Accessible, Affordable AR

...for the Library or Classroom

As a teacher librarian my goal is to open up new worlds for my students to explore. I usually use books to introduce them to different types of people, parts of the world or new information, but, what if there was a way for them to get excited about new places or concepts? And what if they then used that excitement to spark their curiosity for research??

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) is a way for our students to interact with their present and virtual environment. As a librarian in a Title I school, my students have had few experiences with far away places. Furthermore, many of my students are kinesthetic learners and need hands-on experiences to truly "get" new concepts. Finding an accessible, effective, affordable AR tool for them will give them this exposure and may even help get them excited for learning. 

The Tool:

The MERGE cube is a tool that is easily available from Amazon or Walmart and typically costs less that $15. What's more, Walmart has been known to drop the price to $5 or even $1 making this a no-brainer.

The Merge cube is used in conjunction with apps (iOS or Android) that allow the user to manipulate the cube and interact with a 3-D image of a variety of objects.

iPad Implementation:

Merge offers a line of apps where students can learn about the human body, space, fossils, layers of the earth and ancient cities and towns. 

1. Teacher: pick a topic and select a non-fiction book to read aloud. A paired-text reading could also be done with fiction and non-fiction
2. Students launch the app as directed by their teacher librarian. 
3. Stand the iPad up so the student has use of both hands. 
4. Hold the MERGE cube with both hands and manipulate it as needed to experience the app. 
5. Students can do a 30 second screen recording to respond to a prompt as directed by their teacher. 

Click HERE for a great post and more info on the MERGE cube

Other Links for Merge Cube:

• VR Scout: How Merge is Building an XR Ecosystem for Kids
• Merge Health & Safety Information
• Merge Privacy Policy and Terms of Service
• @MsJWhiting: Why Merge Cubes are only a $1 at Walmart
• Compatible Devices for Merge Cube
• YouTube video: IT WORKED: Merge Cube AR for the Classroom!
• Wired: How Augmented Reality is Shaping the Future of Play
• YouTube video: Make Your Own Giant MERGE Cube!
• Getting Started with Merge Cube Guide by Tricia Louis
• Is your mobile device AR & VR ready? Test it! https://vrtest.ninja

Science and the MakerSpace

The Intersection of Asking Questions and Making Solutions:

As a former science teacher, now turned librarian, I often find sneaky ways to slip in science concepts under the guise of introducing non-fiction. I have this unending desire to talk about the world around us
and am often drawn to getting my students excited about clouds rather than fanciful literature.
A MakerSpace appeals to me on a number of levels including:

• Giving students a chance to think, create, test and re-design
• Allowing kinesthetic learners the opportunity to learn in a way they are comfortable with 
• Setting the stage for productive and effective collaboration. 

There are 2 blogs that I have found that have a particular emphasis on science and MakerSpaces. The first is iMakeiLearn by Discovery Education. It can be accessed HERE. This blog breaks down the process of MakerSpaces into: The Why, The What, The How, The Now and shares strategies for motivating students as well as getting started in the MakerSpace world. 

The next blog by Laura Fleming is entitled Worlds of Learning and discusses the concept of the Next Generation Science Standards and MakerSpaces. The blog, accessed HERE The author states that the NGSS are based on 3 dimensions. 

• Science and Engineering Practices (SEP): Consists of behavior scientists and engineers engage in; experts design and develop models to design and test abstract phenomena.
• Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs): Describe core ideas in the science disciplines. These are grouped into 4 domains: the life sciences, the physical sciences; the earth & space sciences; the engineering & technology applications of science.
• Crosscutting Concepts (CCC): concepts linking the different domains of science.

By integrating the NGSS standards and using them to inform your MakerSpace creation and administration, the teacher librarian can expose the students to a world of possibility and making.