Our Solar System Marker & Help

(c) 2014 Lars Espeter

'Our Solar System' Marker & Help Learn about Augmented Reality and how to use this app at home or in class in the best possible way.

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www.angry-ant-online.com

Our Solar System Marker & Help

(c) 2014 Lars Espeter

Welcome, this document will introduce you to using Augmented Reality and the 'Our Solar System' app. We will quickly talk about how Augmented Reality works and then give you some ideas on how to use the app for education in class or at home. We want you and the children to get the most out of it. What you will need: – have the 'Our Solar System' app downloaded and installed – have the image marker on page XX printed out (in colour or greyscale) – cut out the image marker along the dotted line Let us begin ...

(Haven't downloaded the app, yet? Use the barcode scanner on your app on this Qrcode to go to our app store on GooglePlay!)

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www.angry-ant-online.com

Our Solar System Marker & Help

(c) 2014 Lars Espeter

How Augmented Reality works Augmented Reality apps activate the camera of your device and analyze the camera feed. They are looking for an image reference that has been encoded into the app. This image reference is the so-called "image marker" or "marker". For 'Our Solar System' it resembles the image marker that is provided in this document. When the image marker shows up in the camera feed the app will display digital content, like a 3D model, at the image reference's position. The way it is set up will ensure that the 3D model will have the same orientation as the image reference. Thus, the illusion of that object being part of the real world is created. You have augmented the reality by adding digital content to it. The image marker is the most important element of the Augmented Reality experience. In order for the app to work, it has to be able to see the image reference properly.

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Our Solar System Marker & Help

(c) 2014 Lars Espeter

Here are some tips for a flawless Augmented Reality experience: – Print out the image marker so that it most closely resembles the digital version in this document. Differences in sharpness, brightness or contrast might make the image marker harder to detect for the app. – Make sure that the room is well-lit. A dark room can make it hard for some Android device cameras to work and recognize the marker properly. – Do not obstruct large parts of the image marker. The app can orient the 3D model best if it has all the image detail visible for reference. If large parts of the image are obstructed (or changed by strong shadows or reflections), the 3D objects might start to wobble. – If you lose the 3D model, the app has lost the tracking of the image reference. In this case, simply refocus the camera on the marker and the 3D content will reappear. If you have any questions about this or run into other problems, please, feel free to contact us via our website or via eMail: [email protected]

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www.angry-ant-online.com

Our Solar System Marker & Help

(c) 2014 Lars Espeter

How to use 'Our Solar System' Once you have started the app you will enter the main menu. Here you can choose from two different topics: 1. The Solar System 2. The Planets The button "CLOSE this app" will leave the app and return to the home screen of your device. "The Solar System" will show the students a model of our Solar System. It is animated and shows the planets revolving around the sun in 3D. Swiping left and right will switch from topic to topic (starting with the "Inner Planets" and ending with "Comets"). To the upper left you will see a small text window that gives you information on the topic. This scene does not give detailed information about the planets. It is more information about their place in the solar system and their relation to the sun. At the bottom you will find a rendition of the solar system with the different topics. Visual effects indicate the position of the planet for reference. Move the camera around and in and out in relation to the marker to get different perspectives and see the elements up close.

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www.angry-ant-online.com

Our Solar System Marker & Help

(c) 2014 Lars Espeter

"The Planets" will show the sun and each planet up close. They will look like holograms hovering on your desk or table. The functions of this scene are the same as in "The Solar System". You can switch from planet to planet swiping from right to left or vice versa. The text field to the upper left will give your more detailed information about the planet. The diagrams around the planet provide additional information. In both scenes you will be able to use the following functions: Swipe the screen left and right: switch through the topics Swipe the screen up and down: switch through the detail texts This button turns the detail text on and off.

This button will return you to the main menu.

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www.angry-ant-online.com

Our Solar System Marker & Help

(c) 2014 Lars Espeter

Using the app in the classroom First, make sure that every student's device has the app installed and a version of the marker has been printed out for each student. Then let them start the app. Choose the topic you want them to learn about and start the scene. While the scene loads and they use the app for the first time, let them read the loading screen instructions or read them to them. The scenes provide information on different topics. The textfields can be switched on and off. This means, you can also have the students look at the planets and the solar system and make them find out about the planets themselves, or you can use the app and the Augmented Reality to illustrate what you want to teach the students. With its functionality the app supports all sorts of teaching models. To encourage your students working together let one have the tablet while the other one moves the marker around or takes notes on what they learn. They can swap the tasks in between, as well.

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www.angry-ant-online.com

Our Solar System Marker & Help

(c) 2014 Lars Espeter

THE MARKER

Print this page and let the students cut out the image along the dotted line. Image markers work best on not too glossy paper. Glossy paper might have reflection that affect the functionality of the marker.

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