The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York, is a world class STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) destination 30 minutes from New York City. It features an ever expanding exhibit collection and education programs, engaging all ages in the exploration of our aerospace heritage from the first flight over Long Island in 1909, through the Apollo space missions, to current technological advances in aviation and space. The Cradle inspires, motivates, and stimulates our youth to be the next generation of aerospace scientists and engineers. 

Credit to Tracy Mercier, the post was originally published on www.vr2ltch.com on July 31, 2019.

In the past, students have been able to only see and observe what others have done in augmented reality, but haven’t really been able to create and design themselves. Now, they have capabilities similar to famous directors as Steven Spielberg or George Lucas. Why hasn’t this been done before? The reason is: the underlying technology enabling these pedagogical benefits is only two years old.

by Fatih Narin, 3DBear Ambassador teacher in Hong Kong

What is 3DBear?

3DBear is an application can be downloaded from Google play or Apple store. It works on both tablet and smartphone. 3DBear is a great educational tool which utilizes augmented reality and 3D objects.

Why do I use 3DBear?

I consider 3DBear as an educational tool just like a book but different. Some abstract concepts can be explained better by using augmented reality. Addressing this point, 3D Bear fills a huge gap. Students can visualise abstract phenomena by using technology. For instance they can observe and see extinct animals. We do not need to buy e.g. VR goggles to allow kids build 3D structures. In 3DBear they can build castles, farms, or cities. They can decorate rooms, paint walls, hang frames, design furniture and so forth. Furthermore, they are able to print those works using a 3D printer. 3DBear unleashes creativity of students. They may have their own garden on their tablet or phone, plant flowers, pumpkins, and strawberries. 3DBear users may even interact with both wild and domestic animals on their own farm. This is done simply by downloading a single application.

What distinguishes 3DBear from other apps out there?

3DBear is purposefully created and designed for education. The creators of the app obviously want to address educators and students. If you enroll in the app using teacher account, you can create your own classrooms, and invite students. You can assign, follow and evaluate their work. Moreover, you get to decide whether it is ok to share the spectacular student works with other 3Dbear users.

Usually, you need to download different apps for doing different activities. However, the biggest advantage of 3DBear is that it is pedagogically adequate for your many activities and lessons. For instance, If you want to show ancient animals, you can download any AR app but that app just consists dinosaurs. To build a town, you have to download another one. However, 3D Bear replaces majority of these apps by providing a wide variety of different collections and lessons.

How does 3DBear help us to reach educational goals?

Surely, one single app cannot help teachers to cover all objectives and goals, but 3DBear encourages critical thinking, creativity, better judgement and decision making. It’s good for media literacy. It certainly helps classroom engagement and therefore management, because students are highly motivated to finish their tasks.

What are the drawbacks of 3DBear?

If teacher wants to stop students and explain an issue, it is hard to concentrate for students because they are so engaged in using the app. Moreover, some students need to be mentored in the basic use of technology (how to use ipad, how are the basic commands done). This might lead into delays in running the class.

To Sum Up,

Using technology in classroom is quite essential. Teachers, educators, and mentors should use augmented reality and virtual reality in class. These technologies unlock people’s creativity, and actually enhance classroom management. Students learn easier if they love what they are doing!