Nintendo 3DS – Augmented Reality & 3D???

OK, My son brought home a Nintendo 3DS, and I am impressed. Please realize I live in a household with teenage boys, who have basically every gaming system going and I have never been attracted to gaming. I watch them play rock band, shooters, racing games I have even tried to understand the attraction to things like grand theft auto but I have never been attracted to any of these games. Well, maybe rock band. Anyway, in comes Nintendo 3DS with those cool little AR cards and I am absolutely enchanted! I was poking Mario in the tum! My kitchen counter exploded to reveal a dragon! I love this stuff!

Now as an educator, I have been reading about Augmented Reality applications in this year and last year’s Horizon Report. I have been intrigued by AR applications in use in some musuems and cities around the world. All I can think about is what this can mean for learning. How can we use AR in the classroom? Imagine if students can take 3D images of AR characters to use in their digital storytelling. Better still, how long will it be before our students can begin to customize AR code to create their own images using this technology? Can you just imagine? This is a Nintendo game that kids carry around in their backpacks!

Better still, Nintendo has allowed for backwards compatibility with the software so that educators can access existing games that many are using as part of existing classroom activities. This wireless, handheld device is a game that most students will either own or have access to and in a school with ubiquitous wireless….well just imagine the possibilities! I sound like I’m gushing but this device is totally awesome and I’m going to have to buy my own, since my son won’t let me touch his new toy!