Fast and easy 3D building scans: I recently used an iPhone 12 Pro with LiDAR and the PolyCam app to create a 3D scan of the shop floor at Fuse33, a makerspace in Calgary. The resulting 3D data was composed of voxels, and the image was painted on from the iPhone’s camera. It is blurry, but only took about 15 minutes!
While there are other methods for creating 3D scans that will give you a sharper image, such as photogrammetry and Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF), these methods require rendering the data on a graphics card after taking hundreds of photographs in good lighting conditions. You would need to schedule a whole day, maybe multiple days, for a model of this size to be completed. In contrast, the LiDAR method on the iPhone 12 Pro allows you to render the 3D model on the phone itself, simply by taking a long video.
I am interested in using 3D models of spaces and environments for education. After some moderate successes during the pandemic, I feel that these spaces can help students empathize and relate to different environments differently than seeing text, photos, or even videos. The perspective is not forced, it’s novel/exciting, and it hints at content creation inside virtual spaces. The physical spaces our students have access to varies widely, and avoiding those limitations is something I’m quite excited about but don’t yet know how to fully take advantage of.
For the latest in NeRF search for “Instant-NGP”, but fyi it is not quite non-coder friendly yet. here is a simple explainer video though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvXOjV7EHbk
I.B. teachers, trying to come up with an IDU concept? I have three suggestions here, and one is from an AI! I worked as a Tech Integrator at an I.B. school in Shenzhen, China. Our hallways were filled with students of different backgrounds and cultures, and the program turned out to be an excellent fit for the school and the teachers. One aspect of I.B. that was often challenging for new teachers was the Inter-Disciplinary Units (explanation added at the bottom if you’d like it – TL;DR it’s a project that spans two subjects. Think math isn’t useful? Try combining it with any other subject to see it’s immense use!).
It was a challenge to come up with interesting ideas that both teachers could equally support and would achieve the IDU objectives.
Here are three inter-disciplinary units that could be run between the Individuals and Societies course and the Mathematics course in a high school with an International Baccalaureate curriculum. These feel like classes that don’t intersect, until you see some obvious examples:
Climate change and carbon footprint: This unit could explore the environmental and societal impacts of climate change, and how calculus can be used to measure complex measurements used to understand these issues. Simple Hawaiian Climate Example and Lots of Complex Examples
Social inequality and economic mobility: This unit could examine the ways in which social and economic factors can impact individuals and societies, and how mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical analysis can be used to understand and address issues of inequality and mobility. New York Times Tool and Lesson Example
Political polling and Decision Making: This unit could examine how polls and surveys are used to gauge public opinion and inform decision making in the political realm, and how mathematical concepts such as sampling and statistical analysis are used to interpret and present the results of these polls. Example: Just to be genuine, I couldn’t find an example easily! So I asked ChatGPT how it could be done; teaching algebra with a “voting systems” project. Pretty good answer!:
ChatGPT: One way to teach basic algebra using a lesson on voting systems and methods is to start by introducing students to the concept of algebraic variables, which are symbols used to represent unknown quantities. You could then have students use algebraic variables to represent different voting methods, such as first-past-the-post or proportional representation.
Next, you could have students use algebraic equations to represent different voting scenarios, such as determining the number of votes needed to win an election. You could also have students use algebraic equations to compare and contrast different voting methods and understand how they work.
To make the lesson more interactive and engaging, you could have students work in small groups to create and solve their own algebraic equations related to voting systems and methods. You could also have students present their findings to the class, encouraging them to use mathematical language and concepts to explain their thinking.
What are IDUs?
Please forgive the academic-lingo here. Inter-disciplinary units are educational units that involve multiple academic disciplines, such as math, science, and social studies. The purpose of inter-disciplinary units is to help students understand and apply knowledge and skills in a way that is more closely connected to the real world. By bringing together ideas and concepts from different disciplines, inter-disciplinary units can provide a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of a topic and help students see the connections between different areas of study.
In a high school with an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, inter-disciplinary units may be used to help students develop the skills and knowledge required to meet the IB Learner Profile, which includes characteristics such as being a risk-taker, a reflective thinker, and a communicator. Inter-disciplinary units can also help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are important for success in both college and the workforce.
Credits: Diffusion Bee on Thufir (image), ChatGPT online (Algebra example), James Simpson (author)
My stab at a citation: Simpson, James, ChatGPT online, Diffusion Bee on Thufir. “International Baccalaureate IDUs: I&S+Math”. SteamHead Blog. 2023.
Two SteamHead educators discussed collaborative project options between classes, and worked around some typical issues with student group work. Let’s tune in:
Professor Sassoubre: …I’m doing well, thank you. I understand you wanted to discuss a potential collaboration between your high school design class and my university engineering students. Is that correct?Mr. James: Yes, that’s correct. I think it would be a great opportunity for both groups of students to learn from each other and work on a project together. However, I’m a little concerned that the high school students won’t have much to contribute to the project and will just be receiving advice from the university students. I want to make sure that all of the students are motivated to work on the project and feel like they are contributing.
Professor Sassoubre: I understand your concern. One way we could address this issue is by using the “Design Thinking” process developed at Stanford University’s dSchool. This process involves conducting interviews and empathizing with the needs and perspectives of the other group. By doing this, both groups of students can learn from each other and contribute to the project in meaningful ways.
Mr. James: That sounds like a great idea. I think the “Design Thinking” process will definitely help the students collaborate more effectively. But I’m still interested in finding a way for the students to work on a physical project together. Do you have any suggestions for that?
Professor Sassoubre: One option could be to have the high school students focus on the design and aesthetics of the project, while the university students focus on the engineering and technical aspects. This way, both groups can contribute to the project in their areas of expertise and learn from each other in the process.
Mr. James: That’s a fantastic suggestion, Professor Sassoubre. Thank you for your insights. I think this will be a great opportunity for both groups of students to learn and grow together.
Professor Sassoubre: I agree, Mr. James. I’m looking forward to seeing what the students come up with. Let’s set up a meeting to discuss the details of the project and how we can best support the students in their collaboration.
Mr. James: Sounds good to me. Thank you again for your help, Professor Sassoubre.
Credits:
Dialogue by ChatGPT
Dialogue Prompt by James, a summary of a Brain Jam discussion by Sassoubre and James
As a middle school technology integrator, I have recently been using the website Brilliant.org in my teacher’s classroom and have had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I have found the learning games on the website to be extremely engaging and effective at teaching complex concepts to my students. The interactive nature of the games makes them feel more like fun activities than traditional lessons, which has helped to keep my students motivated and engaged.
However, one of the main drawbacks of using a website like Brilliant.org is the lack of social interaction that comes with learning online. While it is certainly convenient to be able to access the games from anywhere with an internet connection, there is no substitute for the kind of in-person interaction and discussion that takes place in a traditional classroom setting. I have found that my students are less likely to ask questions or engage with the material as deeply when they are working on their own, rather than in a group setting.
Overall, while I have had largely positive experiences with Brilliant.org as a teaching tool, I do think it is important to supplement online learning with more traditional forms of instruction in order to provide a well-rounded education for my students. With planning, I would use a combination of online resources like Brilliant.org and in-person classroom activities to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment for my students.
Ideally this would take the form of a project based learning plan where the students were encouraged to find concepts they needed to understand on Brilliant.org. However, Googling for information works really well in those situations and book learning is rarely needed in such a direct manner. For now, Brilliant.org fills a better role than books for required topics and test preparation, and I highly recommend it for that purpose.
article credit:
James (prompts, opinions, editor)
ChatGPT (copywriter)
Splinter (stable diffuser)
prompts:
copy: write a three to five paragraph review of the website brilliant.org, from the perspective of a middle school teacher feeling positive about the learning games, but negative about the lack of social interaction that comes with using a website to learn instead of learning in a classroom
image: a grade 6 student using a macbook and a website to study geometry
SteamHead and MakeFashion Edu courses have moved to this site, SteamHead.space! Find it under “The Shelf”. The new course has more media and formatting, which makes it super easy to read quickly and pull out the resources you need for your class that day. Teachable has been awesome, but is primarily is for video / talking-head content. On our site, we can deliver printable PDFs and easy-to-read course plans to you! We do love video, btw, and you can see our best videos at YouTube.com/SteamHeadProductions Here is a great set of two videos to watch around Fashion Tech in the classroom, and see the channel for runway videos with amazing student outfits lighting up the show:
The Teaching Plan
The Result
See you on the new platform! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us.
We’d love for you to get to know the SteamHead team better. In this series of posts, we ask the great people behind SteamHead some questions about the organization, the pandemic and their hobbies!
Next up is Twila Busby.
What’s your favourite student project and why?
I can’t remember the project piece, but I will always remember a young designer telling me that the MakeFashion Edu Runway Show was the “best day of her life”! I think kids do not have enough opportunities to create something wonderful and share it with others (besides their class and teacher). So when they can show and talk about their work with adults who are interested, I think that is very motivating for them.
What’s the best part about working in SteamHead?
The community and the support to do good things with kids.
What are some things you’d like people to know about SteamHead?
1) Send money so that we can extend our reach and spread the word!
2) We try to be intentional in what we do, even with projects that seem whimsical.
3) We love to learn and are never satisfied with the status quo.
What do you miss the most that you weren’t able to do during the pandemic?
At first is was just not being able to travel and gather together and see students in person, now it is not being able to see their faces because of the mask wearing.
What is one positive thing that came out of the pandemic?
The chance to slow down and prioritize. Using Mozilla Hubs as an exhibition venue.
How has the pandemic affected the way things in Steamhead are being done?
Much more remote work and thinking about two tracks of curriculum; virtual and in person.
What’s one topic that you could talk about for hours and hours?
K-12 Education and Learning
What’s your favorite season and why?
In Tucson, it is fall because the weather cools down a bit, but it isn’t cold. Other places it would be spring when everything starts blooming.
What show/video/thing are you bingeing on right now?
Just finished Netflix’s Baking Impossible, where a baker and an engineer are paired up to use edible ingredients to create something that passes stress tests, such as shake tables, obstacle courses, floating. I like shows where people demonstrate great skills.
Learn more about Twila by reading her profile here.
