For this sandbox, I was more familiar with the topic as well as the resources we had to go over this week. It was still fun to go over the world of layered reality and see all of the ways that it could be used in a class room. These kind of resources always seem like a double edge sword to me. I think they can be fun and interesting for students but finding ways to tie in lessons seems difficult outside of one off scenarios.

As far as the virtual field trip, I had a lot of fun with the program! I looked into the history section an found one of the first all women’s cricket game in Australia (Sydney, 2019). This event was born out of a tragedy that occurred in 1887, the explosion of the Bulli mine. The game was a charity event for the women who were turned widows from that event and was seen by six hundred people. The field trip included photographs from the time and even a look at the monument from the tragedy. The only problem I had with the program was controlling the direction the camera went in the augmented reality sections. They also fail to include a close of the monument which makes it kind of easy to miss (Though I assume they wanted to avoid getting to close to the house that sits next to it.). Overall, I believe it is a fantastic resource that could be used to help teach different subjects. They have lessons on science, history, literature, art, and many more subjects.

As aforementioned, I believe that VR and different types of layered reality can be a double-edged sword for educators. Some of the positives include giving the students a fun and educational experience they might not be able to have elsewhere like the StarLab or the Van Gogh Museum VR tour (Hager,2019) (2020). The cost can be a deterrent for many schools as well as teaching the instructors on how to use it and convincing them on centering lessons around it. Although introducing new technology can get students excited enough to sign up for a class where the help the librarians work with it like in the School Library Journal article (Young, 2020). I see a lot of value in VR when it comes to student interest and I hope it becomes a more accessible product for schools to have.

Bibliography

Hager, Jasmine (2019). StarLab makes its way to Richmond County Schools. Daily Journal.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/news/85221/starlab-makes-its-way-to-richmond-county-

schools

Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds (n.d.). Victory & Tragedy: The First Ladies Cricket Match.

Google Arts & Culture. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/QQWh6oy-1_rWIw

Young, Lauren. (2020). Get the most from AR/VR Technology Without Breaking the Budget. School Library

Journal. https://www.slj.com/story/get-the-most-from-ar-vr-technology-without-breaking-budget-

library

(2020) Enjoy the Museum From Home. Van Gogh Museum.

https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/visit/enjoy-the-museum-from-home#youtube