The Presentation

After being told about what was expected of us in the lecture about our presentation when we come back after Christmas, I decided to first give my head some space before diving straight into it.
While doing that, it seemed to allow my creativity to flow and before I knew it I was jotting down ideas for the presentation.

I was unsure if i could get my hands on a projector for my FYP mid presentation so I thought of maybe printing off pictures and posting them on the wall. It also made me think, would this be better for my actual project? Rather than a projector would printed images be easier and more accessible for myself and schools if they were in place?

I need to start working on my actual design interface for the project which is what I should have done and dusted for the presentation come the 15th! 

Software

So after meeting with my supervisors I was told to try and gather what information I could on the software I was planning to do my project on.

I was really interested in Layar and seeing what it could do, however there is a chance that there may be in adds if i choose to do it, but i think it is a small price to pay for a seriously helpful tool.

I now plan to slightly alter my project. Since an interactive screen on the wall isnt really possible, I am thinking that I can bring in the idea of an app. Using a tablet or phone, I am hoping to use they camera as a sort of way to see information that will be displayed on the wall. The idea will be that you are holding up a magnifying glass to try and uncover what happened in the past.

I really think this is the direction I want to go in, hopefully my supervisors think so tomorrow!

Archives in Kings Hospital

I went out to Kings Hospital to meet Andrew the archivist of the school about their records on the 1916 rising. He was more than helpful about the whole thing and even helped me with trying to contact St Peters hospital for more information. However, I told him that I couldnt go too heavy on the research I was gathering since I was trying to teach Primary School children.

Andrew read me some accounts he had online and let me freely look at the books, having already told me the ones to search for. I was allowed to even look at the originals, which was amazing holding the manuscripts (in white gloves of course!)

The only thing that is having a bit of difficulty on my project now is the software. It turns out that it actually cant do touchscreen through a projector, however I hope to discuss it on Friday and come up with a solution

Here are the photos that I was able to take:

Commencement of Ideation and Experimentation Phase

I was a bit nervous telling my supervisors at the meeting about my angle for my final project. I thought that wanting to get into certain archives would be too much and maybe a bit off track when I should be keeping to how my interface is going to look. That being said, it was well received and I was told that I should definitely try and get as much information about the angle I was going for as possible.

What I was trying to get access to in the Kings Hospital Private School archives was the accounts of a few boys who witnessed the Easter Rising from their rooms in Dublin City Centre. With this information I was then going to try and recreate what they saw onto the walls of a classroom so that the student feels like one of the boys at that time. 

I emailed The principal of the school who then put me onto the archivist of Kings Hospital. Andrew, which is the man who runs the archives, told me that he would be more than happy to show me around and to have a look at the documents. After telling him my schedule we both agreed on Tuesday morning.

Im looking forward to seeing what the documents have inside them to finally get the information I need for my project! Even if I don't get the information Im looking for, I think maybe a fictional approach would also be useful for this angle by still using factual information

Synthesis

When looking back on my inspirational Phase its easy for me to see what Ive learned and what Ive stuck with as apposed to the ideas I have left behind. In the beginning I was trying to understand how to teach. Not so much as teach a classroom for myself, but how teaching techniques work when it comes to slideshows and movies. I tried to learn as much as I could from that to try and come up with a new way for kids to learn. I didn't want to be repeating something from the past.

I found some useful and some not so much as they were out dated. I start becoming more and more focused on the technology side of the project and which technologies are being used within the classroom. I kept track on notes and applications that classrooms were using incase I could implement my idea into one of them. I found an app that could fit with my overall project really well called Layar. It is very popular and helps developers work on an augmented reality to their liking. I was excited about it, but after speaking with my supervisors, it could be too much work overall, not to mention it would mean working on two different platforms which I haven't been thought in yet.

My direction has changed towards my Final Year Project. I was too focused on different technologies and how many I could use for my project then thinking of my angle. After looking into my topic a bit more of 1916 I found that there may be an account of some school boys during that time and what they heard and saw. If this is true, or even not, I will be doing the 1916 Rising from the viewpoint of a school boy to help better students in understanding what it must have been like back then.

For my prototype I hope to have at least some kind of touchscreen interface working. even if it is one sample. I am still waiting to purchase the application that will help me do this, but once I get the money for it Im hoping to get started on the technical side straight away. In saying this I am also trying to get in contact with a teacher in The Kings Hospital Private School who a friend of mine knows to try and gain access to the archives which holds the accounts of the boys I am basing my project on during the Easter Rising. I need to start gathering the information I wish to include in my project as the technical stuff I can learn at home. The history however will be more of a challenge but I feel with my angle will also be a lot more interesting than I first thought it would be

Inspirational Phase

One of my ideas that i thought of after looking at the "Layar" site was an application that could scan the walls of a classroom. On the walls, would be pictures of famous historical features and buildings. Each one would come with a question. Using the app, you scan the image or QR codes to be brought to a page detailing about the picture. This could be a biography, or a story about the building. In it will be the answer to the question on the wall. You then type out the answer on the wall and the image will disappear. The aim of the game would be to make all the images disappear so you can start fresh on the new world, after knowing your history! I think it could be a good idea if done right!

Inspirational Phase

Layar

I thought this application was amazing when I first used it. Not only can you scan images and it searched the web, as well as QR codes, it also lets you develop your own take on it!

After searching around and looking on the site it seems like its one of the fastest growing augmented reality applications! The possibilities I thought of if I could some how combine this with my project kept on coming. It allows anyone to create a "layer" in the application for whatever sue they want. I think this could mean I could bring both an interactive class and an application together into my project, making it a lot more versatile and interactive!