Transforming Learning Spaces: How I Use Augmented Reality with Makers Empire to Inspire My Students.
Kimberly M Smith
Computer Science & Design Thinking Teacher with Systems Admin and 1:1 Implementaion Experience
by Kimberly Smith
In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, finding tools that genuinely captivate students while developing crucial skills can be challenging. As an educator committed to creating immersive learning experiences, I've discovered that augmented reality (AR) through Makers Empire has revolutionized my classroom. Let me share how this powerful combination has transformed my teaching practice and ignited unprecedented enthusiasm among my students.
The Magic of Making Digital Designs Physical
One of the most powerful aspects of using Makers Empire's AR feature is watching my students' faces light up when they see their digital creations overlaid in our physical classroom environment. This technology bridges the gap between digital design and real-world application in ways textbooks simply cannot.
During our "Strong Structures" project, students researched architectural and engineering principles and designed a diverse range of structurally sound creations including bridges, buildings, tables, and various other strong structures. Using AR, they could place these designs on our classroom tables and examine them from different perspectives on their devices, observing load-bearing elements, support mechanisms, and structural integrity. This virtual visualization dramatically improved their understanding of engineering concepts that would otherwise remain abstract. The ability to view their varied structural designs in a real-world context helped students make connections between theoretical principles and practical applications across different types of constructions.
Building Future-Ready Skills Through Authentic Projects
As educators, we constantly seek ways to prepare students for future careers that might not even exist yet. The AR features in Makers Empire allow my students to develop critical skills including:
Bringing Math to Life with XYZ Coordinates
One of the most transformative aspects of designing in 3D has been teaching abstract mathematical concepts such as coordinate systems and positive and negative numbers. Traditional methods of teaching the XYZ coordinate plane often leave students struggling to visualize these concepts. However, with Makers Empire's AR capabilities, we’ve turned this challenge into an engaging and hands-on experience.
What surprised me the most was how quickly even kindergarten students grasped the concept of negative numbers through this approach. By seeing objects positioned on both sides of the origin point, they gained a concrete visualization that made the abstract idea of negative values much easier to understand.
Students soon realized that coordinates are not just numbers on paper, but meaningful instructions for positioning in space—a fundamental concept in mathematics and many technical fields they may pursue in the future. When students bring their designs to life in the real world using Augmented Reality, they are challenged to remember the coordinate system as they manipulate and scale their 3D creations. This approach bridges the gap between abstract learning and tangible, real-world applications.
Bringing History to Life with Pre-Columbian Housing
One of our most successful projects focused on historical architecture. Students researched and designed pre-Columbian houses, including kiva pit houses, adobe structures, and longhouses. After creating these historical dwellings in Makers Empire, students used AR to arrange them into an authentic village layout on a poster on the floor of the classroom.
Viewing this virtual historical village through their devices allowed students to experience spatial relationships between structures and gain insights into community organization that traditional teaching methods could never provide. Students developed a deeper appreciation for how architectural designs reflected cultural needs, available materials, and environmental conditions. The ability to place themselves virtually within these historical contexts created emotional connections to distant time periods that textbooks alone simply cannot achieve.
Exploring Regional Geography Through Interactive AR Maps
In a separate project focusing on U.S. geography, students created an interactive map of the Southwest region. They researched the distinctive features of each state in the region. They designed 3D models representing those elements—cacti in desert areas, longhorn cattle, wheat fields, and even tornados for states in Tornado Alley.
Using AR, they placed these models on a large physical map, effectively creating a three-dimensional representation of the region's geographical and cultural features. This tangible approach to regional geography transformed what could have been a dry exercise in memorization into an engaging exploration. Students retained information about regional characteristics more effectively because they had designed and placed representative elements themselves rather than simply reading about them.
Engagement Reaches New Heights
The most remarkable outcome I've observed is the dramatic increase in student engagement. Students who previously struggled to maintain focus are now deeply immersed in the design process, eager to see their creations come to life through AR. This engagement extends beyond class time—many students continue working on their designs at home and excitedly share their AR experiences with family members.
Our "Create a Living Zoo" project exemplifies this heightened engagement. Students researched animal habitats, designed 3D models of their chosen animals, and placed them throughout our classroom using AR. We posted QR codes on our class website so students could share their work at home. Families accessed these QR codes to view the AR animals through their own devices, while students proudly explained each animal's adaptations and habitat requirements. The excitement generated by this home-school connection was remarkable, and parents frequently commented on how their children couldn't stop talking about the project and were eager to show off their creations.
Bringing Literature to Life Through AR
Perhaps one of the most magical implementations has been integrating AR with literacy instruction. When reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" with my younger students, I used Makers Empire to create a 3D caterpillar model. During reading time, each child took turns reading a page of the book while the AR caterpillar appeared to sit at the table with them. Seeing the character from the story materialize in their learning space created an emotional connection to the text that deeply enhanced comprehension and retention.
The children were so captivated by this experience that they began requesting to design their own characters from other books. This student-driven initiative evolved into a class-wide project where students designed characters and settings from their favorite stories, creating an interactive AR library that made reading a multisensory, immersive experience.
Practical Implementation Strategies
For fellow educators interested in implementing AR with Makers Empire, here are approaches that have proven successful in my classroom:
The Profound Impact on Learning
The most significant benefit I've witnessed is how AR transforms abstract concepts into tangible experiences. When studying the Southwest region, students didn't just read about geographic features—they created and interacted with landscapes containing appropriate vegetation, geological formations, and cultural elements. These immersive experiences create deeper neural connections and more permanent learning.
Assessment data from our Strong Structures unit showed marked improvement in students' ability to explain architectural and engineering concepts compared to previous years when we taught the same content without AR integration. Students demonstrated superior retention of key concepts and could articulate structural principles with greater clarity and confidence. The variety of structures they designed—from bridges to buildings to tables—allowed them to explore common engineering principles across different contexts.
Similarly, our math assessments revealed that students who learned coordinate systems through AR demonstrated significantly better spatial reasoning and could solve more complex problems involving negative numbers than previous classes taught with traditional methods. The visualization capabilities of AR provided a scaffolding that helped students build robust mental models of these abstract mathematical concepts.
Looking Forward
As we continue our AR journey, I'm excited about expanding cross-curricular applications and connecting with other classrooms globally through shared AR experiences. Building on the success of our living zoo, historical structures, and regional geography projects, we're planning to design AR experiences that address global sustainability challenges and connect students with authentic community needs.
For educators hesitant about introducing AR, my advice is simple: start small, focus on learning objectives first and technology second, and be prepared to learn alongside your students. Begin with something manageable like our AR caterpillar activity, then gradually build toward more complex implementations. The rewards—increased engagement, deeper understanding, and the development of future-ready skills—are well worth the initial learning curve.
Have you incorporated augmented reality into your teaching practice? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!
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