Aurasma & Augmented Reality

I have really enjoyed exploring the tool Aurasma this week!  I have heard of this tool before but I did not understand really what it was.  After this module, I know realize this is called augmented reality or AR.  I have never heard of AR until tonight.  As soon as the example of Pokemon Go (I partook in the craze two summers ago hunting Pokemon around Charleston and DC) I started to understand what augmented reality really is and what Aurasma does.  Augmented reality is when a virtual world or display is layered on top of the real world such as shown in the Pokemon Go example pictured to the right.  

Now using augmented reality in the classroom!  Aurasma is an education friendly tool for teachers and students to use to enhance the learning and understanding of concern concepts.  I also loved the idea Phil Goerner suggested about creating AR reviews and summaries using library book covers.  Marc Brea gives five suggestions on how to use Aurasma AR in the classroom in here.   But before one can dive into creating a bunch of 'auras,' check out this quick  video demonstration where to find the Aurasma tool and how to create an aura.  Aurasma is a free tool accessible through iTunes and the Google Play Store.  For more information on Aurasma and augmented reality, EdTech is here!

If you are still feeling a little confused about augmented reality, check out this clip to see Aurasma in action throughout different classrooms.  After watching this I am super excited to start playing with Aurasma myself!

Alive Studios LLC.  (2016 Apr).  Quick Aurasma Demo for Teachers.  YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYm3DRHRuzs

Brea, Marc.  (2014 Feb).  5 Ways to Use Aurasma in the Classroom.  Teq.  https://www.teq.com/news/5-ways-use-aurasma-classroom/

Durrett, Billy.  (2016 Sept).  Tibbr Geo:  Augmented Reality That Helps You Collect Intelligence Not Monsters.  TIBC Blog.  https://www.tibco.com/blog/2016/09/07/tibbr-geo-augmented-reality-that-helps-you-collect-intelligence-not-monsters/

Goerner, Phil.  (2016 Sept).  Augmented Reality.  What's Next?  School Library Journal p. 19-20.

Holland, Beth.  (2018).  How to Start Using Augmented Reality in Education.  EdTech Teacher.  https://edtechteacher.org/how-to-start-using-augmented-reality-in-the-classroom-from-beth-holland-on-edudemic/

NteacherN.  (2014 Apr).  Aurasma in Action.  YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pouZhLhm5p8

Makerspaces!

At the beginning of the school year last year makerspaces were a foreign concept to me. My first district wide librarian PD I attended, one of the topics was creating a Tinker Tubs cohort to rotate maker materials between participating libraries.  I could kind of gather what this concept was but I was still just guessing.  I joined the cohort because I had a feeling this would be something great.  We had 3 meeting throughout the year and Heather Mooresfield-Lang from USC led us through the concepts and aspects of makerspaces.  By the middle of the year I really started to understand what went into a makerspace and its purpose in the library.  Last year I created a maker cart by painting an old book cart.  I keep low tech maker materials on this cart at all times in a corner of my library for students to create and make.  I also have a bin I keep in the storage room with some medium tech materials for students to use to create and make upon request.  

I am now a part of the Tinker Tub cohort for a second year where I have access to many more materials and I am collaborating with a 6th grade science teacher each month in different maker activities.  I am super excited for this opportunity to bring these district materials to my library for short periods of time, but I am still hesitant about how to create and implement a maker program in my library.  This week I decided to look at blogs focusing on the different elements of getting makerspace going to help me gather more ideas and gain more confidence in developing maker activities.  

A T&L Advisor blog titled 10 Tips for Launching Your Makerspace is extremely helpful.  This blog helped me realize I am doing somethings to work towards making a maker program, but there is much more that needs to be done.  A successful makerspace is launched by:
1) Picking a project
2) Finding your tribe
3) Taking stock
4) Finding a partner
5) Enlisting the community
6) Expanding your network
7) Keeping it simple
8) Telling your story
9) Failing forward
10) Propagating a maker culture 
A makerspace is not just the space and not just the materials, but how the materials and space are used to create an innovative and growth mindset culture.  There are so many great benefits makerspaces bring to the learning environment.  I am going to continue to work towards cultivating a bigger maker mindset in my library as the year continues and I get to further explore everything available to myself and my school through my cohort.  

Chun, Tracy.  Lowe, Bobbie.  (2018 July 27).  Top 10 tips for Launching Your Makerspace.  Tech & Learning.  https://www.techlearning.com/tl-advisor-blog/top-10-tips-for-launching-your-makerspace 

Makerspace & Literacy.  (2016).  Explorations in Literacy.  Image retrieved from https://explorationsinliteracyblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/07/maker-space-literacy/