From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Teaching in augmented reality (AR) for the past several years has been a bit of a challenge, in my opinion, as is often the case with new technologies. For example, I had to assess “over the shoulder” by looking at what students were doing. Now, using 3DBear, I’m able to offer students a classroom where they can create and share. Also, I’m able to easily assess and share their work in AR.
What is Augmented Reality?
If you’re not sure what augmented reality is, then think of Snapchat filters. Most of us have seen these photographic tools in Snapchat (and now, Facebook) that let users take pictures of themselves and put funny graphic masks on their faces. Instead of physically wearing “mouse ears,” they can add them digitally.
Simply explained, augmented reality lets students add digital elements to their physical world using their phone’s camera lens while looking through the screen.
How are teachers using AR to teach?
Recently, I hosted a webinar (embedded above) with some Augmented Reality Teaching enthusiasts who had a lot to say about AR, how to teach with it, and where they think it’s going in the future.
How does AR work in 3D Bear?
First, 3D bear is a free download for smartphones and tablets. You can use it and learn. However, the true power is the teacher classroom portal.
Here’s one example of how 3D Bear can be used for a real world conversation. 3DBear’s classroom set includes digital items like bookcases, desks, tables, and more, which students can use to propose how they want the room to look.
“I’ve seen kids get so immersed in their 3D Bear projects that they had no idea how much they were learning.”
Mitch Weisenberg, Edchat interactive, New York
To get started, a student will just scan the room using his or her digital device (like an iPad, iPhone, or Droid) before starting.
After the initial scan, the student can then grab digital items and put them on the room.
How Students Get Started with 3D Bear Augmented Reality Design
- Download the App
Go to https://3dbear.io/free-trial/ or your app store to download the 3D Bear Augmented Reality app.
- Enter the Classroom Code
After you (the teacher) has set up your classroom, you can add students with a name and a code. Give them this name and code and they will sign in to 3D Bear and automatically be linked to your classroom.
- Scan the room
3D Bear will prompt the student to scan the room. I’ve found it works better if you have some flat surfaces around, but it will work anywhere
- Start designing
Inside 3D bear are a variety of libraries that you can use. From dinosaurs to flowers and furniture, when you click on a library, give it a moment to download and you can start putting things in your environment using augmented reality. There’s a simple button for sharing with you as the teacher.
You could have a classroom design challenge, for example, where students suggest repositioning the furniture. Then, they can take photographs, or film an example of what they want to do. Inside 3DBear, students can also share their design to the classroom so that you, the teacher, can open up their proposal and walk through it.
What do I mean by “walking through it?”
Well, the teacher can open up the teacher’s dashboard, sign into the classroom, and open up the creation of their fellow students. Then, I like to Airplay my device to the board so everyone can see. Then, looking through my camera lens on the board, they’ll see the AR redesign of the room.
So, for example, as you can see in the simple holiday theme below, students “decorated our room” in AR as they were learning the features and tools of 3D Bear.
What Else Can You Do With 3DBear?
In addition to room decor, students can create a room full of dinosaurs. 3DBear includes other 3D libraries that let students add, arrange, and create digital items in your classroom. But you’re not limited by these libraries. 3DBear also has the ability to pull in 3D items from Thingiverse or any tool that can create an STL file.
Got a smartphone or tablet? Try out 3D Bear right now.
So, for example, if a student goes into Sketchup (formerly Google Sketchup) and you’ve added Sketchup’s STL extension, they can create or import items and then export them. Or you can use Tinkercad or any other 3D modeling software. Then, students can save their 3D models as an STL file to Dropbox or OneDrive for importing. Simply put, anything students have designed in 3D that they can export as an STL, they can pull into 3DBear to examine more closely.
Also remember that if you have a 3D printer, students can look at their objects in 3DBear before you commit to printing them.
Teaching with AR
Sign up for a free teacher trial. Try out the classroom features and curriculum content for free for one month.
Teachers can also use AR to build environments for sharing with students. Imagine creating a dinosaur museum and having students open the museum to go exploring. 3DBear has a teacher blog full of lesson plans, as well as a new 3DBear Innovator program.
AR has only begun, but I’m glad to have an easy-to-use tool that helps me connect with my students inside virtual worlds full of new teaching and learning possibilities.
The post 3DBear Review: The Augmented Reality Classroom Pro appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!
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llison Starling is the Director of Innovative Learning at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School in Austin, Texas. Allison’s work is driven by the idea learning should be authentic and engaging for all students with the most progressive pedagogical approaches used.
Debbie Scott is from Midland, Texas where she lives with her husband. She enjoys spending time with her three children, three children-in-laws and 9 grandchildren! Her faith is important to her and she attends First Baptist Church in Midland. She has a bachelors in Accounting and Information Systems but has worked as a legal assistant with her husband for the last 20+ years. She has always enjoyed helping people so Help A Teacher was an immediate fit for her. Creating her first Facebook page, Help A Teacher, and assisting in the creation of the webpage, HelpATeacher.com have brought her great joy and she strives everyday since to reach more Teachers to share with them the excitement of Help A Teacher.
Ross Flatt is the Director of Programs and Partnerships at the Institute of Play, a non-profit dedicated to transforming education through play. Ross leads the vision, strategy, and execution for all of the Institute’s programs, including TeacherQuest, a program for all educators who are interested in bringing game-based learning into their classroom. Prior to working at the Institute, Ross was a social studies teacher for 10 years in both public and parochial schools and was a school administrator. For 6 of those years, he was a founding educator at Quest to Learn in New York City, the first public school to make game-based learning an essential part of its mission. He has a B.A. in History from Gettysburg and holds a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Fordham University.
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