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I attended the Learning Innovations Conference Series Transforming K-12 Education with XR Technologies workshop at Kent State University on March 11, 2022. https://www.kent.edu/ehhs/learning-innovations-conference-series The opening keynote was by Bobby Carlton (https://twitter.com/bcarlton727 ). He gave me some foundation ideas for XR, some things to keep on the lookout for and others to look up. Bobby said that XR builds mental muscle memory, so doing things virtually can translate to doing them physically. Kids are already using it with face filters and gaming. There are many industries using XR, which led me to ask my friend Brad Waid (https://twitter.com/Techbradwaid educator deeply involved in XR) about which seems to be more prominent in industry, 3D printing or XR. He said both are pretty widely used. Bobby said that many companies are creating spaces in the Metaverse, and he hopes that that realm grows beyond entertainment and social to learning and collaboration. One of its benefits is that the learner can direct the experience, look where they want and interact with what they want — student voice and choice. He reminded us that Google Street View is still a thing, and you can simply use a LIDAR app on your phone to scan a 3D object and bring it into an XR environment. He also gave me other things to research deeper into XR : Horizon Worlds ; 8th wall (just bought by Niantic ) ; Mozilla Hubs ; JigSpace ). I feel we need a lot more XR educational content that can be experienced via a browser since the predominant device in schools is a chromebook. The first session that I attended was XR Math with the Akron STEM Middle School. They had looked into which subject/content seemed to be lagging (in XR and in comprehension) and decided it was Geometry & Volume. They looked at those standards from 5th grade through 8th and and matched some XR tools that could help. They utilized merge cubes , tiltbrush, and google blocks. Students were on hand to walk us through the things they did and talk about how they felt the tools helped them learn the concepts better. I think minecraft might be another option for these concepts (especially if you dont have VR goggles or tablets). I might add isometric graph paper to help them with the drawings that they did of 3D block shapes, as well as some actual blocks to build their shapes with. During the second session, I took a tour of the Design Innovation Hub Makerspaces. I wanted to see how they set things up and what tools they had available : 3D printers, laser cutters, wood shop, metals shop, sewing area, vinyl cutter, cnc router, carts for kits, as well as some things k12 wouldn’t have : a $300,000 3D printer, water jet, large sublimation fabric printer. Kent is doing something nice with Maker Learning in that they have one “central” Hub and nodes scattered across campus, so that students have easy access to a makerspace. I spoke with the head of the DIH after the workshop, and was glad to hear that the College of Education is planning a node. In the HUB is the “Blank Lab”, which is an immersive studio that can change and be programmed. My pictures didn’t come out (I wasn’t being careful enough in the low light while it was running a program). It is a (maybe 15’x30’) room with white screen walls, multiple ceiling mounted projectors and speakers (i didn’t count, maybe 12 and 20). There is a rail system for a blackout screen to go all the way around the room in front of the white screens, as well as a green screen that covers about ⅓ of the room. I do wonder if an immersive space like this would serve a purpose in a k12 setting (if one could afford the multiple projectors and powerful computer). But could you make it individually interactive? Would you want it to be interactive or just immersive? The building also has a variety of classroom spaces, offices, open spaces, and a cafeteria. I think all of the tables (except for the cafeteria) were work tables on wheels (nice butcher block tops and big casters). {some pictures of the space https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1of6W_uggZFHEfBmwRiw0xS_kufiZ_tVH7IxjMMCWrC4/edit?usp=sharing } [weebly isnt displaying embed codes right now] For the third session, I went to the XR ecosystem roundtable discussion. People talked about things they had used (successfully or lessons learned). Spark AR and Lens Studio were mentioned as 2 design softwares to try. Quivervision , 3D Bear, Gravity Sketch were also mentioned. Minecraft was brought up and someone said there are Chemistry lessons in it, and that 1st graders can do Minecraft. It was suggested that if you want to use headsets, you need to have space for movement, and swivel chairs so they can turn around with less possibility of falling. Most mentioned just having them sit on the ground. It was also suggested that some people get sick with XR headsets, so start them off with XR on a computer screen to see how they react. 360 videos on YouTube were mentioned as a starting point. We did have a question come up with no answer - is there any research about the physiological effects on the brain from using XR. Kids brains are in an early stage of development and we wonder about the impacts.
We wrapped the day up with a keynote from Christine Lion-Bailey (https://twitter.com/clionbailey ) an elementary principal, a tech director, author of “Reality Bytes” ( another book to get, along with “Immersive Classroom” by Jamie Donally https://twitter.com/JaimeDonally ). She gave us classroom examples of “The XR ABC Framework” (absorb, blend, create). Absorb examples were using Google Translate to translate signs in different languages, merge cube solar system, BBC Civilisations app, Google Earth can be utilized as AR/VR , and YouTube has a 360 video channel. She mentioned a teacher finding a tour of a town with a setting like the book they were reading, because students were having difficulty visualizing it (so different than theirs). Her Blend examples included quivervision coloring book app, CatchyWords app, and some Science/Math experiences from XennialDigital. {Though I am torn with the science experiments… they are only as good as how they are programmed (lots of science is inconclusive) and you need to really do science to develop that mindset.} Her Create ideas were using tiltbrush , and the 4th wall app to remix an artists work. Obviously there is a LOT more available than when I first started looking at VR/AR ~10 years ago (Google Cardboard and the Cedar Point Roller Coaster app). So many things to research. We need to be using XR in school because these kids will be using it in their careers because it is touching every industry. It should be one more tool in our education toolbelt. It gives us another avenue for student creations. We need more easily accessible XR education content that is browser based ; headsets are not really an affordable option to most. There is much to learn with XR and so many resources that need collected and organized. I wonder how many museums are integrating XR into their displays? I wonder how far we are from the SciFi interactivity of touch-expand-explore? Like in the "Iron Man" movies.
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my last post didnt publish... even though it says it did.
so trying a shorter one |
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