3D

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123D Catch

123D Catch – Ipad app

Subject: Digital Technologies

Year level: F-2

Strand: Digital Technologies – Knowledge and understanding

Sub-strand: Digital Systems

Content description: Recognise and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose (ACTDIK001).

Elaborations:

  • Playing with and using different digital systems for transferring and capturing data.
  • Exploring and using digital systems for downloading and storing information.

(As per Western Australian Curriculum – SCSA)

 

What is 123D Catch?

The 123D Catch app turns your mobile phone or tablet into a 3D scanner. By taking up to 40 photos of an object, this powerful software can produce a 3D digital model of the item to view it from all angles by rotating it on your screen or recreate a physical model (providing you have a 3D printer handy). It features sophisticated designing tools for remodelling your 3D digital object as well as interactive capabilities for sharing or uploading. 123D Catch is free to download and very user-friendly.

Link to the resource:

 

Cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities:

  • Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Information and communication technology

 

Links to other learning areas:

  • Mathematics
  • English
  • The Arts

 

Using this resource in the classroom:

This app allows anyone to digitalise an object into 3D format. And utilising the app’s tools to rotate the 3D digital object on a technology platform screen enhances the ability to visualise and examine the object in greater detail. In a classroom setting, students will find this software helpful in learning about 3D shapes and the relationship between shapes in many everyday objects. Learning can be further extended to geometry and design with the use of this app and its functions. By creating design projects for students with this app, they are challenged to problem solve and find solutions using their critical and creative thinking. It also provides an interactive component as students can share and comment on each other’s 3D images.

123D Catch supports many critical and creative skills that are valuable to children’s learning and development, such as:

  • Strategic use of digital media and technology
  • Reasoning and decision making
  • Designing and creating

 

How to use this resource:

  • Download the app by visiting the website (http://www.123dapp.com/catch).
  • Launch the app and follow the tutorial walk-through that covers all the features and how to use them.
  • Refer to the “Learn how to use 123D Catch” webpage (http://www.123dapp.com/howto/catch) and other helpful videos available on the website.
  • Take 20 to 40 photos of a chosen object (e.g. a teddy bear) from as many different angles as possible.
  • Review all your photos with the option to delete and retake more photos before uploading all the photos to a cloud-based 3D solving service.
  • The cloud software examines all the photos and extrapolates every common point and angle of the object shot then stitches them together to generate a textured 3D digital model.
  • The 3D digital model can simply be viewed and shared or used to produce a physical model using a 3D printer.

 

Requirements:

  • Wifi
  • Phone or tablet

 

Link to a video tutorial for this technology:

 

Link to more tutorials and helpful tips:

  • http://www.123dapp.com/howto/catch

 

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Resource website reviews: ecokids, republicofcode

In this blog post, I will explore and review two websites that I consider suitable for teaching aspects of the Australian technologies curriculum. My first website will focus on:

Design and technology

  • Examine and prioritise competing factors including social, ethical and sustainability considerations in the development of technologies and designed solutions to meet community needs for preferred futures (ACTDEK029) – Year 7 to 8 Australian Curriculum.

www.ecokids.ca is a terrific website brimming with information and activities that move toward educating children on a more environmentally sustainable future. Boasting a wide variety of activities, games and information for children, this website explores different issues regarding sustainability and addresses many ways children can help and contribute. All of the information is packaged into fun, easy to understand subheadings that include: recycling, biodiversity, and climate change, just to name a few. Children are provided with easily digestible information about a number of environmental issues around the world and are encouraged to contribute to a better future.

www.ecokids.ca discusses causes and solutions for an expansive list of issues and even invites comparison and cause between older technologies (including safe disposal) and new (such as renewable energy). Intuitive and educational, this website opens with two entry point options: students and teachers). Making it a useful tool not only for children to explore, but for teachers to apply to appropriate activities within the classroom.

Children can play educational games, get homework assisting information, ask questions, enter contests, and learn the many ways they can take action in moving toward a more sustainable tomorrow. A fantastic website for teachers and students alike that will provide hours of fun and useful information.

Digital technologies.

  • Investigating how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a product or system (ACTDEK011) – Year 3 to 4 Australian Curriculum.
  • Explore how technologies use forces to create movement in products (ACTDEK002) – Foundation to year 2 Australian Curriculum.

3DS max is a piece of 3d rendering software created by Autodesk. It allows it’s user to create, animate, and render a vast variety of three-dimensional shapes, ranging from basic stationary models (such as a simple sphere), to advanced moving environments (such as those seen on Toy Story/Ice Age etc). Physics and force reaction play an instrumental role in creating movement within this software. Such movement is assisted by plug-ins such as ‘reactor’, a physics-based plugin that helps determine material characteristics and force application. Reactor allows the user to dictate surface, density, and even gravity – giving the rendered products a lifelike response.

www.republicofcode.com is a website brimming with a range of information and tutorials offering (amongst other things) step-by-step instruction on how to apply 3DS max and reactor in order to play around with and learn the relationship of forces and how they affect a host a materials. Although seemingly advanced, www.republicofcode.com simplifies the process and could be used as an effective teachers assistant in getting students started with this intriguing piece of technology that harbours both creative and practical application (Autodesk also provide rendering software for a variety of pre conceptual object rendering). Furthermore, younger students not ready for such in-depth use could still be considered. A teacher could apply the knowledge from this website to render a variety of different reaction scenarios on a smart board, having the children play an active role in which variables to change before each render such as making the rolling ball heavier/lighter/rougher/wetter etc.

Such a website possesses valued learning tools for students of all ages. This involves: following instruction, critical and creative thinking, and expression, and opens the door to an aspect of technology with assured future application.

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Tux Typing and Kahootz

Resource 1: Tux Typing

Description: Tux Typing is an educational typing tutor. The package provides self-paced lessons and games for students to practise word processing skills. It has different skill levels and is easy to use, and is useful for students who wish to improve their keyboard skills.

Level: Year 2 – 9

Subject: Digital Technologies

Strand: Processes and production skills.

Sub-strand:
2.4 Identify, explore, and use digital system (hardware and software components) for personal and classroom needs.

– Recognising and using hardware and software components of digital systems and experimenting with their functions.

Link to resource:  http://tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/

Cross curriculum priorities and General capabilities: Information and communication technology (ICT), Literacy (LIT) Numeracy (NUM) Critical and creative thinking (CCT) Intercultural understanding (ICU).

Links to other learning areas: English, ICT.

Classroom activities using this resource: This resource can be used as a stand alone activity to help students with their typing skills.

Resource 2: Kahootz

Description: Kahootz is a software package developed by The Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF). Students explore, create and invent in 3D. It enhances creativity and encourages problem-solving. Students can create multimedia productions for a range of learning activities they can also solve problems and display new knowledge in 3D.

Level: All year levels.

Subject: Digital technologies.

Strand: Processes and production skills.

Sub-strand:
2.6 Work with others to organise and create ideas and information in the form of text, images and audio using information systems, and share these with known people in safe online environments.

– Using difference types of data such as text, images and sound to create information for sharing.

Link to resource: Follow this link to access more details about the resource and to access the website that the resource can be purchased and downloaded from  http://www.animationforschools.com/kahootz-3.html

Cross curriculum priorities: Literacy (LIT), Information and communication technology (ICT), Critical and creative thinking (CCT), Personal and social capability (PSC), Ethical understanding (EU), Intercultural understanding (ICU).

General Capabilities: Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.

Links to other learning areas: Literacy, Information communication technology, science.

Classroom activities using this resource:
Students can create models of the habitat of animals, homes of historical figures, Students can use this resource to create storyboards, movies and audio files, as well as wide range of other things.