Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2010 > February > 11 > Entry
3-D in the classroom
Yesterday, I briefly visited the Texas Computer Education Association’s 2010 gathering at the Austin Convention Center. Educators at the expo got to see some examples from Texas Instruments of how the DLP technology in some of its projectors can be upgrade for 3-D.
3-D seems to be on everyone’s mind of late, but I haven’t heard much about how the technology wowing people in theaters and soon to arrive in home theater systems could be used in the classroom.
TI says that many of its existing projectors can be upgraded with a software update, making them capable of projecting 3-D content onto practically any screen. Active-shutter glasses that are compatible with the upgrade can view 3-D imagery used in the classroom.
The examples that were shown — asteroid debris in an astronomy presentation, rotating molecules, models of human organs — had the same “Oh, wow. Huh…” feeling as most 3-D we’re seeing that isn’t projected on an IMAX screen. It’s interesting, a bit compelling, but not exactly anything to knock your socks off.
However, a representative I spoke to from JTM Concepts., Inc. (in the video below) says that in studies done in Illinois, students were found to be more engaged by 3-D content and scored higher in tests where 3-D models had been used for tricky subjects like math and science, where visualization of concepts like volume and depth can enhance understanding. (You can see a brochure of the JTM Concepts case study here in PDF form.)
Dave Duncan, who works in Texas Instruments’ education market development, said that it’s not just a matter of novelty, but of keeping up with the kinds of media schoolchildren are being exposed to.
“It’s keeping up with what’s happening with kids in their everyday lives,” Duncan said.
Many feel 3-D is gimmicky, and this might not do much to change their minds, but I’ll be curious to see how 3-D can be used in the classroom and whether it can really enhance the way students learn.
Thoughts? Post them in the comments.
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