For my analysis, I chose to focus on a product called the Merge Cube which is marketed as an augmented reality tool for the classroom. My school district invested quite heavily in these a few years ago and I had never seen one used, so I chose to dive deeper to investigate its practicality in a teaching setting.
The website below is best viewed on a mobile device:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAFDITGItmA/6f874FMWZi6euyLYAROa0w/view?website#2
Hello Braden. Thanks for sharing this information about AR (something I’ve become more interested in since this course started) and the Merge Cube. The videos were impressive and engaging. Just this week I visited UBC’s Emerging Media Lab (EML) and saw a project they’ve developed that relates to the content you are sharing here. They create a 3D model of the metabolic network that has a similar purpose to the AR illustration shown in the TED talk video in your presentation. It facilitates interpretation and understanding and allows students to ‘see’ complex ideas that often remain in a very abstract dimension of the mind. This was not an AR project, just a 3D model, but the idea is similar. Of course, I can imagine that with AR the experience is much more engaging and complete and think we will see this more and more in education and other fields as the technologies become more refined and accessible.
Braden,
What an incredible analysis of the Merge Cube. Your assumption that the applications are not used because they are not teacher led and driven. I like how thorough your analysis is and how easily understood.