Saturday, November 17, 2018

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:






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4 comments:

  1. Alexandra MageeNovember 17, 2018 at 1:34 PM

    This sounds amazing! I can't believe how cheap it is, too. I am also in a Title 1 school and you are completely right about students not having many opportunities to explore the world around them. Providing hands-on virtual experiences enhances their learning and makes things more meaningful. I may have to take a trip to walmart soon! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. KatieDNovember 17, 2018 at 5:28 PM

    This is really cool and affordable. Are the apps free? IF so that would be a major plus. I like your idea of tying the cubes to reading a nonfiction title. That would be a great why to show students that nonfiction can be fun as well as provide a great tech experience.

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  3. AnonymousNovember 17, 2018 at 7:55 PM

    Katherine,

    This is an amazing tool. As we know most students love anything that is technology driven and the cube is no exception. Students will love this. I also work in a Title 1 school and having an opportunity to provide hands on experiences for my students at such a low cost is wonderful. I will be looking for this item at Walmart, especially now that the holiday season is coming. I love the aspect of pairing it with a book and a prompt for the students to answer. Thank you for providing information on such a great tool!

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  4. McBride SLIS 794November 18, 2018 at 11:15 AM

    This is very cool! I could play with this all day! I really liked the heart! This is a great way to get the "hands on" experience that is sometimes very difficult to accomplish! Great tool! Thanks for sharing!

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