3DBear AR
3D design and augmented reality merge in creative, interactive app
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3DBear AR
Pros: Students can design independently or collaboratively, creating varied scenes that add excitement to any subject area.
Cons: There’s no blank template where students can create, so they'll have to work around items and people that already occupy a space.
Bottom Line: A great fit for classroom or makerspace settings as long as students have clear direction and compatible devices.
Design thinking, often limited to the art classroom in a teacher's mind, comes to life in 3DBear AR. Students can "illustrate" stories in 3D, create augmented-reality models of buildings, reimagine communities, or portray elements of ecosystems. As they engage, they may invent objects that solve problems or simply practice interior design skills from their compatible tablets or mobile devices. Challenge kids to design a reading corner for your classroom or overhaul your makerspace. Let students re-create scenes from history by uploading designs or importing from Thingiverse, or challenge them to research dinosaurs and re-create a scene from the Mesozoic era. Thinking bigger? Host a green school design contest, and use a 3D printer to create a model that incorporates the best ideas to bring to your administration or board for consideration.
Students will easily get lost in the creation process, so teachers should schedule ample time for creativity as well as set clear expectations that align with learning goals. The lesson plans and use cases on the site may provide some useful guidance for teachers who aren't sure how 3DBear AR will fit into their curriculum. Others may prefer to create their own lessons or challenges on the platform to share with their students. Better yet, involve students in the brainstorming process; chances are, they'll come up with loads of ideas for classroom use.
3DBearAR is a design app (for iOS and Android) that combines augmented reality (AR), 3D design, and 3D printing through integration with Maker Bot Thingiverse. YouTube tutorials accessible from within the app are a useful place for users to begin. Teachers create and assign lessons or challenges to students via a teacher dashboard, and kids use the app on their smartphone or tablet (be aware that some older devices aren't compatible) to create scenes using the object library, images from their devices, or uploads from Thingiverse. Students can share completed designs, scenes, and videos through the cloud feature to the teacher dashboard for viewing. From there, teachers can share designs with teams of students for further discussion and modification.
Students can also share their creations via email, social media, Google Drive, or a host of other options, allowing them to get feedback from others or to crowdsource ideas. Since social sharing is so easy, however, teachers should take advantage of the opportunity to make sure students aren't including personal information on their designs and to talk with kids about protecting their privacy.
Any time teachers encourage kids to let the creative juices flow, learning will happen, but it's often what we don't expect that makes this encouragement worthwhile. Developing novel solutions is a primary outcome of tools like 3DBear AR, and the teacher's role shifts from deliverer of knowledge to a guide who channels students' energy into meaningful tasks that will enhance understanding of core concepts and provoke creative and innovative designs.
Merging technology and artistic design with math and engineering concepts like scaling and iterative design is at the heart of the STEAM approach, and 3DBear AR is a powerhouse when it comes to possibilities. However, it's not a tool you want to use without discretion -- it's too easy to get lost in playing, and without clear direction, kids might not accomplish much beyond having fun. While that certainly has its place, many teachers will find it easier to see the learning value when students are engaged in activities that allow them the flexibility and creativity they crave while meeting curricular goals and objectives. To that end, teachers may want to take advantage of the site's resources and social media feeds for inspiration and engaging, educationally sound activities.
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3D Bear - The starting line for AR creativity
This is a solid performing technology tool that teachers should keep close to their digital toolboxes. The vast options for items, characters, and more makes it so fun that students and adults can be carried away making creations. The support and customer service at 3D Bear is also friendly and willing to help users with courteous response time. If you have thought about AR and want to jump in feet first, look no further than 3D Bear.
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