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"It was the summer of my disconnect… I've decided to try for a different focus this summer.  I want to spend a LOT less time online and tinker with technology that doesn't revolve around a 2D computer screen. Last year at this time, I was wrapping up my look at teaching computer programming to primary students.  I had just finished submitting in my Coetail Final Project and this was the subject-matter that I had chosen for my final project.  My investigation was done mainly through the 2D environment of the computer screen.    My own children and I spent last summer participating in two online "kids camp" programs that were an extension of my Coetail Final Project.  They were Scratch Programming and Minecraft.  We worked through several weeks of challenges, earned digital badges, and posted our creations online.  Some of them were featured in a weekly Show and Tell that was streamed over the internet by Pursuitery (has some connection with Connected Learning Alliance  and Mimi Ito of "Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out"). That was a huge amount of fun but it was all pixels."

"3D printing is a very cool technology that has garnered a lot of attention lately. The additive manufacturing process 3D printers use and the software to create 3D models can be extremely confusing. In an attempt to share some information about the 3D printing process Shapeways created a 2D explainer of 3D printing. Introducing students to the world of 3D printing is a great way to get them excited about manufacturing and design. Students are able to see their ideas and creations come to life before their eyes in a very short period of time. One of the main benefits of 3D printing is the ability to rapidly prototype ideas and designs for anything from fashion accessories to the rocket engines produced by industrial printers at NASA. The Shapeways marketplace gives students and teachers the ability to quickly upload designs and have them printed and shipped within weeks. For classrooms without access to expensive 3D printers, this allows students to get in on the exciting action of 3D printing and modeling."

"In this AutoCAD tutorial, you are going to learn the basics of how to use AutoCAD and create your first objects. AutoCAD is a powerful tool to create 2D and 3D objects, like architectural floorplans and constructions or engineering projects. It also can generate files for 3D printing. If you want to start this AutoCAD tutorial for beginners, you should be able to spare roughly one hour for it."

"You can create any 2D or 3D game with Unity. You can make it with ease, you can make it highly-optimized and beautiful, and you can deploy it with a click to more platforms than you have fingers and toes. What's more, you can use Unity's integrated services to speed up your development process, optimize your game, connect with an audience, and achieve success."

"Thanks to our fabulous ambassador Suzy Brooks, we've connected the dots with awesome New Zealand-based company Puteko to bring you this fantastic new International Dot Day colAR coloring activity. Watch your dot go from 2D to stunning 3D! Here are some photos from Peter H. Reynolds, author of The Dot. Peter created his dot, followed the instructions below - and voilà:"

"The U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines the concept of the Least Restrictive Environment as the opportunity for a student with a disability to be "provided with supplementary aids and services necessary to achieve educational goals if placed in a setting with non-disabled peers." (Daniel R.r. v. State Bd. of Educ., 874 F.2d 1036, 1050, 5th Cir.1989) This concept of providing students with "supplementary aids and services necessary to achieve educational goals" could be applied to all students. By leveraging the capabilities of mobile devices, teachers can support their students in creating a personalized learning environment with the least number of barriers. "

"The recent 3D printing explosion on the educational market has left many educators wondering how they can afford to integrate this technology into the classroom. Most schools do not have the luxury of purchasing a 3D printer but still want to provide the experience for their students. 3D pens made their debut on Kickstarter this year as an affordable 3D printing option. After the initial investment of the pens, they are an incredibly affordable tool for classrooms. The pens allow students to illustrate - in 3D - concepts in math, history, art, design, and chemistry, giving them a tangible means to explore complex ideas. The pens work as a manual operating 3D printer. Heated filament is extruded through the pen's tip, which quickly cools down to form a stable 3D structure. It actually adopts the same FDM technology which powers mainstream desktop 3D printers. The human ergonomic design allows students to draw an infinite variety of shapes and items, on both the 2D plane and within 3D free space."

"Augmented Reality is a hugely engaging phenomenon that has never been more accessible. Explaining what Augmented Reality is, is a bit like trying to describe the difference between a 3D shape and a 2D shape. Seeing it and using it will give you a much better understanding of what it is. Essentially, augmented reality creates a three dimensional animation that can be viewed through the iPad's camera. This creates the effect of the animation being a physical structure in the room with you that you can interact with through an app. Again, to show is much easier than to describe, and so this blog will do just that. Before I dive in to my personal favourites, I feel that it is important to highlight the educational implications of augmented reality apps. Yes, the ability to use this kind of technology is impressive and engaging, but what does it bring to teaching and learning? Well, there are a number of ways that it can help to spur on creativity, story writing, research, computing skills and so on. I will explain each app's potential and educational impact as we go along…"

"Social gaming has a come a long way from the days when a dozen students would squint at a 10-inch screen of Oregon Trail. The 2000s seemed to be the decade of case studies: Bold educators willing to experiment with developing technologies. But now, the involvement of major funders, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, points to an industry that is on the cusp of freeing education from its 2D textbook prison."

PLOPP is a creative painting tool for cartoon-like 3D scenes without the effort that comes with professional 3D modelling programs. You can build 3D objects very easily! Just paint them in a 2D environment and PLOPP will transform them into 3D!

"For a while now I have ben exploring the use of technology to bring interactive information to our students. This has involved QR codes, uBleams, Augmented Reality and eBooks. There have been some successes but it was a long process that meant the initial trigger usually looked fairly boring so made a very poor 2D presentation of work. I have since been looking at using Layar to create augmented reality magazines and posters."

Interesting conversation developing on how to assess iPad fluency with your students. Please add your thoughts- http://t.co/amRBOiFU