3D Tools & Resources

The field of educational stereoscopic 3D encompasses a wide variety of technological applications practiced by educators worldwide. Widespread applications of stereoscopic 3D technologies are taking place in educational environments around the world, such as K-12 schools, higher education, medical and military training, and museum education programs.

Stereoscopic 3D Technologies can currently be categorized into 3 categories:

Educational Stereoscopic 3D Content:

Ready-to-use videos, simulations and interactive pieces are currently created by over 25 companies, which is 350% increase since January 2010. Many of these content providers, such as Spatial Thinking and Designmate, exhibit at the ISTE conference. In-depth interactives give realistic, larger-than-life “personal learning experiences” that correlate with current brain science and simulate real world experiences.

Click here to read Len Scrogan’s list of educational stereoscopic 3D content. Len shares even more details about progress in content development and providers on his blog, Future-Talk 3D.

Stereoscopic 3D Media Creation:

Innovative educators are harnessing the power of emerging 3D technologies for student and class creation of 3D digital media. Some popular applications are:

• Presente 3D – a PowerPoint add-on that allows slide shows to be created and presented in stereo 3D
• Kid Pix 3D – a kid-friendly creation application that allows students to create images and movies in anaglyph 3D
• Leonar3Do – stereoscopic modeling and rendering system
• Unity, Reallusion iClone, EON Creator – applications allowing students to create high-quality 3D movies and video games

• 3D cameras and video cameras (Sony, Fuji, Toshiba and others) – capture stereoscopic 3D images and video, which can be included in presentations and digital media creations like the award-winning video created by Megan Power’s kindergarten class
• Digital storytelling – Using original 3D images or those from 3D image databases like those provided by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, NASA and others, students can use a variety of programs and Web 2.0 apps (like Storyjumper.com) to create digital storybooks with 3D illustrations

Live Stereoscopic 3D:

In addition to pre-made content and digital media creation, educators and students can teach “in depth” during their daily activities by using these 3D tools.

1. 3D Ladibug Document Camera – an innovative tool that provides live stereo 3D content in the classroom, displaying math manipulatives, science experiments, artifacts and other objects.

2. Minoru 3D Webcam – An anaglyph 3D video-conferencing tool