You might be thinking, "What does augmented reality mean?" Well, rather than entering a computer-generated environment, as in virtual reality, augmented reality adds to the reality you would already see rather than replacing it (Emspak, 2018). Think 3D without the need of glasses.
Cynthia B. Kaye, an elementary teacher & CEO of a company that provided educational products, noticed that her sons were struggling with learning to read. When she was unable to find the resources needed to help them, Alive Studios was created. The program is designed for on-level PreK-Kindergarten instruction but could also be used as an intervention for students in first through third grade as well as ESL, RTI, at risk, and special needs students up to third grade.
Here are two short informational videos about Alive Studio:
As you can tell from these videos, the augmented reality paired with animals really created an engaging, fun, and memorable way to teach letter sounds, phonics, and reading. This product could be utilized as part of a whole group instruction to introduce new concepts. For example, in my school, the CD teachers focus on one letter per week. Using Alive Studios would be a wonderful instruction tool that would really leave a lasting impression on the students. The great thing is that this program isn't just for the classroom. Check out Gwinnett County Public Library who is the first public library to roll out Learning Alive.
Alive Studios offers the following products: Letters Alive Plus, Math Alive, Learning Alive Plus, and Storybooks Alive. Here is a link to their 2018 Summer/Fall Product Guide.
Click here for case studies and video testimonials. They have a great blog that is full of great information as well. Below is a news segment from ABC World News.
Here is a great song produced by Alive Studios to help the kids learn more about the Zoo Crew Alphabet Animals. This upbeat song allows the kids to clear their minds, have fun, sing, and dance. It could be used during a class transition, clean up time, or just when a brain break is needed.
Additional Resources:
Emspak, J. (2018, May 31). What is augmented reality? Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/34843-augmented-reality.html
Thanks, Melissa, for this post on Alive Studios. Although you mentioned that it was designed for beginning readers, the interactivity of the program would make it very engaging for older readers to work on problem areas. This certainly is a step up from the flashcards and drills that I recall learning my phonics with, and what a worthy cause to use augmented reality. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWow, I will definitely be trying Alive Studios with my younger reading students. In Reading Recovery we are always looking for new ways to keep the students engaged, and sometimes they are most responsive with new technology.This will surely keep their eyes focused on what I need them to look.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a neat product and tool for early literacy. I like that the cards interact with each other to create a bunch of different words and sentences. The only downside is the price. Since there are so many components to the system and since it is so expensive it would not be practical for every teacher in a school to have this product. However, I could see it being a worthwhile investment for a school. The system could be checked out be individual teachers and also used in the library. This is a very neat product!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this before. Really cool how the cards all interact with each other. Pre K and K students would love this at my school. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool tool! I can see using this in the library to support the CD curriculum of teaching one letter per week. Children love animals and it's obvious how easily engaged the students become with this product. I was especially interested in learning about how a public library is rolling out Letters Alive. Great post!
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing tool. I am going to use this with the ESOL students I have in my classroom. These students are on a Kindergarten level and we are working on relating pictures to the words I am teaching them and this would be a valuable resource for them. Like Heidi stated, I am also especially interested in learning about how to use the Letters Alive. Great post!