Augmented reality, computational physics, engaging students

Just in time for the weekend, here are a few brief items that contain interesting reads and food for thought on physics education: 

• Augmented reality for physics teaching. Here is a nice literature review by Vidak et al. that was published on the arXiv today. The authors are really serious about their "literature review", as they have put together a comprehensive table that spans across ten pages. This table outlines the articles reviewed by the authors as well as a brief description how augmented reality-based technology was employed in teaching a specific physics topic. One noteworthy observation is that augmented reality has the potential to enhance students' learning experience. However, its implementation requires careful consideration, as the technology does not appear to be sufficiently mature (as of December 2023) and its use in educational settings could lead to disruptions, confusion among facilitators and students, and an increased cognitive load. Nevertheless, I believe that augmented reality will play an essential role in physics education in the decades to come.     
• Computational data science in physics. I came across this MIT online course and I got pretty excited, because it aligns with the essence of my own teaching activities on using Jupyter notebooks in "traditional" physics courses. Please take a look at the course (you can sign up for free) if you're interested. You can also read our paper on computational literacy in physics, which will be published in a peer-reviewed journal in the (hopefully) near future.  
• Five principles of extraordinary math teaching. Even though its focus is more on mathematics than physics, I find this presentation immensely beneficial for educators who seek to motivate and engage their students: TED talk by Dr. Dan Finkel. Let me summarize one of the core messages of this presentation by sharing the following quote: "Not knowing is not failure, it's the first step to understanding". You should definitely check it out if you teach math, physics, or virtually any other subject. It provides valuable insights that can be applied across various domains.