Abstract
My selected project for Advanced Seminar is to design an online learning environment that introduces the skills of spatial literacy. The lessons I will be teaching will enable students to learn in a very short time (4-6 weeks) how to draw 3D objects and create spaces that others can visit and use. The class will be using SketchUp Make which is free 3D design software for students. Most 3D software uses similar commands to create objects and platonic shapes. Knowing the principles of spatial construction in 3D can easily translate from one application to another. I want to explore Unity and see if it is possible to create a learning environment using it. The project will have a class website that will be enhanced with video tutorial and images. At the completion of the course, students will be able to model shapes with accuracy and create homes or classrooms that look realistic and are built to the right scale.
The Need
In the beginning of the course, I will show the students a video that I will be creating. The video will cover the applications of spatial thinking in many fields, including architecture, game design, physics and city planning. I will show how they will benefit from acquiring this knowledge in their everyday lives.
To reach the widest audience, my class will have a website that is will deliver each week's lesson in the form of a detailed video tutorial. There will be practice exercises for them to create and upload to the 3D warehouse. The warehouse is free and available anyone to view models and download them to so the whole class can view them in 3D and learn from the group effort. The class can have a link to Blackboard LMS which will allow students to communicate with me and each other.
The Scope
The Scope
To create engagement and a sense of community it will make sense to run this course as a closed course every 4-6 weeks, so a whole group of students can learn together. This is a good place for situated learning.
In week two, the assignment will be to design a custom desk. The learners will be working on a real-world challenge and have to take into consideration measurements of their own bodies and to invent a desk that is unique and personal to them.
I brainstormed on how I will structure my course and what material I will cover and in what sequence. As you can see from bubble diagram below.
To make the class is fun I will start with a Zoom meeting(https://www.zoom.us/) to introduce all the students to each other and to make sure we can learn as a community of learners. I will use Join.me , a great application that allows the teacher to share the screen and demonstrate computer skills with all participants, and to meet one a week and answer questions that students may come up with.
Requirements
Students who sign up for this class will need to have a computer that can run 3D design software. Most PC's and Mac's that are at least 4 years old can do this task. It is also necessary to spend 4-6 hours a week practicing. I recommend for my students to keep a sketchbook to brainstorm and record their ideas."Before students had access to CAD, drawing was the foundation of their work and was believed to be necessary during all the developmental stages of a mechanical design"(Brown, p55)
Requirements
Students who sign up for this class will need to have a computer that can run 3D design software. Most PC's and Mac's that are at least 4 years old can do this task. It is also necessary to spend 4-6 hours a week practicing. I recommend for my students to keep a sketchbook to brainstorm and record their ideas."Before students had access to CAD, drawing was the foundation of their work and was believed to be necessary during all the developmental stages of a mechanical design"(Brown, p55)
Ethics:
One ethical issue with building and sharing 3D models is the issue of copyright. Often students download pre-made models and don't consider that plagiarism. I want to focus on how to create projects that are authentic and reflect their own design ideas but still be allowed to use objects made by others. It is acceptable to use models of cars in one's own city if you design the city itself but give credit to the maker of that car.
Timeline:
Week One:
Introduction to 3D design
Online meeting on Zoom.
Video on YouTube of the basic commands in Sketch Up.
Read essay on Visual Literacy and respond to it on Discussion
Post your first shape to 3D warehouse
Sketch an object in your house using a pencil on paper an post it to class discussion
Week Two
Design an assembly of many objects . Use copy and rotate commands
Creating Groups.
Read an essay on space composition and reflect on the essay with class.
Post a group of shapes you designed to the 3D warehouse and give constructive critique to your classmates.
Week Three
Designing Spaces. How to create spaces for people.
Design and build a mini house using SketchUp
Read article on the importance of public space
Week Four
Design a learning village with your classmate collaborate and decide which part you want to design. think of a theme that can make the design cohesive .
Exporting to Unity.
Evaluation:
Students will send their finished 3D Models to the 3D Warehouse. All the files there can be downloaded by me and other students and evaluated.
I use a rubric for evaluation that takes into account accuracy, smart use of the software, creativity and the ability to problem solve.
Students have to meet 4-5 bench marks to receive a certificate of completion.
References:
Brown, Polly. "CAD: Do Computers Aid the Design Process After All?."Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology and Society 2.1 (2009): 52-66.
Nelson, B. C., & Erlandson, B. E. (2012). Design for Learning in Virtual Worlds: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Educational Technology . New York: Routledge.
Software:
http://www.sketchup.com/
https://store.unity.com/
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