Calling all place-based educational programs in Maine!
Interested in a fun new way to teach students outside? Want to enhance the visitor learning experience at your site? Looking to explore a different way to promote your work? Check out MMSA's new augmented-reality app, The Station, today! Interested organizations can apply here.
We're looking for new educational partners to use our app with students this spring, summer, and fall. This is an NSF grant funded project (#1831425) and requires no additional cost or funding from you or the students.
Through the use of an iPhone* youth participants can navigate an augmented-reality (AR) quest, created for your location. Quests allow players to interact with virtual tour stops and caches, collect and sort field notes, take photo observations, and answer questions about the things they learned along the way.
Students of Great Salt Bay Community School explore the nearby Whaleback Shell Midden via a quest co-designed by their peers and MMSA.
How you use the app is up to you!
Our current partners have been able to adapt the app to suit their program needs. MOFGA in Unity, has created quests to help youth discover and identify apples in their orchard. The Maine Mineral and Gem Museum located in Bethel, built their quest to teach students about granite and explore their outdoor rock garden. What will you create?
If you're a nature/science center, land trust, state park, museum, outdoor ed. or other learning organization we'd like to hear from you! Alternatively, if you're a teacher or afterschool program and you have a partner organization you're planning to work with (or a readily accessible outdoor learning space) feel free to contact us as well.
Here's what we're looking for:
Educational organizations currently, or soon-to-be, working with student groups/youth visitors/families grades 4th-12th (middle school and up if you are a school operating alone)
An existing outdoor space available to explore and learn in (at your site or readily accessible if you’re a school)
Topic/content ideas you want to teach with AR (we'll help you with this!)
At least one staff member to act as the go-to to plan, build, and test your quests with youth this spring, summer, or fall
Willingness to help us with our research goals including participating in interviews and taking short surveys about the experience
What we’ll do:
We (MMSA) and your organization will meet virtually to discuss your goals and learning objectives
We’ll visit your site (at least once) to understand your space, develop the quest with you, and playtest it to make sure it aligns with your plan
Support and phones (if needed) will be provided to help facilitate your workshop/event
We’ll attend the launch of your new quest!
Signing up:
Please explore our website and either contact us through the free signup, or email me (Pearce) directly. We’ll send you this form to learn more about you and your interest in the project. Spots are limited per season and priority will be given to those who already have school groups or youth they intend to work with or an event already planned.
Check out our home page to learn more about the app or our partner page to find out about our working relationship process!
*Phone app launches in the Apple app store this April. Loaner devices are available to those without access to an iPhone*
