Augmented Reality in Education

According to Wikipedia, augmented reality is “is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality. By contrast, virtual reality replaces the real world with a simulated one.”

Heading to the movie theater these days, kids are immersed into a whole new world with 3D technology. Within the first few minutes of the film, a movie goer is no longer sitting in a seat in the theater, but truly feel they have been transposed into the setting of the film and witness, along side the main characters, the events that unfold in the adventure. This is one example of how technology has enhanced the way we view our digital world. However, this is only virtual reality in it’s simplest form. After all, the movie goer is still just consuming the material. They are not interacting with anything.

Advancements in gaming has certainly changed the way our kids think about entertainment at home. Instead of a single joystick that we were used to, kids are moving, swinging, jumping and throwing virtual objects to interact with an on screen game. This is a step closer to blended interaction, but these kids are still reacting to only a virtual world.

I truly believe a blend between hands-on learning, and virtual learning is the key to molding 21st century life-long learners. In order to accomplish this form of learning, a student must be thrown into an augmented reality scenario.

Chris Dede of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, has been working with a team to develop these types of scenarios and lessons for kids. With their inspiring EcoMUVE program and EcoMobile, students are fully entrenched into a pond or forest habitat to inspect the environment and surrounding area. Both of these locations appear online virtually, and in and around the Boston suburban area as well. 

(Photo Courtesy of Greg's Head http://www.raizlabs.com/)

Augmented reality allows students to visit the actual habitats and using SMART phones or iPods, students can enhance their learning by using these devices to draw more information from physical locations, or checkpoints. These findings are then recorded and used in the virtual environment to help students dig deeper into meaning and synthesize the possible issues with this habitat over time based on scientific measurement and research.

Students become collaborators in a real life problem solving group in which they must analyze and synthesize (two higher level thinking skills) to communicate possible solutions to the problem that is disrupting the environment. They get real hands-on learning and yet can transform the learning using technology to dive into the pond in a miniature submarine to analyze the particles in the water during different climate changes and over time to analyze changes to the environment.

The future of service and project-based learning will incorporate more augmented reality options as the growth in the mobile technology industry continues to amaze and enhance our own personal world. Just check out the apps of the week to the right for more examples. In other words, it is a perfect blend between real life and the virtual one.

Adapt and Transform

As a technology integration specialist, and a recent masters graduate student, I have heard just about every buzz word that education has to offer. The Flipped Classroom, Response to Intervention (RtI), No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Common Core standards, project-based learning, 21st Century Skills, embedded technology, integrated themes and units, Universal Design for Learning, teaching to all of the modalities, online learning platforms, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), Professional Learning Networks (PLNs), and service learning to just name a few. 

(Photo courtesy of the Green Market)

It’s no wonder educators are feeling overwhelmed! All of these terms, pedagogies, and mandates feel like extra portions on a teacher’s already filled lunch tray. On top of that, teachers still need to make learning fun and engaging for students and get through a rigorous curriculum. No problem! Teachers are over payed anyhow. Ya right!

So how does one manage all of these things in a given school year with restrictions like bells, start and end times, physical spaces to congregate and organize students by their age or “born on dates”? The simple answer for the doubters, the disbelievers and the ones still stuck on how they learned in school years long ago, is you cannot. Change seems to be a slow going process for many, and in the world of education at times if feels like we are on a treadmill not going anywhere. I mean we are still tossing around the term 21st Century Skills like it’s something new, and yet here we are 13 years into the 21st century. 

These aren’t new skills, and neither are any of the ones listed above. The theories for all of these terms and teaching styles were theorized, developed and even implemented years ago by change agents in the field. These were the pioneers, the outside of the box thinkers, and the people that inspired early adopters to make the leap with them. Many were case studies, thesis papers and grant funded research based projects. In theory, they all work and there is data to prove it, however, nobody says that they can all work at the same time all the time. 

(Photo courtesy of the Russell Revue)

Flexibility, adaptation, multi-tasking, and willingness to support change. These are the skills of the future. They aren’t any different then what they mean today, but in our ever changing world, these are the skills that are becoming more and more necessary to be successful in your career and in life. People that excel in communication, collaboration and creativity and are critical thinkers and problem solvers will find that they can find success in just about any field they choose. A well rounded student will still be a successful citizen in our future.

As educators, we need to provide students with many different forms of learning, and allow them to observe their own strengths and weaknesses. We need to push them as learners and drop them into situations and scenarios that are unfamiliar to them. Give them open ended projects, allow students to make decisions about their learning in the classroom, and break down the walls of the traditional teaching model and school. 

(Photo courtesy of Educational Development Centre Blog)

Students these days are learning off of school clock hours. Whether it be from friends that they see face-to-face or in another part of the world via social networks and the Internet. Why should we as educators limit our teaching to the traditional restrictions of education? It’s time we adapt as teachers, and allow students to help transform education to meet their needs for all of our futures. We all can make a difference by taking small steps towards change and realizing that nothing transforms over night. 

Back Again

I apologize to my readers for being away from this blog for so long. I recently graduated from Lesley University with my masters in Technology in Education K-12 in February. Since then, I have been pursuing my certificate for teaching online K-12 and going through an internship program to receive my Maine Curriculum Director (district admin.) endorsement and certification. Needless to say, I have been a bit busy, but I haven't forgotten you. I will make sure I get another blog post in before the end of the month and before the new eNewsletter for April comes out. Cheers!


Eric

Virtual Sandbox Time

Give a kid a chance to play, and they may just teach us something!

It still amazes me how young children can pick up new technologies, like Apple’s iPad, and begin to manipulate objects on the screen without too much direction. Children certainly share an excitement for playing around with something new, and learning what they can do with it. They simply have no fear of failure. In fact, I have never heard an elementary student say, “But I’m afraid I might break it.” Where do some adults lose that curiosity? Or gain a fear of failure or feel frustration with trying something new?

Kids are just naturally great at discovering and exploring new things. Whether it was a sandbox or water table from our youth, or a mobile tablet for today’s children, trying something new is exciting and fun! Unfortunately, this play time doesn’t always translate in the educational setting. 

Due to time constraints, program directives, or adults’ comfort levels, activities and lessons using technology can become very programatic. By that I mean children are often asked to perform similar, if not exactly the same, tasks as they just observed an adult doing, otherwise known as listen and mimic (copy/paste method). Although this technique can be useful at times to teach basic tech skills, children really need to feel successful on their own. The only way a student truly learns is when they are asked to problem solve somewhat on their own, or through collaborative groups of their peers. These learned skills will stick with a child much longer, and derive more meaning, than any copy and paste activity provides.

Don’t get me wrong, certain skills such as citizenship, group work behavior and expectations, problem solving strategies, and basic skills and background knowledge of the curriculum content and the technology being used needs to be taught. This is especially true in the early elementary grades as a base knowledge, however, open ended projects, presentations, or exploration in which a student can choose the tool they use can be highly beneficial. Playing around with something new, or finding ways to express their findings in a unique way can build upon 21st century skills and promote life-long adaptable learning. A skill that all students will need to know in order to be successful in their lives.

Technology settings are often focused on a single user. One child sitting at a computer, tablet, or other form of technology working on an individual project. Instead, let children get up browse around to see what their peers are doing, allow them to ask critical questions, and find new and inventive ways to use a tool to present, create, communicate and publish their work for feedback. Give them the opportunity to try something new and to fail without feeling defeated. They need to learn from their mistakes, and find ways to work around them. We need to encourage our children to play and explore in the physical and virtual sandbox, but also to reflect and present their findings to adults and their peers. They will become better problem solvers as they build their toolkit for the future.

eNewsletter, Tech Tips, and Trouble Shooting Oh My!

I am swamped with writing blogs, create and publishing video tutorials for Tech Tips, organizing a Trouble Shooting group at both elementary schools in York, all while finishing up my masters and trying to maintain my regular day-to-day duties as a technology integration specialist. I apologize for the brief blog post, but every now and then it's a good idea to update readers on the other projects that are going on as well.

The latest edition of the eNewsletter for February is published. My main article is all about the balancing act educators go through every day in trying to embed enriching technology into their lessons. How much is too much? Balance has always been the key, and I offer some good strategies to keep that moto. There are also some wonderful web sites for teachers and students to check out, and my new iPad app of the month is another great interactive story. I hope you enjoy!

Each week I broadcast a Tech Tip of the Week over our CTV live in the school on a morning during the week before class begins. This way teachers can stay in their classrooms in the morning while they are getting ready for the school day and still learn a quick tip that they can use in class or in the lab using technology. At my web site above, I archive all of the Tech Tips so that teachers can revisit them as the need arises.

I have started a new Trouble Shooting and Problem Solving group in the mornings at both elementary schools as well. This group meets in the lab once a week before the student day begins to analyze a scenario or issue that often comes up with teachers in the computer lab, and finds ways to troubleshoot or work around these issues. I add the scenario and our potential problem solving strategies to a blog so that others can add comments or reply to problems that we cannot work out. It's just a start, but we would love global feedback as well.

Lastly, I have been asked more then ever to publish videos online for teachers to share students' projects, broadcasts, presentations and successes. For this reason, my YouTube Channel has grown immensely in the last year.

Of course I do not expect you to follow all of these resources. It's hard enough for me to keep up with them and I'm the author of each! If, however, you would like reminders of new updates to each of these blogs, posts, uploads, or publishes, you can check out my Mobile App, which will send you reminders for each of these areas as they are updated, and also lets you follow me on Twitter.

Internet Safety in our World

Parents and teachers often say, "Technology is moving so fast, I cannot keep up. My children, or students, know more about them then I do. How can I possibly make sure they are safe online, unless I take some of their access, or privileges away from them?"


I hear this issue all the time. Is it really the technologies, and the accessibility to these technologies that are the problem, or is it a lack of supervision and guidance from educators and adults that are comfortable with what these technologies can provide that is the real issue? We have similar issues in our district. In fact, an art lab at our high school was fully decked out with brand new iMacs and students snuck in and had video chats, and shot pictures of themselves in provocative and even nude poses, however they were "smart" in that they never showed their faces. Since the students could not be identified, the iMac's web cam was taped up and then eventually disabled. I argue that these students will now just find another outlet to explore either within the high school again, or at somebody's house. 

The issue to me isn't that the access to these technologies are there, but rather there was not an educator there to supervise and make sure students were using the technologies to make good choices in their interactions and education. I have to have this same conversation every year at our parent Internet Safety talks in which many of our community parents believe that as long as the web site search starts on a school page, they are filtered at home. I have to always explain that our filters only work within our buildings, and when they are at home they are on their filter, if one exists.

I was at a conference once in which the issue of Internet safety in our schools was brought up and the speaker used this as a metaphor. When we were kids, we would leave our houses and walk down to the neighborhood playground or park. Some of us used the equipment as they were meant to be played with, and others used this area to get into mischief. Now, parents do not trust their children to leave the house by themselves, as the world is too dangerous. They feel that they are much more safe sitting in their room, right within the house. However, that room is equipped with cable TV and a computer or mobile device hooked up to the Internet. As soon as a child decides to enter a chat room, or other forum, they have entered the same park we used to go to in which each user can see this area as something different. The problem with this new picture is that this park could include a million people world wide and it isn't as obvious to distinguish between character and friend or foe as it was in the physical park we used to play in. Is this area really safer unsupervised by their parents then actually leaving the house without adult supervision and walking down to the community park? I would have to disagree.

Unless teachers and parents have ample amount of time, the desire, and guidance to try out all of these technologies, they will never catch up or surpass their children, or students, in technology expertise. That is not really the issue though. Supervision and balance is the key. It's great that students are willing to experiment and try new things, however, the one thing they may lack that adults and teachers can provide, despite their technology abilities or savvy, is how to make good ethical choices when using these technologies. Just because an adult does not fully understand how a webcam, video conferencing software, or chat room operates, does not mean that they could not sit down with their child and provide some guidance on how to act ethically online. In this model, both people become teachers and learners. The child shares their knowledge of the technology tool, while the adult shares ethical reasoning and making good choices. Together they both will learn, and the relationship and trust between the two will become stronger. 

(Photo courtesy of jenliddy.wordpress.com)

It's also important to provide balance. Adults need to carve out some time in their day to share experiences with their children or students. Take the time to see what children are interested in and do online, and provide common family areas in the house where the computer can be located and not behind closed doors. Then take some time to interact offline. Whether it be a family game night, with an old fashioned board game, or a stroll in a physical park, or sharing a meal in a restaurant. Kids need good role models, and their observations and actions generally reflect what they have witnessed both online and off. Sometimes, however, they have to realize that the online world, although filled with virtual meeting places and fake identities, does not mean that human interactions between one another should be any different then that of the real world. After all, a person's true character comes out when they are alone behind closed doors. Some students feel that when they are online in their bedrooms they are in this place, even though the Internet has actually opened up it's doors to the world.

Project 365 and Project 52

For Christmas this year, Santa brought me a new iPhone 4S. I love it! It is so much faster then my older iPhone 3G and the High Definition camera is great. With this new tool, I have decided to commit myself to two year long projects this year as a New Year's resolution to hone my photography and filming skills.

Many of you have heard of Project 365, and I have had the app on my phone pretty much since I had purchased the older 3G, however, I never made it past two pictures on the yearly calendar. Well, with the new camera in the iPhone 4S, and our brand new daughter at home (now 3 months), it seems like a perfect match for this project. My plan is to take a picture of Elsa, our baby girl, next to a window each day for the Project 365. At the end, I would like to create a YouTube video of her growth throughout the year as the seasons change out the window. Hopefully I can share this project with my daughter when she is old enough to appreciate it. It's a long road, but so far I am 5 for 5.

This picture was taken before Project 365 started on January 1st.

My other year long goal is to work on my filming skills. I have always been a fan of the movies, and as a young boy I used my father's old video camera to make small movies using my sister's Barbie dolls, or my Lego sets in a stop motion scene, or reenacted fun scenes with my friends out in our backyard. Well, now that I am equipped with an HD camera in my pocket on the new iPhone 4S, I plan to create mini clips each week to better my skills in filming and play around with some apps for special effects. I think this task would be impossible, unless I quit my day job, to publish each day to YouTube, however, once a week seems manageable to me so I will call it Project 52.

This is a clip I created with a 5th grade student using the app "Action Movie" on the iPhone and a green screen to complete the backdrop.

My intent with these two year long projects is to hone my own skills, but to also use these as models to inspire other educators in and out of my district, as well as students to take learning beyond the classroom. I'm certainly not a professional photographer or filmographer, but it's important to share my trials and tribulations with students to showcase that it takes time and practice to get good at something. It's important that educators and schools allow students to try something and fail once or twice before they are expected to master something. This is something that seems to be escaping us in public education, and I fear that true learning, through real hands-on experimentation, may decrease in our curriculum unless we do something about it.

Reflection on Project 365 and Project 52

My first personal reflections of the project are that this will take a great deal of effort and time, but I believe it is worth it. In my Project 365 theme, I realized that I don't always get home in time to "see" the weather outside the window, and therefore you cannot see what it looks like in Maine at this time of year, however, daylight and time change may be something I will use to reinforce and skirt my problem. (Also, there is no snow on the ground right now to see in Southern Maine anyhow.)

On my clip above for my Project 52 entry, I realize that we need a bigger green screen. I would love to convert one of our double wide trailers "parked" outside of the school as an extended classroom into a production studio and paint the entire inside chroma key green for student projects. That way we wouldn't have to figure out where to hang the old green cloth, or find more green poster paper. I'll keep working though. After all, I have 365 days to better my skills. Cheers!