Augmented Reality

 Metaverse Augmented Reality App

This week led me into a search for an augmented reality program to use with my students.  I admit this is not my thing. I don’t like goggles, I stay away from gaming stations, 3D rides and movies make me nauseous, and I can get a little claustrophobic in a confined space.  That might be a little too much info but with that said, I previously attributed AR and VR with these situations.  I was so happy to learn that AR can include simple items like an app and a phone and that it can even be free.  Yes I said it, Free.  This amazed me as another reason I have not looked into AR/VR before is because I have associated it with large dollar signs which our school library does not have. I was happy to learn about the Metaverse Augmented Reality available for Android and iPhone.  It is Free, Easy to learn, Fun, and Simple for students to access.

What exactly is Metaverse?

Metaverse is an augmented reality experience that is a free platform available online that inspires creativity and excites students with an alternative learning experience. It requires that an account be set up via Metaverse Studio online and then the story/activity is accessed via the Metaverse app on a mobile device.

Why use it?

What inspired me to dig deeper into this program was the following quote I read by Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney “Metaverse is a new medium, potentially the invention of a new genre of interactive storytelling...The opportunities that exist for storytellers large and small are staggering” (Go Meta, 2018) For a Disney CEO to make that statement it has to be something special and so I investigated it. Upon learning more about Metaverse, I found it to be a fun interactive approach to teaching and learning, a relatively simple program for teachers to learn, easy for students to access, and it's FREE.

Steps to create an experience

Step #1 Go to the Metaverse Studio

Step #2 Set up an account

Step #3 Start building your story 

Step #4 Test your story

Step #5 Publish your story

Building your story takes the most time and I would recommend watching the overview provided to you once you set up your account to get a basic idea of how to use the application.  You can make start off simple and then get more creative as you become familiar with the design elements and options. How you design your activity is up to you.  The program uses scenes with characters.  Each scene can include unique text, images, directions, special effects, etc.  Participants can be asked to take specific pictures, do an action, answer polls, watch a youtube clip, type answers, and scan QR codes. The program offers hundreds of component options to include in your design. You build up a storyboard by connecting scenes to produce your desired result. Once you have completed your story you can publish it for public view or viewable only to those with the link/QR code. It is available in seconds. But it takes more than seconds to design your experience. While the program mentions that it can be done in minutes, I would say that it depends on your level of expertise with the program and how long you want your experience to be. Teachers can create educational activities to align with a lesson or a just for fun activity such as an adventurous scavenger hunt.  I chose to design an interactive activity to help my students learn where to locate items within the library. Check out my Eye of The Tiger Library Tour. 

How students access and use it 

Download the FREE  Metaverse app from their app store on their mobile device

Open the app and then scan the QR code that you provide them

They then enter the experience and follow the directions 

How teachers can use it 

Create interactive activities

Create scavenger hunts

Create quizzes

Design educational games

Set up a geocaching experience

Assign students to create interactive stories

What Educators Have to Say About Metaverse

My next Metaverse creation

Next on my list is to create an interactive reading experience with many of our books.  I would like to include QR codes with various books to generate excitement and enhance learning. For example the QR code could connect the student to a book trailer, survey, and information on the story location and the author.

For more information check out

Metaverse Teachers Webinar

Meta for the Classroom 

Tell Interactive Stories with Augmented Reality

Makerspaces and Blackout Poetry

Libraries are about learning which is why makerspaces should have a home in them. 

Makerspaces 

Makerspaces encourage creativity, collaboration, sharing of ideas, engage learners, and ignite excitement in the school library.  They can be elaborate with technology devices or as simple as a few prompts and some supplies.  Where you take your makerspace is up to you. I have been working in a library for a few years as an assistant and we have had several makerspaces put into action.  We have used Keva Planks, Legos, Rigamajigs, Strawbees, and have had several arts and craft stations. Even a table full of recyclable items sparks creativity and brings students together, many of whom would sit alone otherwise.  Spaces can reflect content learning in STEM and the humanities. We generally rotate out our stations and try new concepts to spark a student's imagination. It is amazing to see what they can create and how they work together.

Finding a New to Me Space

To create a new makerspace station within our library, I ventured the web to seek out a blog that would inspire me to test a new concept. My first initial idea was to design a makerspace with the use of a 3D printer. I have never used one and have recently learned about how it can inspire innovative ideas and be used to create a plethora of items. Creations can align with educational standards and be formed to be applicable in real life problems.  Take a look at See how Maker Spaces Work to learn how middle school students used a 3D printer to create a four-propeller drone like helicopter complete with a remote control.  Students were challenged to find a way to help farmers in Nepal who had to keep their children home from school to help protect their crops from birds. How can this not make you excited about a 3D printer?

I considered to run with this idea, but I wanted to select a makerspace concept that I could implement now, in this pandemic setting of hybrid learning and within my budget.  A makerspace that could abide by CDC and school guidelines and be available to all virtual students. As I pondered ideas I came across blogger Diana Rendina and reviewed her post, How to Manage Your Makerspace During the 2020 Pandemic. Rendina recognizes that makerspaces will be taking on a different look in our current environments.  Her article provides multiple points, and I had my top two takeaways that stuck out to me in my search for a space idea.  First, she recognized the significance of considering a way to “support students’ social-emotional well-being” as students are dealing with a variety of stress factors in the current learning environment. This promoted me to create a calming space that students could reflect upon their feelings and express them in a positive outlet.  Second, is to “Keep socio-economic disparities in mind”.  This inspired me to select a maker idea that students could do with items around the house at little to no expense. Further review lead me to Rendina’s post on 4 Super Easy Budget Friendly Projects for Your Makerspace and their was my maker idea, Blackout Poetry. 

 

For a quick insight to blackout poetry check out the following  video

How To: Blackout Poetry by DIY Lifestyle

Blackout Poetry 

While I have heard about blackout poetry, I have not incorporated this with students before.  It can be a great outlet for students to express themselves and can be completed with just a few items.  Students need a page from a newspaper, old book, or magazine, a marker, and their imagination. For students in need of supplies, individual student maker kits could be assembled as suggested by Rendina. I would also implement this tactic for an in person setting to ensure that students only use items from their own kits to avoid cross contamination. Sharpies and pages from old, weeded books can be placed in gallon sized Ziplock bags for pick up. Participation guidelines and tutorials on how to create blackout poetry can be placed on the school’s media center website.

 For an instructor lead tutorial check out Blackout Poetry - Art and Literacy activity by Zart Art

For a design your art first approach to blackout poetry check out 

Hidden Poems by Miriam Paternoster 

This makerspace activity can be completed virtually or from a safe six-foot distance from peers. If your library is closed, you can easily transport items on a mobile maker cart and take your station into classrooms. Students at home can participate individually or in a Google Meet setting where they could collaborate with design ideas, anchor words, and poem prompts. This would also offer the librarian the opportunity to put this activity in practice asking students key questions to access the value of the project. Angevine & Weisgrau, 2015 suggest the following three questions.

1. “What are you making” - to remind them that they are the agents to determine how they create their poetry with words and artistry.
2. “Why are you making this?” – to encourage student to put value to their work.
3. “Who is this for” – to help students access who their audience is.

 

Through these questions the librarian is assisting students with owning their projects and encouraging creativity and innovation. Students can express their thoughts and emotions through word selection and the visual forms created in blackout poetry. When student works are finished, they can submit images of their work to the librarian which could be uploaded into a presentation and posted online, or hard copies posted on a school bulletin board.  I would also suggest setting up a follow up share-out option as suggested by Rendina. This could be done during a virtual makerspace meeting on Google Meets or on Flipgrid which would act as a voice agency allowing students to post a reflection about what they did while also providing a forum for peers to comment on each other’s creations. They could even compile their poems to create a longer poem or short story.

Tips and Ideas

Check out the Following Links for Tips and Ideas for implementing Blackout Poetry

5 Tips for Creating Blackout Poetry

Blackout Poetry: A Unique Way to Turn Your Teen Into a Poet

Mepham High School Library

Makerspace Blackout Poetry

Taking Blackout Poetry to the Next Level

Final Thoughts

As my library’s circulation numbers of novels in verse consistently increases, I see student appeal in poetry rising and therefore see this makerspace as being of interest to them. Blackout poetry is a fun way to engage students in this type of writing.  Many are not sure about starting a poem and stare at a blank page.  By providing them a starting point of a paper filled with words, they can deconstruct it to form an entirely new piece of work.  Something they can be proud of.  Who knows, we may be inspiring a future poet.

References

Angevine, C. & Weisgrau, J. (2015, September 24). Situating Makerspaces in Schools.  Retrieved from https://hybridpedagogy.org/situating-makerspaces-in-schools/ 

Rendina, D.  (2020, August 10) How to Manage Your Makerspace During the 2020 Pandemic.  Retrieved from https://ideas.demco.com/blog/how-to-manage-your-makerspace-during-the-2020-pandemic/ 

Rendina, D.  (2016, December 19) 4 Super Easy Budget Friendly Projects for Your Makerspace Retrieved from http://www.renovatedlearning.com/2016/12/19/budget-friendly-projects-makerspace/