Our school has launched a Design/Technology course for all students in grades 6-8 this semester in order to meet the requirements for our IB authorization visit, which is approaching quickly (on October 7th and 8th, to be exact). After learning just a tiny bit about augmented reality and the application, Aurasma, from Robert Mayben this summer at the Tuscaloosa Tech Meet, I discussed using this tool for our authorization visit with the faculty at TMS-M. I made my own simple aura on my iPhone, and taped the trigger picture up on the wall. I also used Robert Mayben's trigger pictures/auras to demonstrate the app's potential as a learning tool for our students. Then, I asked the teachers to download Aurasma on their devices and to follow my channel, TMSM and Robert Mayben's channel. They walked around the faculty meeting area and hallway, pointing their devices at my makeshift aura "gallery," oohing and ahhhing.... Remember the first time you experienced Aurasma? As you can imagine, the faculty went nuts, thinking of all the possibilities for the projects that they already do in their classrooms.
At first glance, Aurasma appears to be a super-cool, nifty way to engage students in any subject matter -- and it is. But educators must be mindful of the extent of the planning and design of their projects when they implement Aurasma as a tech tool. As a previous post on this blog cautions, we must think of the learning outcomes first before we sling a new application at the students and tell them to just "do it" and make it look nice. What is it, really, that we want the students to come away with at the end of the tech-embedded project? That's why I was encouraged when the veteran faculty members began to brainstorm ways that Aurasma could enhance the content and learning objectives of their successful projects from years before. I was also encouraged when the conversation steered in the direction of how we could use the app for the approaching authorization visit from the IB team. "Why don't we use Aurasma as a touring tool," they asked, "to show what the kids know about IB learning skills?" GREAT IDEA. And so, our first purposeful project in the new Design/Technology class was born.
Lucky for us, the IB course in technology employs the design cycle as the guiding set of objectives and assessment criteria for every project we do. Let me explain. The design cycle has six components: investigate, design, plan, create, evaluate, and attitudes in technology. If executed to fidelity, working with students in guiding them through all six of these components will produce a sound, cohesive product. For more information on our course, please visit the IB Programme page on the TMSM website. The Technology Course item is listed on the right side of the IB page. Our course is also listed on Moodle. The subject matter/content of our auras, the IB Approaches to Learning skills, are posted on our website and on Moodle as well. When we are finished with our learning skills auras, they will be posted on our hallway for all visitors to enjoy.
Our purpose and main goal? If students are given the opportunity to create something by doing (planning, scripting, staging, recording, editing the trigger pictures and overlays), they will view these learning skills as skills for life success. We hope to have them completed by October 4th, so feel free to stop by the Magnet and view our efforts!
Lavanda Wagenheim is the IB Coordinator for the Tuscaloosa Magnet School - Middle. Connect with her on Twitter, where her handle is @ELavanda.
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