Civil War Augmented Reality Project Becomes HistoriQuest

By Wesley Fryer On February 14, 2011 · · Add Comment

I love social studies, history, geography and the intersections of these content areas with technology. I read an email from Jeff Mummert on February 1st with interest, in which he explained how The Civil War Augmented Reality Project has evolved to become an LLC: HistoriQuest. Jeff explained in the email how HistoriQuest aims to specifically address the following educational, technological, and tourism challenges:

Few sites offer real educational interactivity- involving user
choices that change stories and promote creative and critical
thinking.
The internet alone has not really “knocked down museum walls,”
mobile technology has.
Physical activity and mental challenge are integral parts of learning.
Technology is a tool, not an educational objective.
Most members of the public must see the value of a technology
before adopting it.
There are a vast number of communities with ignored but valuable
stories to tell.
Mobile technology can help to positively settle the land
ownership and zoning controversies in public history.

As we consider the (hopefully) imminent development and release of an iOS/Android application for Storychasers, I’m watching projects like HistoriQuest with heightened interest. Our abilities to create mash-ups of content including videos, images, audio recordings, and text overlaid with maps and mobile applications providing real-time / current-context information is extremely exciting. I’m betting we’re going to see great things from HistoriQuest in the months ahead.