It's Surreal: Virtual Reality Meets Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes create fascinating worlds for us to explore. In what other reality can a giant egg-shaped figure and a black sheep talk or a wolf blow down a house? Combine virtual reality with the world of nursery rhymes and you have brought a surreal experience to life for young learners, reminiscent of a Salvador Dali painting.  

Humpty Dumpty Sits on a Wall, with All the King's Men Nearby

We had a powerful learning opportunity today. Kindergarten students, who have learned a multitude of nursery rhymes in their current literacy unit, were able to generate their own interpretations of nursery rhymes. Using the virtual reality application CoSpaces Edu, I was able to set up a class, assign students a project to create a virtual version of a world inspired by a nursery rhyme, and "push" the assignment out to the class. In order for the students to grasp the concept of virtual reality, I shared some common examples of virtual reality games, like Pokemon Go. I contrasted the concept of virtual reality with that of going to the movies. At the movies, you are an audience member watching a story unfold but you are not necessarily a part of the story. In virtual reality, the students have the opportunity to become a part of their newly created environment and as a result, their role in the story is one of active participation. They immerse themselves in a new experience. 

With Google Cardboard, an iPod, and access to 1st Playable Production's YouTube creation of The Three Little Pigs in virtual reality, students were able to experience the story of The Three Little Pigs. Once students experienced virtual reality in a world that was created by someone else, they were motivated and inspired to create their own. Their creations were unique and symbolic. A lot of thought went into their final products.

Being able to display their projects on the Promethean board in play mode was an amazing opportunity too. Students were able to narrate their virtual reality nursery rhyme in front of a larger audience by mirroring their work from the iPad using Air Server. Essentially, they became the "tour guide" of their own story for a wider audience. 

The teachers and the students loved hearing what went into each child's creation process. It's fascinating to discover the story behind the story. They shared how they decided to include specific structures, characters, and what inspired their environmental choices, such as weather and scenery.

Need an escape from your own reality? Take your students on a trip to their own Neverland with Co Spaces Edu. It is a journey you won't soon forget.

Mystery Skyping: Comparable to an Air Traffic Control Tower

We had a blast today mystery skyping with a class in Virginia! We won't tell you what city they were in because well, that was the hardest mystery to unravel. Who knows, you may find yourself mystery skyping with them one day and I wouldn't want to take away the fun. Our 5th grade students loved it. We follow the mystery skype process that I refer to as "Paul Solarz style". He is a master at crafting an environment that becomes organized chaos. Similar to an air traffic control tower. Every student knows their role and responsibility, some of which are limited to themselves and some of which are shared responsibilities. While doing our part, we try our best not to run into each other. Somehow it all works out. 

We always have a dress rehearsal at which time we review the roles, choose our parts (or in some cases have them assigned if necessary), learn the importance of mystery skype netiquette, and brainstorm examples of "good" questions that aren't too direct but also help us beat the clock to discover where the other students are located before they figure out where we are located. We even have assigned places within the room so that we each have a home base for our jobs. Jobs include Atlas researchers, Google Earth explorers, a task master, a greeter, a closer, the question askers, the runner, and more. Regardless of one's job, everyone has the opportunity to research and submit possible questions. 

The day of the mystery Skype typically involves covering up our school name and logo information found on our clothing. We file in quietly, assume our positions, and connect virtually with the other class. Even those students and bystanders (sometimes we have classroom visitors) who don't think they will get caught up in the energy, can't help themselves. Before we know it, we are all working feverishly to discover the location before they discover ours. It's high energy, anxiety provoking, totally focused, crazy fun. We love it! If you haven't done one yet, be brave and try it. You won't regret it!

Light Up Someone's Day with Light Up Pill Boxes

Last year, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel with Gina Seymour focusing on diversity in Maker Spaces at SxSWEDU. I am a fan of her recent book, Makers with a Cause, which inspired me to try out a new project during a recent Maker Monday. Students designed and created light up pill boxes to donate to an elder care facility not far from our school. 

The supplies needed for this project included the following:

• Lithium batteries
• LED lights
• Copper tape
• LilyPad button board
• Small boxes
• Markers
• Stickers
• Scotch Tape
  

First, students decorated their boxes with craft supplies. I discovered some old stickers in our library cabinets and brought in a large box of washable markers to spark creativity. Then, using a template, students put together their circuit and embedded a button to allow the light to turn off and on. In order to facilitate the process, we pre-cut small pieces of paper for students to be able to assemble the technology to easily fit within the lid of the pill box.

In order to ensure the batteries would not drain, we incorporated the LilyPad button so that pill box users could turn the lights on and off, as needed. Younger students received some help from myself and our media assistant, Lisa Pritchett, to put their circuit together.

This was a great project for students in kindergarten through fifth grade because the little ones could spend their time decorating the boxes and learning about the technology within them. Meanwhile, the second graders and up could spend time decorating their boxes and putting together the technology to install within the box lids. 

After creating 48 pill boxes on Maker Monday, a group of second grade students were able to deliver them to the residents at Somerby Sandy Springs, an elder care facility not too far from our school. We arrived during breakfast and the residents could not have been happier to see us. The students handed out the pill boxes, explained the technology component and how to turn on the lights, and visited with the residents.

We were pleasantly surprised to discover that one of our fourth grade teacher's grandmothers is a resident there and delighted in meeting her. What a treat for us all!