Sunday, August 09, 2009

Augmented Reality

"Any sufficiently advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic."
- Arthur C. Clark

This quote pretty much sums up how most of us feel the first time we see augmented reality in. If you are wondering what it is, ReadWriteWeb has a great post explaining it while keeping it in perspective of it's importance in relationship to other new technologies. There's even a cool graph of tech-hype vs long term usefulness:


I had the chance to show AR in action to a number of new Google Certified Teachers at the latest GTA in Boulder, Colorado. While it is as cool and magical as it seems, (Wes Fryer said it reminded him of being on the Jedi Counsel in Star Wars.)

How to I set it up?
  • Download Google Sketchup, a 3D modeling tool for MAC or PC.
  • Then, create a 3D model or download one from the 3D Model Warehouse. Note: The smoothness is dependant on the speed of your computer, so I'd start with a model without a ton of detail. Like this.
  • Go to the AR-Plugin page and download the 30sec trial.
  • Then download and print the marker needed to display the object.
  • Copy the plugin into the plugin folder in Sketchup. The locations will be dependant on your computer, but here are the MAC and PC user guides.
  • Turn on your webcam, load a model, click on the AR icon, and let the amazement begin.
The second question to be asked after, "How did you do that!" is, "How can I use this in the classroom?" And like most technologies, it depends on your age level and purpose. All levels will react to how cool it is initially, but like more new technologies, by the 3rd time they've seen it the novelity has worn off. This is how we use it my district. All of our 8th graders build projects for their Integrated Technology class and make Sketchup prototypes of their items before construction can start. This is a way for students to 'hold' the item in their hand and turn it around and see if their model reflects what they were trying to create.

aaa




Another very cool application of the technology.

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4 comments:

  1. John R. Sowash2:17 PM

    Great write-up, Kern! I don't know how I would use AR in my classroom, but it is really cool and the students would get a big kick out of it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lisa Thumann4:10 PM

    Thanks for sharing this Kern. I've seen you demo this twice, but haven't had the chance to explore it - now you've pushed me to give it a try. How can I not with such good directions.

    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Erica Hartman8:25 PM

    Kern,
    You are some kind of jedi genius! I need to figure out how to do this using your steps so I can show my daughter- or maybe you can start a traveling show of AR

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cheryloakes506:29 AM

    Kern, I love your write up. The purpose! Students visualize their creation, Students create, Students actually see if their creation matches their visualized idea.
    How smart is that?
    Cheryl

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