With considerable advances of technology in classrooms...why not go 3-D? As youngsters, we remember going to movies in which images came out of the screen right toward us. The rush we got as a T-Rex was coming right at us! Well, that's how students in Boulder Valley Independent School District will be able to view science, math, and social studies in the classroom.
Can you imagine being able to view and study a real life-like skeleton in the middle of the room instead of seeing one on a poster? Can you imagine how a student would feel if King Tut was projected in actual size in front of the classroom? I know my jaw dropped when I realized that these images (and hundreds more) could be available to educators like us soon!! Perhaps even within the next year, schools across the nation will be piloting 3-D projectors! Like my 6th graders would say...AWESOME!
So how does it work is the question. Apparently, Panasonic constructed a pair of active glasses that are completely high definition. Now, if you happen to have HD on your televisions, you know how seamless it is. These glasses are LCD lenses that have absolutely no blurring. The glasses and TV screen go hand in hand as the TV emits images to the glasses through a receiver built into the glasses. The images appear in three dimensions when the projector's 120 Hz output gets divided between the left and right eye. Panasonic also constructed the complete classroom package: whiteboards, plasma panels, small laptops, cameras, and projectors.
So how much does it cost is another question. Although I didn't find the actual cost of this incredible idea, I did find that it is comparable to projectors with similar specifications that do not have 3-D capabilities. This is the reason Boulder Valley decided to give it a try. After extensive research and planning, Boulder Valley was able to incorporate 3-D imagery in the classrooms within 18 months.
"Educators have a lot to think about when considering how to implement 3-D," said Bob Wudeck, business development manager for IT's pro AV group, "including the brand of projectors, the content you want to use, research on 3-D and the technology, how best to invest, what type of glasses to use, and how you're going to clean those glasses."
How can we get one? There are pilot programs running and are ready to be implemented in the classroom. Once a few schools see the difference 3-D imagery makes compared to text books, there will be a huge boom from other schools around the nation. Why wouldn't a school want to incorporate this into a classroom? Just think about an actual event in history being projected right in front of the students' eyes! AMAZING!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Denise, I have never heard of this new 3-D technology but it sounds super cool! I think there are many schools that currently have projectors so that makes me wonder if those schools will replace the current technology they have already spent money on. I wonder if there is anything you can do to make a current projector 3-D. I think students would really find this fun though and hopefully teachers would be able to find the right images they would need for their lessons. The last thing I question is the acutal glasses. I have had a student every year who is blind without thier glasses and I wonder if the glasses that are provided with the system would well with students who have glasses. I think this sounds great and I for sure want to see this in action and see how it works out for Boulder Valley district. I have never heard of this so thanks for blogging about it!
ReplyDeleteThat is simply crazy cool. I think I am going to have to try to write a grant to get myself one of those projectors. I have not heard about 3-D technology but I can imagine how positive that would be in the classroom by having science come to life right before students’ eyes. Instead of watching a video of a rocket launching, student could see it from all different angles. Or even a volcano erupting would be so amazing to take a look at the inside and the different parts of the volcano. It would be very helpful when teaching about the states, or countries. Students could take what would feel like virtual tours. The possibilities are endless. This is a fabulous idea.
ReplyDelete3D technology is beginning to become the next mountain society takes over. We are already seeing just about every new movie come out in regular and 3D vision. Next year we will see full 3D televisions coming to market that may not even require glasses. This technology is extremely technical and difficult to pull off, but it can provide some value. I do not fully realize or appreciate the educational value, because it is just another movie or IMAX experience to me. I think that it may take a while to catch on in education especially if there is not a true educational value placed on the technology. It is always great to have the next big thing, but will it help us in the long run or simply provide a new way of entertaining?
ReplyDelete