If you are looking for a way to add a new dimension to teaching and learning in your school, the MERGE Cube might be an option worth considering. This versatile foam cube offers a variety of virtual learning experiences for students, and if you already have mobile devices in your classroom, it can also be very affordable. Here's what you need to know.

It's a foam cube that has some unusual patterns on each of the six sides. When you scan one of those sides with a compatible app, the cube turns into an interactive augmented reality experience! You can move and rotate the cube in your hand to see your AR object from every possible angle. The MERGE Cube needs apps for either iOS and Android devices and can be used with or without a set of VR Goggles, depending on how many free hands you need.

Using a MERGE Cube requires a mobile device that runs iOS or Android. This can be a cell phone or a tablet like an iPad, and a stand for a mobile device is included with your MERGE Cube, so don't throw away all the packaging in case you need that mobile device stand!

Next, install a MERGE Cube app from the App Store or Google Play Store. A good one to start with is the TH!NGS app. It's not really an educational app, but it has a variety of different mini experiences that will give you a flavor for everything that the cube is capable of. Another great app for 1st time users to try is the 3D Museum Viewer.

Once you have it installed, open the app on your device, walk through the getting started guide, and hold the merge cube in front of the camera, or put it on a table and point your device at it. Each side of the cube offers a different experience, so be sure to explore all sides. MERGE sell an AR/VR headset that was designed to be worn while using the cube, but this is an optional accessory and is not required for any of the apps you might use.

The MERGE Cube is one of those things that has lots of educational potential, but it wasn't created for education, so teachers will need to wary of how they intend to use it. Luckily, help is at hand. MERGE have created three PDF guides that give some suggestions on which apps are most suited for a particular grade level, as well as some ideas for the subject area it would be best suited for.

• MERGE EDU Apps for K-5
• MERGE EDU Apps for 6-8
• MERGE EDU Apps for 9-12

You can also check out MERGE's curation of educational AR and VR experiences at the MERGE Miniverse. Here you will find a selection of apps and 360 videos that can be used to help support learning in your classroom.

Here is a couple more ideas for using MERGE Cubes in the classroom:

• 3D Printing with Object Viewer for MERGE Cube
  
• Math with MERGE Cube
  

If you are looking for ideas for moving beyond the mobile apps, and are looking for more creative uses for your MERGE cube. Try one of the following integrations:

• Convert Paint 3D and Tinkercad creations into virtual objects via the Object Viewer app. Start by creating your 3D object, then upload it to www.MINIVERSE.io where your object will be given a code. Use this code in the Object Viewer app to see a virtual version of your 3D model in the palm of your hand. Teachers can create a class account and record all student codes in a spreadsheet so that students can view each other's creations.
  
• If you prefer to work with physical objects, try the Qlone app. It allows you to scan a 3D object with your mobile device and turn it into a digital object. Students could use an app like this to scan something they made in your makerspace, and then upload it to www.MINIVERSE.io and use the Object Viewer app to see your creation digitally on the MERGE Cube. (Note that Qlone requires payment for unlimited exports).
  
• CoSpaces has an add-on pack that lets you create virtual worlds for a MERGE Cube. It allows you to place content anywhere on, inside and around a virtual cube to create your own hologram. The MERGE Cube add-on for CoSpaces requires a PRO account. Learn more here: https://cospaces.io/edu/merge-cube.html

1. If you only have one MERGE Cube, consider connecting your mobile device to a projector so that a larger number of students can experience it at one time.
   
2. If you have a few MERGE Cubes, try creating a AR station for your kids to work on as part of a blended classroom experience.
3. Go hands-free. Not apps will work for this, but some teachers suspend their merge cubes in the air with fishing line to students can walk around them without holding them.
   
4. Use screen recording on your device to get a record of students explaining what they learned on a particular topic using the MERGE Cube.
5. The MERGE Educators Facebook group is a great way to connect with like minded teachers and keep up to date with the best ways to use MERGE Cubes in your classroom.
   

Bonus tip: Try before you buy with this paper version of the MERGE Cube.

Jonathan Wylie | Digital Learning Consultant | Grant Wood AEA | @jonathanwylie

When Google launched virtual reality tours with Google Expeditions, schools were quick to embrace the educational opportunities that they offered to help bring learning to life. However, the introduction of augmented reality tours last year helped take this idea to another level. In this post we will take a look at how Expeditions AR tours work and how to get started using them.

Merriam-Webster defines virtual reality as, "an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (such as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one's actions partially determine what happens in the environment." This means you could be in Paris, on the moon, or under the ocean without even leaving your classroom. Virtual reality typically requires some kind of headset in order to participate in the experience.

Augmented reality is defined as, "an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device (such as a smartphone camera)." It's like having a virtual object in the real world, as demonstrated in the video below with the chameleon on the log. Augmented reality does not require a headset in order to participate in the experience. All you need is the screen on a smartphone or tablet.

Google's Expeditions AR tours can be used on either iOS or Android, but not all devices are compatible with this new technology. On iOS, you need devices that are capable of running the ARKit framework. This means you need a 2017 iPad, (or later), or you can use an iPhone 6S or newer.

On Android, your device needs to be able to run ARCore framework, which means it needs to be running at least Android 7.0, (although some devices require Android 8.0). Google has a list of compatible devices on their developer website.

Although Expeditions AR are a lot of fun to play with, the best way to use them is to enhance an existing lesson. I'm a big fan of the lesson template that Google put together for teachers. It makes you think about what you will do before the tour, during the tour, and after the tour. Following this kind of outline helps ensure that Expeditions tours are not just an isolated experience, but are instead connected to standards and learning outcomes as part of a holistic learning experience. You can view, and make a copy of, the lesson planning template here.

Google Expeditions AR tours can be used as a standalone experience, or as part of a class tour that is led by the teacher. The teacher led experience is very similar to leading an Expeditions VR tour, but there are a couple of notable differences.

The biggest change is the markers. You will want to download and print these out before you begin your tour. Students will scan these markers to see the object you want to show them. You can get your copy of the AR markers in the app by tapping the menu button and then tapping "Help with Markers", or you can click here to download a copy right now!

Place the markers around the room so that your students have adequate space to experience the objects from the tour. The markers have numbers on them, but the numbers are really just to help with classroom management because they all show the same AR object when the tour has started. So, just assign some students to marker #1, some to marker #2, and so forth.

Next, open the Expeditions app and choose the AR tour you want to lead. You can search for AR tours in the app, or see all the available tours in this handy spreadsheet. Once you start the tour, your students can scan the markers to access the objects you want to show them.

For more tips and troubleshooting advice on leading an Expeditions AR tour, see Google's guide.

 Here are some helpful hints to help you make the most of Expeditions AR tours:

1. Some objects are very large. Pinch the object with two fingers to resize it.
2. Drag two fingers up and down the screen to raise or lower the object after it has been placed.
3. Touch and hold on an object to create a spotlight that can be used to highlight specific areas.
4. Use selfie sticks with larger groups of students to help them navigate around an object.
5. Record your device's screen to make a video of your AR tour or have students "show what they know" by retelling their knowledge of a particular object while recording.
   

If you have tips of your own that you would like to share, please leave a comment below!

Jonathan Wylie | Digital Learning Consultant | Grant Wood AEA | @jonathanwylie

Today, I read a really great blog post by Bill Ferriter called Simple Truth: Technology Changes. The Skills We Believe in Don't. It's a reminder to edtech enthusiasts that good instruction starts with the skills and ideas we want students to learn, and not with the latest tech tool that we saw on twitter or heard about on a podcast. This is something that we strongly believe in at Grant Wood AEA. It's a mantra that we try to reinforce in everything that the Digital Learning Team does.

As Ferriter rightly points out, technology is always changing. There will always be new and interesting apps and websites for teachers to use for things like formative assessment, digital storytelling, student feedback, digital portfolios, and more. Sometimes we can see an immediate connection between the tool and the learning objectives we have for our students. Other times, it's harder to make that connection, or we need to think deeper about it's true relevance and possible impact.

Recently I have found myself drawn to the wave of enthusiasm that surrounds augmented and virtual reality. I think that there is huge potential here. I really believe that these mixed reality tools could be something that we look back on one day as a way that technology made fundamental changes to the ways that students learn and interact with content. It might look like science fiction now, but one day it may well be science fact.

I say this with personal experience, because if you've been to an edtech conference in the last six months, you've probably seen something like an HTC Vive or an Oculus in the vendor hall. I did. I tried one on at the ITEC Fall Conference and was blown away. It was immersive, engaging, and unlike anything else I have ever done. However, as I flew high above a forest on a winged horse, and drove around a desert in a tank, I reflected later that it was also lacking in any real educational application. It was an amazing experience, of that I have no doubt, but it was not one that I could immediately see a need for in the classroom.

So, I remain cautious. Josh Allen says that if technology is an event in your school, you're doing it wrong. Does technology become and event in your school when you break out the Google Expeditions? Is AR & VR just another way of presenting content, or is it truly transformational? Does it encourage a learning approach that emphasizes consumption over creativity? Is the content that is being produced for AR and VR systems targeted enough to support classroom instruction, or are they really just educational games. Can AR & VR be used to personalize learning? Will it ever get to a point where it is affordable for all schools and be scalable?

These are some of the questions I am starting to wrestle with. I'm not going to tell you that I have all the answers here, because I don't. I have some ideas, but nothing more concrete than that. You see, part of my job at Grant Wood AEA is to look for emerging edtech trends. I get to be an early adopter of new technologies and research ways that they can be used to enhance teaching and learning. It's an exciting and invigorating thing to do, but despite the grandiose claims of a visionary startup's marketing department, not every app, website or product is going to be the game changer it might sound like. Some improve and evolve over time. Others just die and fade away.

So, if you haven't done this for a while, take a few moments to calibrate your edtech compass. Think critically about what you want your students to do with technology, and how you are using the technology that you have access to in your classroom. If you need some ideas, take a look at Bill Ferriter's image below and remember that technology is a tool, not a learning outcome.

Jonathan Wylie, Digital Learning Consultant
jwylie@gwaea.org - @jonathanwylie

And that brings me to the Immersive Digital Experience lesson.

We started with an essential question:  
           How has climate change impacted coral reefs?
And added a standard:  
           RI.6.7:  I can integrate information from various sources to develop an understanding of a topic or issue.

To set the stage for these Iowa students who are far away from a coral reef, we began with guided exploration of a reef using a Google Expedition.  Adding music to this exploration took it to the next level.