Page 162 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

LEARNING TRANSPORTED

another. The option to print out cards with or without the names of the compo-
nents is available as well as printing out the cards on a cube. The app also provides
a virtual voltmeter to determine the electric potential. When two components are
connected, the voltmeter can determine the voltage by selecting the junction where
they meet.

MERGE Cube
The MERGE Cube is an appealing choice for educators, who are snatching up the
reasonably-priced accessories to use in the classroom, and for good reason. What’s
not to like about a hologram you can hold in your hand? These six-sided, light-
weight cubes are covered on each side with glyphs that transform into lifelike AR
and VR images when viewed through a device or headset. Retailing at $14.99 or less
at the time of this printing, the cubes are a great, hands-on way to get started with
immersive technology.

While augmented reality features in a cube have been around for a few years,
MERGE takes a different approach as a distributor of apps and games developed
by others. The apps are shared by the MERGE company, but the developers create
the apps for the cube and individual purchases are made based on the developer’s
price. Many of the MERGE Cube apps are free to download and test out.
The apps use both aug-
mented and virtual reality
for activities using the cube.
MERGE also sells a headset
with the camera exposed
that works perfectly with the
software and provides the full
experience. Both the viewer
and the cube are made of
a foam material, making it
easy to clean and safe to use
without worry of breaking.
The viewer adds an addi-
tional layer of protection to
Figure 6.6 the device while holding the
MERGE Cube Galactic Explorer cube in your hand.

70

Learning Transported: Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality for All Classrooms 162