Google Cardboard - Wait a minute... CARDBOARD?

Now, I know what you are thinking.... Google is now making CARDBOARD??  Is there anything that they won't turn into a business model??

Don't go buying shares in corrugated paper just yet, what we are talking about here is Google's latest foray into Virtual Reality. In a series of previous blogs (to see, click: here, here and here) I talk about Virtual Reality vs Augmented Reality and the use of the Oculus Rift and Daqri AR.  Well, Google has create a wonderful little version of this that uses cardboard (yes, you heard me right, cardboard) and any smart phone.  Hence "Google Cardboard."

The cool thing is that you can build it yourself or get the full kit for about $15.00.  Uh-huh, Fifteen bucks and a smart phone get you into the wonderful world of VR.

Here is the kit I purchased from www.unofficialcardboard.com laid out just before assembly

And here it is one minute later... all assembled - by my 9 year old son!!

There are a whole bunch of cool apps already made and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of video already up on you-tube supporting the split screen technology.  There are all sorts of ways to get involved with low cost VR, but this not what excites me. You see, there is a whole "development pack" that lets people create content!!

Imagine for a moment.... let's do what Google does best - a "mashup"

My daughter Rivi is a licensed tour guide in Israel (shameless plug.... www.yeshisrael.com) She would love it if she could take her clients to the Kotel - the Western Wall - and have them stand back, use some sort of an an app and have the wall magically rebuild itself - in Augmented Reality - to show her clients exactly what it looked like at the time of Hadrian and the Second Temple Period.

Imagine.... This would be a real Project Based Learning project.  Real life application, coding, working with clients, distance collaboration, the whole "9 yards!!"

There are already platforms that are available to let her do this work.... Daqri for the Augmented Reality, The Google Cardboard for the presentation platform and High School students who are "itching" for a chance to try their "Mashup" skills.

OK, so how about it.... Daqri, drop me a line with a contact name of one of your engineers that we can work with!  Google - prove that you actually read emails and blogs about your wonderful leading edge programs.  Finally - Hey AMIT schools, are you interested??  What about the folks from CIJE??  Want to try a PBL of biblical proportions?

Drop me a line through he blog - lets get this going!!

Regards to All - and have a healthly and happy Passover.

Yossie

Yossie Frankel
Director - Consortium for Information and Academic Technologies
Member Schools:
Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy - yfrankel@hillelhebrew.org
Oakland Hebrew Day School - y.frankel@ohds.org
Shalhevet High School - y.frankel@shalhevet.org
Yeshivat Yavneh - www.yha.org
Arete Preparatory Academy - yfrankel@areteprep.org

Midreshet Emunah V'Omanut - Jerusalem - yfrankel@emunahvomanut.org
Checkout my blog @ technorebbe.blogspot.com
Twitter @yossiefrankel
YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yossiefrankel