Today we looked at several tech tools including sketch notes, augmented reality, QR codes, Tinker Cad and 3D printing. Of the multiple tools, I found augmented reality the most interesting and potentially useful for my classrooms. I can see a clear connection between augmented reality and social studies classes. The example Rich shared at Kitsilano High School showed how augmented reality allowed students to embody the history they were learning about. This seems like a good tool for developing empathy. As students move through the same spaces that events happened in they can connect to events through experience rather than conceptualizing them. This is a form of embodied knowledge that I think is critical for empathy. I think this learning may be even more meaningful if students help create the augmented reality with their peers. I can see applications of this technology for learning about recent history as well as Indigenous territories and history.
We also played with Tinker Cad and 3D printing. I was able to make a keychain model of my name and export it in a form apropriate for 3D printing. This is a great tool for students who want to explore model building or a specific art project that may need a tool or multiple reproductions. Tinker Cad seems intuative in a way that other programes I have used have not been. I would like to use it as a starting point for a diorama project in socials class for students who may not feel creative with traditional physical media.
My experiment with 3d printing. It’s my name!
We also learned about sketchnotes. This is funny for me because I have always taken notes that way. It was validating to hear how it connects specific synapses we may miss by taking notes on a computer. I look forward to sharing that information with my students when I ask them not to do everything digitally. I think it’s important we try both methods before deicing what helps us process information best. For me, sketching and drawing is most useful. However I know some students find it an obstacle to their learning. Learning about multimedia learning theory, how information is best absorbed when it is presented in multiple formats, confirms the importance of including the visual with the written. Modelling a way of learning that uses the visual to process information will be important for me to balance with providing concrete written options and information for my more linear learners. We are all different and it’s great!
my sketch note
Bronwyn McMillin 