Final Thoughts on ISCI 761

 
My biggest takeaway from this class is that technology is becoming a majority share in the work of being a librarian, but it need not be a topic to fear. Over the course of these fifteen weeks, I have been exposed to many different types of technology that can be used in the school library or media center. Whereas using an app or website for a part of the curriculum might have been a very small portion of the learning experience even just five years ago, technology and digital learning is now the majority of the student experience. Librarians not only need to get on board the technology train, but we need to be the leaders in the school, helping students and staff stay on the cutting edge.
There were lots of powerful readings that stayed with me. I will continue to reflect on:
*AASL and ISTE standards
*Accessibility issues with technology and making websites universally accessible
*Uses of social media by the librarian
*How to combat cyberbullying
*Use of virtual reality for fun and education
*Creating content in the library, such as news programs, podcasts, etc.
What will propel me forward in my career is knowing that as a librarian, I am a resource for my patrons to use in their own personal knowledge quests. I don’t need to know everything, I just need to know how to help them get what they need. This class has continued to give me more exposure to the possibilities of what those varied needs may be. As we know, technology is changing at an ever-increasing rate, so we just need to stay flexible and open to change. This class also reminded me of the power of continuous learning, and that we should constantly be checking in with our authorities (ALA, ISTE, LOC, etc.) as well as our peers to gain knowledge and inspiration.

Virtual and Augmented Reality in the School Media Center

This week we looked at many different resources to incorporate virtual and augmented reality into our library. This is an interesting and exciting direction for teachers to take with their lesson planning. In theory, if a school is on board with using VR and AR, the library or media center can act as an important hub for housing, educating about, and promoting this technology.

One resource that stood out to me was the Merge Cube (Snelling, 2022). The Merge Cube works with Merge EDU, a hands-on digital learning platform that helps students learn science and STEM effectively with 3D objects and simulations. The Merge Cube is used in conjunction with a smartphone or tablet device. From their website, “Two-thirds of students are visual-spatial learners and need differentiated instruction that engages multiple senses.” The Merge Cube projects scientifically accurate 3D visual aids onto a hand-held cube that the students can manipulate and interrogate. (MergeEDU, 2023) I think this VR technology would be a helpful addition to the high school media center to be used with science, technology, and engineering classes.

With the Merge Cube system, teachers have access to all levels of STEM curriculum to either augment or take the place of particular units. There are Activity Plans, STEM Projects and other resources available for teachers to follow. Some content examples are exploring space, examining the human body, and chemistry experiments.

The biggest drawback to the Merge Cube system is the cost. It is advertised at $2799 for a 1 year subscription with 30 simultaneous users, or $5699 for 90 cubes and unlimited access for 1 year. This makes the Merge Cube inaccessible for most school budgets. This system also requires either individual smartphones or tablets, which most students already have by high school, but it could be another barrier to usage for some districts.

On the flip side, the great thing about the Merge Cube is that if the media center budget does not allow for the full-experience subscription, librarians and teachers can still print out their own Cubes and take advantage of some free AR content to enhance STEM lessons. This option still requires a smartphone or tablet, but provides a basic AR on-ramp. By a bit of a rabbit-hole accident, I found this awesome free resource for visualizing James Webb telescope data using the Merge Cube. 

A slightly more expensive option that still comes in at much less than the full Merge Cube EDU subscription is for the media center to buy a classroom set of Merge headsets, each for about $39. The Merge headset works like the Google Cardboard, but has a more robust design. Students insert their smartphone, strap on the headset, and get a VR learning experience. The headsets are purported to increase student focus by enveloping their field of vision. “Studies show that using VR in the classroom immerses students in their learning, helping them stay actively engaged and focused, which leads to better learning outcomes.” (Merge Labs, 2023) The headset works with or without the Merge Cube.
It is my opinion that a librarian should get buy-in from at least a few teachers and the administration that they would use the technology before launching it as an offering. Just like budgeting for different databases, budgeting for new VR and AR equipment should be completed in conjunction with curriculum in mind.

Resources:

American Astronomical Society. (September 22, 2021). Viewing star formation from a new angle. Nova. https://aasnova.org/2021/09/22/viewing-star-formation-from-a-new-angle/

Merge Labs, Inc. (2023). Merge headset, explore everything. https://mergeedu.com

Merge Labs, Inc. (2023). Merge headset, explore everything. https://mergeedu.com/headset

Snelling, J. (2022, Oct. 6). 23 resources for bringing AR and VR to the classroom.  ISTE Blog. https://www.iste.org/explore/classroom/23-resources-bringing-ar-and-vr-classroom

Young, L. (2020, April 7). Get the most from AR/VR technology without breaking the budget. School Library Journal blog. https://www.slj.com/story/get-the-most-from-ar-vr-technology-without-breaking-budget-library