You Matter – with a bit of Aurasmatazz

This is a continuation to yesterday’s post about using Augmented Reality in the classroom.  (Don’t forget to watch the AR 101 Show tonight at 9 PM EST tonight!)  As some of you know, one of the uses of AR in education is to use it to explain something or share work.  For example, this music teacher posted about how she videotaped students performing, then hung up papers in the hallway that people could scan to see the actual performances.  Or, there are many examples that show students sitting in the classroom or taking work home, and scanning the paper for videos that explain the instructions.

This weekend I was trying to think of some other uses for Augmented Reality, and had a sudden inspiration that I immediately put into action.  (It’s possible I read about this idea on someone else’s blog, and my brain is claiming it as its own – so let me know if you have already posted about this.)

“What if, instead of the kids videotaping themselves for the parents, I have the parents videotape themselves for the kids?”

I am constantly inspired by Angela Maiers’ “You Matter Manifesto.”  I think that showing people they matter to you, especially your students, greatly increases understanding and motivation.

“What if I ask the parents to videotape themselves (secretly) telling their kids they matter, and ask them to send the videos to me?  Then, I will print out a screen shot from each video, and hook them together in Aurasma.  I will put the photos on each child’s desk when he or she comes to class, and let them scan the photos to see the parent’s special message.  We will put the photos in their folders, and they will always have that inspiration to look at, or even play, to motivate them in class for the rest of the school year.”

I immediately ran to the computer to compose a message to the parents for this special request.  (I was so excited that I did not realize there were a couple of typos in my e-mail.  NEVER send an e-mail to parents on a Saturday immediately after you’ve had a sudden burst of inspiration!)

Here is the corrected version of the e-mail I sent.

I sent the request Saturday.  No one responded. (FYI – I have about 45 parents on my e-mail list since I teach elementary GT.)

Monday morning, I fired up my laptop, and disconsolately checked my e-mail.  And there was the first parent video a father had created for his son, telling him how much he cares about him, and what he hopes his son will achieve this year.

I almost cried while I watched it.  And he isn’t even my dad!

This is not going to be easy.  At least 2 students have parents who don’t have e-mail, and possibly even more may not have the technology to videotape themselves.  Some may forget, or choose not to do it.  I don’t want any students to be left out, so I have offered to meet with any parent who wants me to create the videotape, and my backup (if e-mails and phone calls don’t get them all) is to ask a teacher to create the message.

But I really think it’s going to be worth it.

Update:  See how the project is going so far by clicking here– and learn some logistical problems you can avoid if you try this, too!

Update2:  See my conclusions about this project here.