Towards Education 4.0: Enhancing Traditional Textbooks with Augmented Reality and Quick Response codes

By 2025, two billion people will be part of Generation Alpha, which refers to children born between 2010 and 2025. These children, who have had the greatest access to technology up to this point, naturally use smartphones, tablets, computers, and other devices. Students of this generation will be able to benefit from the incorporation of emerging technologies and innovations into classrooms. The present paper aims to investigate the potential of these technologies in education to facilitate the leap towards Education 4.0 as part of the overall picture of Industry 4.0. The first section of the paper deals with a review of the scientific literature on the use of Quick Response (QR) codes and Augmented Reality (AR) in the development of learning materials. Then, the paper proposes a solution that supports and facilitates the integration of such technologies in regular textbooks. Connecting learning materials with the technologies that students use every day can lead to a better understanding and involvement in the classroom. However, traditional textbooks and other learning materials need to be updated to meet the expectations of students who use smartphones and other technologies as extensions of their bodies.