Creating Augmented Reality Experiences

What if students could create their own augmented reality experiences?  I've been mulling over this question, researching, experimenting, and researching some more.  This is what I have learned so far.

Student Created Project (Directions for Creating Your Own)

How to Create for the Merge Cube (for free)

I heard a lot about the new Merge EDU platform and creating your own content for the Merge Cube using CoSpaces Edu at FETC.  I was super excited until I found out that both involve an annual subscription per student.  Ouch!

I have since discovered that it is possible to create square Google Slides, save them as images, and add them to a 3D cube as stickers using Microsoft's free Paint3D app.  Save this creation as an FBX file, upload it to My Objects at miniverse.io, and view your slides on the Merge Cube for free using the Object Viewer app!

I have experimented with adding 3D text and stickers to the cube using Paint3D and it is tricky enough that I'm afraid it would frustrate many students.

How to Create Augmented Reality Experiences with Metaverse (for free)

I came across this blog post from Kasey Bell while I was researching.  In the post she lists Metaverse as an option that allows users to create their own augmented reality experiences on a computer or Chromebook and view them with the Metaverse app on a mobile device.  I have had so much fun experimenting with this one!  Thanks to some handy tutorials on the Metaverse AR Platform YouTube channel I was creating in no time.  Metaverse not only allows you to create AR experiences it allows you to create trivia games and media walls as well.  Scan the codes to my first two experiences below with the Metaverse app and check it out!

My First Metaverse Experience

My Second Metaverse Experience

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality fascinates me.  There is something magical about seeing something virtual float on top of the physical world.  Augmented reality may seem futuristic, but it has already quietly slipped into our daily lives.  Companies allow us to try out paint colors, cosmetics, and more virtually before we buy.  Popular social media apps allow us to take selfies with virtual props.

There are some pretty cool augmented reality resources that allow us to harness the power of AR in an instructional setting.  Most do require the use of a mobile app and a printed page or set of pages.  Check out the examples below.

• QuiverVision: Students color printed handouts and scan with the app to "bring it to life".
• Shakespeare's Globe 360: Students scan the printed marker to tour Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
• Google Expeditions AR: Students scan printed markers to join a guided field trip.
• Merge Cube: Students scan the cube using one of the many apps available.