AR Vision with QuiverVision

It's no secret that I'm a fan of all things AR/VR in the classroom, but I also understand that the prospect of integrating AR/VR can be intimidating to some educators OR at times educators find it difficult to find a seamless way to integrate AR/VR strategies into the curriculum without forcing it.

One GREAT way to get started with Augmented Reality in the classroom is through an app that's been around for awhile, yet truly is compelling for students, and that's Quivervision (formally named ColAR)

Quivervision combines the 'low tech' activity of coloring, with 'high tech' augmented reality.  Using Quivervision requires you to download and print coloring pages that serve as triggers for its AR app.  Each page, once colored,  has multimedia components that activate when the corresponding Quivervision app is aimed at the colored page.  As a result, sneakers dance, birds animate, or a flag waves....all with the same colors that students applied to the page during their coloring/decorating time!

The Quiver app is available for iOS, Android, and Fire OS and there are two choices of apps:

#1.  The Original Quiver App.  This app is free and there are MANY free pages for you to test out!  Several of the collections require in-app purchases (around $2.99 each) to unlock them.

#2.  The Quiver Education App . This app is a paid-for app (iOS:  $7.99, Google Play:  $5.49)  that requires a one time fee to access ALL of their educational materials.  Within the printable coloring pages are plant/animal cells, pi-day activities, design a flag, earth map, platonic solids, landmarks, sea creatures and MORE!!

Quiver Companion Project Ideas

#1.  Back to School
As the new school year approaches, I'm hoping to integrate augmented reality right out of the starting gate.  To assist me in this endeavor, I've decided to use the QuiverVision Starter Pack #1 and the Converse Shoe Coloring page:

Students will plan their shoe based on a guide page that asks them questions related to the design of a shoe such as:

Tongue:  What do you like to talk about? 

Heel:  What makes you stubborn?  

Toes:  What keeps you on your toes?

and then decorate their QuiverVision page to reflect their personalities and then share!!

Get this fun QuiverVision Back to School Activity here!!

#2.  Earth Map

The QuiverVision Earth Map (FREE) makes a GREAT reinforcement tool for students learning the geography of the world.  When I use it, I provide them with a companion sheet giving students directions on how to color each section, label continents and oceans as well as adding an equator, prime meridian and a compass rose.

Get the fun QuiverVision Earth Map Activity here!!

#3.  Dot Day

Not to be overlooked is the tremendously fun Dot Day QuiverVision page!  This FREE page was created to help educators celebrate International Dot Day (September 15)  Inspired by Peter H. Reynold's story, The Dot, educators can encourage students to "make their mark".   I love using this page along with the book to reinforce our studies of Identifying Theme in fictional text.  We color our dots with a theme or slogan to guide us throughout the school year.

Get your DOT DAY QuiverVision coloring page here!

Top Fears Fretting those Fresh Middle School Faces

Middle School.  A time in our lives that MOST adults would prefer to forget. Often, middle school years are filled with awkwardness, anxiety and insecurity.

As a sixth grade teacher in a middle school, back to school means a new crop of of 'wet behind the ears' middle schoolers arriving with their own set of fears.  Yet what IS it that they fear most?  If we could get inside the head of our incoming students, what DO they worry about and how can we allay those fears this fall?

Here are a few frets that fresh faced middle schoolers have and tips on how to assuage those fears:

#1.  The DREADED Locker Combination

For many middle schoolers, this is the first time they are using a locker that contains a combination lock.  Students worry about losing their combination, being able to complete the combination correctly (believe it or not, they all don't know left from right yet!), and they struggle with being able to lift the latch to open that locker.

To help students:

-provide the combination on a small colored sheet of paper, remind them NOT to put it in their pocket!
-place gentle left/right reminders on the walls above the lockers.
-show a combination lock video to students prior to attempting the actual locker combination. Have them mime their combination in the air along with the video.
-use this $.99 iOS app to help students practice their combination.  ❤️❤️❤️Upon discovering this app, I LOVED reading the testimonials.  They were written by actual middle students that used this app to help practice their locker skills.  ❤️❤️❤️

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/combo-lock-101/id392319793?mt=8

#2.  Getting Lost

While in elementary school, students remain in the same room for the majority of the day.  Middle school presents a whole new scenario where, for the most part, students travel from class to class.  This is incredibly nerve-wracking for incoming students as they fear not being able to find their way around and/or being late for class.  To calm students nerves, try providing a tour for students to get familiar with the building.  Here's a great one for you to customize to your school.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-QR-Code-Hunt-EDITABLE-776640

#3.  Making Friends/Fitting In

Entering a new school with many unfamiliar faces (students AND teachers) can cause some students to become nervous.  Needless to say, greeting students warmly and providing plenty of 'getting to know you'  or Ice Breaker activities helps pave the way towards a welcoming atmosphere and creating new and lasting friendships.  

Good luck to all my fellow teachers getting ready to start the school year and remember the importance of:

A Dedication to the Letter R

As summer approaches, like most teachers, I'm excited about the potential for luxurious Relaxation with easy days ahead. That downtime is so important for Regrouping, Refocusing and Reflecting on the school year. I find that time off with Rest is critical for Refreshing my energy and cReativity.

Like summertime, the almighty R is critical on a daily basis as well. More and more I see students overburdened with extracurricular activities, overburdened with schoolwork or overindulged with electRonics creating a scenario that does NOT lend well to focus in the classroom. So here is my Recommendation.

Encourage students to 

PARK THEIR ELECTRONICS 

before bed.

Cell phone parking poster, poem and printable parking lot handout for parents:

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 OF THE CELLPHONE PARKING LOT!!

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Maybe this small Recommendation will help students focus a bit better and of course keep them

Starting off new with Klikaklu!!

Start off your new year with his new idea featuring Klikaklu!!   If you like treasure hunts, geocaching or scavenger hunts, you'll LOVE this app that features picture based scavenger hunts!

Klikaklu is a free app for users that wish to participate in a scavenger hunt (i.e., students) and it's $9.99 for someone that wishes to create and share a scavenger hunt...well worth it!!

Klikaklu allows you to create a picture hunt whereby students are provided a written clue and then an image clue and must locate and click the image to get credit!  It's also a terrific way to ask questions about the item they've clicked...you can add multiple choice questions, true/false questions, polls or open ended questions to your hunt!

Here's what you can do with Klikaklu!

The simplest thing I've found that I could do with Klikaklu is to set up stations for students to locate.  Each station has a noteable picture that they must  'click' within the app.  After each image, I insert a question (true/false or multiple choice) at that station for them to answer to demonstrate their knowledge.  I did this with my class while we were going over the classroom policies and procedures to familiarize them with the room as seen in the video above.

Here's the scavenger hunt I made on Klikaklu if you'd like to modify it for YOUR classroom!!

#1.  Daily Doses

Clue: Each day we promise to be loyal to this star spangled banner

Image:  Flag

Question:  T/F  It's ok to talk or remain in your seat during the pledge

#2.  T - Take

Clue:  I sit near the entry just waiting for you, snap a picture of me to complete this clue

Image:  The work basket near the door

Question:  T/F  You need to look in this area daily to pick up any bellwork or materials for class

#3.  Just the Facts

Clue:  Exiting the room, passing this ghost placing a post on me shows who knows the most!

Image:  Snapfact Exit Ticket Bulletin board

Question:  T/F  When leaving class you may leave as soon as the bell rings.

 

#4.  You're a Sharp One!

Clue:  Sharpen away as long as your teacher has nothing to say!

Image:  Electric pencil sharpener

Question:  None

#5.  Beam Me Up!

Clue:   This portal has all the data you need to keep up with your grades with lightning speed.

Image: The link to the parent/student grade portal

Question:  T/F  Only parents can look at your online grades

#6.  Missed It!

Clue:  Your missed work is found in here, so pick it up and be a dear.

Image:  Absent work bin

Question:  T/F  When you are absent, the class just sits and eats cheese.

#7.  Valued

Clue:  Viking Values 1, 2, 3.  Click this carefully off the wall behind me.

Image:  Classroom Rules poster

Question:  Open ended  Our class rules revolve around the.....?

#8. Offensive

Clue:  Do things right every time so you'll never be a victim of this offensive rhyme!

Image:  Consequences

Question:  T/F  The severe clause means you'll get sent straight to the office

#9 Heads Up!

Clue:  Write it right and things will be all right, right?

Image:  The standard heading for papers

Question:  T/F  It's ok just to write your first name on things.

#10  Check Please

Clue:   If you wish to win something great, make sure you always clear this plate!

Image:  The weekly behavioral assessment sheet  (Free at my TpT Store!)

Question:  T/F  If your assessment sheet stays clean all week, you can play a class game!

#11.  Whoooooo?

Clue:   Owl know the paper is yours if your name is on it!!  If not, you'll find it here.

Image:  No Name Paper Poster with Owl

Question:  None

#12.  It's A Date

Clue:  January, February, March, April, May.  Look here to find out the day.

Image:  Daily agenda area with calendar

Question:  None

How Can I Build this Myself???

Step #1.  Chart your course

Have an idea in mind for your scavenger hunt....think big or think small, either is okay!  It could be a tour of the library or a tour of the school!  Klikaklu allows you to add images (that are to be image matched) and it also lets you assign multiple choice questions, true/false questions, polls or open ended questions to your hunt!  You can even assign a location to your clues so that a student must be standing in that very spot for the trigger to work!!

Step #2.  Click each clue!

Set up your scavenger hunt by opening the Klikaklu app, titling your hunt and snapping a picture of each image you want to include in your hunt.  If you want, you can ask a supplemental question about each student that the hunter will have to answer.

Step #3.  Publish and Promote your hunt!

When the hunt has been built, Klikaklu allows you to print out a QR code directing students to the hunt in order to complete it.   Students just download the FREE Klikaklu app, enter their age (it's OK if they are under 13) and begin.  There IS a log-in feature, but I found it faster to play anonymously.

Create a tour of your school, a scavenger hunt of your community, a getting to know you activity or even turn a test/quiz review into a dynamic and engaging activity!

Good luck, and keep on Using Your Smarticles!