, life and carrier skills). Students can use ICT to search and select information and data sources during their history studies. This information can then be further refined and presented in class. Hence, ICT extends the range of tools and techniques which students can utilize when sharing their understanding of history, knowing that solid sources, a good, arguments-based presentation of the findings and a strong conclusion are of outmost importance. The way students interact with this information is shaped by the visualization technologies employed. Through the use of advanced visualization technologies such as augmented reality (AR), students can interact with and manipulate the information more easily by involving more than just their visual senses. Augmented reality has already been successfully used in archaeology (for the digital reconstruction of ancient constructions), architecture (for the digital display of future buildings and projects) or in large museums to facilitate the access of visitors to additional information about the works of interest. Starting from the above mentioned ideas, the present study offers several possibilities in which ICT and AR can be used in order to create authentic learning experiences within history classes, while also presenting and analysing several free visualization applications such as ZooBurst and Wikitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]