Model 3D Classrooms

Here’s some news of note for teachers, professors, manufacturers, developers, integrators and thought leaders in the 3D in education space. This year, 3DComm at InfoComm (for the first time ever) will focus entirely on the role of 3D in education. You can read about this unique program and focus here: 3D Education . 

The event is scheduled for June 12^th in Orlando and features a robust new idea: a 'live' model 3D education classroom and prototype 3D training room. I very much like that sort of thinking. And the cost for attendees is a mere $99, which makes it affordable for those of us who are working K-20 educators. (Sponsors pay a higher fee to participate.) It sounds like a good opportunity!

Opportunity Calls

This is a message primarily for 3D technology companies (hardware and software manufacturers, integrators, and resellers).

The Opportunity

You are invited to participate in a dynamic optometric educational session at the American Optometric Association's annual conference, being held in Chicago on June 30^th, 2012. The details of this opportunity are detailed in the document embedded below, along with contact information.

                                    Open publication - Free publishing - More 3d

The Business Case

There are two distinct benefits associated with this opportunity:

First, this is an opportunity to reach an elite group of consumers and their families. Optometrists are in the top 12.5 percent of households per total money income according to U.S. census data and the AOA’s Income from Optometry survey.

Second, this event also represents an opportunity to make sure doctors of optometry are sharing the message you would like consumers to hear—not only that 3D/S3D viewing is a safe and appropriate technology for all audiences, but that it can also uncover treatable vision problems.

Why It Matters

In 2011, efforts to increase awareness of the health benefits of 3D viewing resulted in more than a billion media impressions. But according to the AOA’s 2011 American Eye-Q® survey, there is still work to be done dispelling myths. Parents still reported some concern about the effects of 3D technology, with:

• 53 percent of respondents, whose children are 18 or younger, believe 3D viewing is harmful to a child's vision or eyes 
• 29 percent feel very concerned that their child may damage their eyes due to prolonged use of computers or hand-held electronic devices 

Don’t miss this chance to ensure your message reaches consumers through the collaborative strength of the American Optometric Association (AOA) and 3D@Home consortium. 

The Eyes Have It

On June 6^th and 7^th, the Vision Performance Institute is offering a seminal 3D educational experience that will be of interest to 3D educators, software developers, hardware manufacturers, and literati alike: their 6^th Annual Research Conference. 


This conference will feature topics such as

• vision ergonomics
• defining 3D content quality
• vision care
• S3D in the classroom
• S3D in public health
• and much more

At the conference, I will be moderating a panel, but will also offer an informative presentation on what is different about educational 3D content (eS3D), exactly how we use it in the classroom, what the research is suggesting to us, and key research questions your organization should examine in future case studies.

I strongly encourage the audience of this blog (and especially our strong international audience) to find a way to attend this conference. It will lend a competitive advantage to all of your hard work and efforts in this field. Below is the flyer. I hope to see you there.

Open publication - Free publishing - More 3d

When Students Create The Content

In a previous post, I mentioned that I wanted to revisit the tools that could be used for students to construct their own 3D content. We started to see the emergence of these tools at the ISTE 2010 conference, and now is the time to make good on my promise to cover this territory.

To date, the following tools look promising in terms of reaching that goal. (I suspect, however, that the system requirements for each of these tools will be quite daunting, in terms of our often limited K-12 platform realities.)

Reallusion’s iClone 4

Eon Reality’s Eon Studio (basic) and Eon SDK (more versatile)

Unity’s free 3D product (in use by our 3D Jedi, Jeff Epps)

To quote, Texas Instrument’s Jaime Beringer, last year’s question was “Where is the content?”Now it’s “When can I create my own content?” I believe that all 3D content producers should provide authoring tools to accommodate the student-constructed content development space.

All 3D is Local

There's an old saying: "All politics is local." Well, so is 3D technology. Many of those of us living in Colorado, or more specifically, in Boulder, are unaware that the technology behind many of the most famous 3D movies has a homegrown face. Check out this link to RealD to see how!

You can find out about the presence of 3D school or university projects—or 3D industries in your own state—by simply using this search phrase in Google: stereoscopic 3D Boulder (but use the name of your city or state, instead of Boulder).