Using InstaVR for Virtual Reality

Over this past year, we have been exploring with students creating their own Virtual Reality Applications along with Dr. Joyce Zhou from the School of Business. You can read more about that in the Educause Blog. Learning Technologies invested in a product called InstaVR almost a year ago. InstaVR provides a turnkey solution to creating VR applications with very little programming knowledge.  You can see some examples on our website. Have you considered having your students make their on VR application for your course? We have the abilities to do that AND they can publish their applications to the Google Play Store and/or to Apple. We can help you build the project into your curriculum. Here is a quick tutorial for your students:

1.     Use the Samsung Gear 360 Camera.

2.     Download the software for Samsung Gear 360 if you haven’t done so already. You can download from: https://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/virtual-reality/gear-360/gear-360-sm-r210nzwaxar/  - it’s a link at the top, small writing…easy to miss.

3.     Next, you will need to download the App to your phone. The app looks like the image on the right. Locate this app in the Play Store for Android or on the App Store for iOS.

4.     Recording the video:

a.      If you plan on using InstaVR to develop hotspots, hovers, links and rich content then I would suggest using a STILL IMAGE. You can change this setting on the Samsung by pressing the menu key until you activate the Photo setting.

b.     If you plan on demonstrating an event, illustrating how something works or to give users the experience of a live event, then I suggest using VIDEO.  You will need to toggle to the Video setting the same way you did the still image setting. Once you record the video, upload the video the Samsung Gear 360 Action Director software you downloaded in step 2. From there, once your video is uploaded, drag it to your timeline (bottom of screen). Then click the PRODUCE button on the right hand corner.

6.     Begin a new project by selecting the drop down at the top.

7.     Once you create your project, you will see the five options at the left. The first option is AUTHORING. This is where you upload your VR content. (The file you created previously with Samsung Active Director).

8.     There are several options for creating hotspots, links and actions.

a.      HOTSPOT – A hover, allows you to create a pop-up video or image.

b.     LINKS – Will take the user to another VR file OR external website.

c.      ACTIONS – Will make a phone call or email.

9.     The second tab is BRANDING. The branding options allow you to upload your own icon and graphics for when users load the VR app.

10.  Preview allows you to preview the applications.

11.  Package the app for various VR mediums including Samsung, Oculus, Web.

12.  Finally, download your file to view. 

It's very simple to create a Virtual Reality application with InstaVR; contact me and I'll help you build a rubric for an upcoming project! 

~Anna

Anna is the Educational Technology Coordinator for Emporia State University. She can be reached at acatters@emporia.edu or by phone 620.341.5107. 

Come take a tour!

Interested in integrating new and emerging technologies into your course? OR, are you interested in brainstorming some creative ways to to align technology to your course outcomes? Learning Technologies has been providing classroom tours for the past two years. We welcome you and your class to our department. 

We begin each tour in the Richel Computer Lab where we introduce ourselves, share our research interests and give some insights on creating active learning environments. From there, we break into groups of 2-3, depending on size, and we rotate through the different spaces. 

MakerLab

The MakerLab is located near Richel Computer Lab and is home to our four 3D printers, three PLA's and one SLA. We share our efforts in how 3D printing has transformed the culture on the college and the various types of 3D printing that we have conducted. Some examples we share include prosthetic hands, music instruments, music reeds, art pieces, jewelry, stethoscopes, computer mounts and cell phone cases. We have a wide variety of requests! The costs to print a PLA item is .05 cents per gram and .15 cents ML. Any student, faculty, staff, community member can print in our MakerLab. 

Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality

Students have created nearly 32 Virtual Reality applications for area businesses in Emporia. We share that process of creating VR apps using 360 cameras and gear. Students get to put on a headset and experience our Oculus Rift VR setups (2) and take a turn experiencing Google Earth, CalcFlow, Desert RollerCoaster, Sweet Granada and much, much more! Did you know that students can reserve the VR Studio? 

Ozobots, Makey Makey, RaspberrPi

These fun, immersive tools can be used in ANY classroom - they are an excellent way to teach difficult concepts and create an environment of active learning. From Math, Programming, Business, Art and even English - we can use these tools to enhance your instruction. Students get a hands-on experience with each of these items on the tour. 

We would love to have your classroom take a tour with us. Contact us to reserve a day and we will make sure we have enough FREE goodies to handout. 

What day works for you?

~Anna

Anna is the Educational Technology Coordinator for Emporia State University. She can be reached at acatters@emporia.edu or by phone 620.341.5107. 

Quality Matters; Master Course Reviewer

For those of you interested, Dr. Gibson and myself are participating in the Quality Matters Master Master Reviewer Course the past two weeks. If you are not familiar with Quality Matters, it's an assessment tool used to evaluate quality of online courses. QM uses a rubric designed to be both a self-assessment tool and a support for QM Professional Development workshops. Faculty, course designers and course developers can use the rubric to design and build online and blended courses to meet the specific course standards provided.

The first workshop we would recommend taking is the Applying the Quality Matters Workshop which you can receive certification through our Jumpstart Design and Delivery workshop that is offered each quarter at Emporia State University. The second workshop is becoming a Peer Reviewer, where you can review other colleagues courses across the nation. The third workshop is the Master Course Reviewer whereas you can lead the collegial review process for teams across the nation.

I had the opportunity, as part of the Master Course Reviewer course, to develop a video that outlines the QM Review process:

As you can see, there are several phases to the QM process but having a QM review is an excellent way to ensure you are offering the highest quality of instruction for our students. Are you interested in learning more? Let's visit!

~Anna
acatters@emporia.edu

Learning Communities

Embedded Instructional Design - A Fresh Perspective through Learning Communities

The Fall semester is well underway and I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on the Embedded Instructional Design initiative as well as a few faculty projects I have been involved with. If you are not aware, Learning Technologies has been making our rounds at the departments across campus. Each day, and Instructional Designer travels to your department and makes themselves available to help with research, questions on course design, technologies and Canvas. We have three instructional designers on the team including myself, Dr. Anna Catterson along with Mark Summey and Selayoa Lovett. Each of us have different areas that we embed ourselves into hoping to spark a learning community. A learning community is a group of people who share common academic goals and attitudes, who meet semi-regularly to collaborate on classwork. Such communities have become the template for a cohort-based, interdisciplinary approach to higher education. 

This past week, I have been working with Dr. Joyce Thierer on several projects, but we have also been working on mobile technology. She recently acquired a new Samsung cellphone and was learning what types of applications to download to make her more productive in the classroom. Ironically, Dr. Thomas Mahoney, Mathematics professor, also joined our conversation this week. The two had never met and at first, what seemed like an unlikely duo, the two shook hands and introduced themselves to each other and quickly began discussing mobile devices and how they use them in their instruction. Each shared their backgrounds and what department they taught in and then together, the three of us brainstormed a variety of mobile applications that are most helpful and combined a top-ten list. Both faculty shared their struggles with mobile applications and finding applications that are most useful to them in their teaching.

The list they developed? Here is is:

1. Photomath
2. CamScanner
3. OneDrive
4. Chrome
5. History Timeline
6. Canvas
7. Walmart
8. Today in History
9. Google Expeditions
10. Bouncer

Dr. Thomas Mahoney and Dr. Joyce Thierer sharing their top 10-mobile applications and how they use them for class instruction. Dr. Mahoney is a professor in mathematics and Dr. Thierer is a Historian in Liberal Arts and Sciences.

While the conversation started in mobile applications, it quickly turned to how the mobile applications are used in the classroom and what applications allow for ease in the classroom. For example, Dr. Mahoney uses the application CamScanner often in developing his assessments. He demonstrated by writing a mathematical expression on a piece of notebook paper, taking a photo of it using CamScanner which allows him to then edit by writing on top of it through the application. He can generate a test key or make notes on upcoming assessments with ease. I downloaded the application and have been using it extensively ~ fantastic shortcut!

I'm encouraged by this Learning Community and hopeful that other faculty will reach across campus and begin to have conversations with other faculty members who are not in their department. Sharing our resources with other helps us see different perspectives and how to create a culture of collaboration and active learning. Two professors in two different worlds who happen to share common interest in improving the quality of their teaching. My thanks and appreciation to both of these faculty for stepping out of their comfort zones and trying something new! I challenge you to do the same.

~Anna

Educational Technology Coordinator
Embedded Instructional Designer for: Nursing, Counseling Education, LAS, EMLJ

New to Learning Technologies

Makers Lab - 3D Printer

Good Morning, my name is Selayoa Lovett and I started my first day in Learning Technologies on August 27^th, 2018 as an Instructional Designer. My first month in Learning Technologies has been everything but slow and boring.  Within the first week, I assisted with training material for Jumpstart Design and Delivery, met with numerous faculty, and started my training on making documents accessible per Section 508 refresh.  By the next week, I had embarked on my journey in becoming Quality Matters Certified; within two weeks, I had completed the Applying the QM Rubric class and was enrolled in the next part starting October 9^th, Becoming a Peer Reviewer. On top of completing the first part of Quality Matters, I also met with 6 new faculty, assisted with 3 class tours, started my Makerbot Certification, made my first 3D printed Corky, assisted a faculty with Kahoots (free online game quiz), discussed possibilities with a graduate student on a research project, attended a few embedded session with co-worker Anna Catterson, recorded Dr. Joyce Thierer performing at Constitution Day with 3D cameras, took on my first huge project with one of our new faculty, Melissa Gerleman, to make her classes interactive and engaging, helped another faculty with a video for a nonprofit organization they volunteer with, held a breakout box activities for the McNair Grant, attended my first conference, met with numerous other faculty on topics like Canvas, Panapto, Kaltura, and Zoom, and advised our Information Technology administrative team with their budgeting tool (which is the fields I came from before I moved to Learning Technologies) just to name a few things I did this month.  So on a whole, I think this first month could not have gone any better. But I would say, it is a good thing I love being busy! I look forward to the next month and what it has in store!