eLCC Conference 2017

Guest post by:

Melissa Brydon, PhD, and Jennifer Millikan, CCLS

The key take away we had from the conference was INNOVATION!!! We found so many novel ideas that we could incorporate into our work with teachers in K-12 settings within the Department of Education in CCLS. Here are some recaps:

3D Printing in Higher Education

• In this session we learned about printing objects and how to find files to print. It was informative to know the kinds of materials that could be used to print objects ( wood, platic materials from nature such as grass and metals), as well as how LONG it actually takes!!! A baseball (2 hours) vs a Lego piece (4 minutes) gave context as to how teachers could make effective use of this technology in the classroom. Presenters also provided:
• Higher Ed Examples
• Design prototypes
• Custom (i.e. cookie cutters)
• Fossils
• Works of Art
• Physical Diagrams
• MakerSpace-Lawrence University
• How they’ve incorporated 3D printing into assignments
• Project Examples:
• Design a new product
• Creative problem solving for students
• Develop solutions to real world problems
• Physically manipulate objects
• Gives new perspectives
• Objectives can be applied across different contexts

It was interesting to learn that before you invest in a 3D printer make sure…

• There’s a clear purpose
• Is it relevant?
• Is it appropriate?
• Is it beneficial?
• What is the back-up plan just in case there are obstacles with tech support

 Here are some others we went to with key points highlighted:

Social Activism Through Mobile Apps & Games

• Effecting social change
• Facebook & Twitter #icebucketchallenge-2014
• Twitter & Removal of Pepsi Ad-2017
• Twitter & Apology from United Airlines-2017
• Beyond Twitter and Facebook there are now apps designed specifically to facilitate social activisim
• Social Activism Apps-Why?
• We can stay informed of global social issues, stay informed of bills proposed at federal, state, and local levels of the government, advocate for human rights, effect real social impact and change
• Buycott.com
• Scan products to learn about the company behind each product and make informed decisions on whether to buy a product based off of their political agenda
• Lessons to use with Buycott:
•  Research on top of scholarly research
• What companies are doing what and what’s their political agenda
• SilentProtest.org
• International, global scale
• Info shared and emailed for issues you care about
• Protest on Social Media on behalf of those who can’t speak
• The Perennial Plate: Stories of Sustainable Eating
• International/Global Sustainable Work
• Countable.us
• Understand bills that are being passed
• Introduces you to new proposed bills
• Objective lens
• Read people’s arguments for/against
• Passed/Not Passed & Why
• Which congressmen/women voted for/against
• Learn about news and current events
• Learn about new proposed bills
• Track status of bills
• Know who your state reps are
• Know who your state’s voting status for each bill is
• WeThePeople.com
• Local activism & live polling to view political spectrum in your state
• Demographic info to predict where voting is learning towards in the next election
• IntelligenceSquaredUS.org
• Upcoming debates
• Watch debates
• Listen to podcasts
• Can follow debates and vote
• Students can make a decision
• Debates are organized in classic argument structure
• Access to expert opinions about issues in video/podcast format for and against issues

Virtual Reality…

• So What?
• Virtual Reality
• Computer-generated simulation of a 3-dimensional image/environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real/physical way by a person using special equipment w/sensors
• i.e. gaming & google cardboard
• Augmented Reality
• A technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world providing view of the real world. Can’t interact with it but can watch what’s happening
• i.e. coloring pages that turn into real life-Aura App
• Shark eats fish
• Mixed Reality/Hybrid Reality
• Merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time
• i.e. Hololens
• Virtual characters are mixed into a live video stream of the real world and you can actually interact with objects
• Can create gaming apps, build simulations, use digital toolbox for digital storytelling, can be interactive so students learn new concepts
• Examples include: How to perform surgery, what to check for in a crime scene, etc.

Game Simulation Design: From Survival Sim to the Enigma Challenge….

• Experiential based 3D learning activity building triadic relationships for increased performance teams (i.e. survival scenarios)
• Create Simulations
• Avatars to look like a game character
• Survival Example: What do we have? How much time do we have? How would we use each item to survive and why?
• Players receive certificates
• Character Strengths by Core Values (VIA Values—Top 5)—Can build a team dependent on strengths to compliment each other
• Wisdom
• Humanity
• Transcendence
• Courage
• Justice
• Temperance
• Created Virtual Reality Scenarios for Creative Problem-Solving
• AppInventor2-create your own apps
• Creates an interface and links code so you don’t have to be a programmer to create these
• Assign roles
• Discussions
• Have students actually do the activity, but even more to create their own activities so they will remember and sustain the information for longer
• Social Good, Service to Others