Abstract: MAG Beyond + Links to Lesson Plans
Name of author: Gevher Eylul Karboga
Role of author: Project lead / promotional design / photogrammetry
Project Title: Journey Beyond the Physical Artwork
Community partner: Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester NY
Other team members: Gina Romanazzi, Bradley Martin, Nefle Nesli Oruc, Yifan Jiang
Abstract:
This project provides K-12 educators, especially the ones teaching second-grade students, nationwide access to innovative social studies lessons through the Verizon Innovative Learning (VIL) HQ platform, featuring digitised collections from the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG).
It began in the spring of 2022 as a capstone project for the University of Rochester Digital Media Studies (DMS) program in partnership with MAG. The original capstone was a Unity app called “MAG Beyond” that utilised augmented reality (AR) to overlay stories and details onto scanned artwork in-person in MAG (see capstone website below for more info). Post-graduation, the project expanded and secured a $100,000 grant through the Museum Initiative, a collaboration between Verizon and NYU’s NYC Media Lab.
The grant supported the development of AR-based educational content aimed at second-grade learners with the help of “CocoCast”, one of Verizon’s partnered apps that lets the user create and import their own 3D models using photogrammetry. Thus, instead of continuing the development of MAG Beyond, we collaborated closely with MAG’s Expanded Learning Collaboration and CocoCast developers to craft lesson plans suitable for implementation in the Rochester City School District. Gina and I also created 3D models of three paintings and a Tang Dynasty terracotta sculpture at the MAG as part of the students’ art curriculum via Agisoft Metashape.
By first engaging with chosen artworks virtually using CocoCast in the classroom and then experiencing them in-person at the museum, students enhance their critical thinking skills. They make predictions, comparisons, and sequence events, which helps them better notice, describe, and interpret details of the artworks. Our lesson plans, available through Verizon’s Innovative Learning HQ portal and app-compatible-tablets, aim to address resource gaps and foster digital equity for underserved schoolchildren in the Rochester school district and beyond.
Furthermore, students can use the tablets we provide and the in-app photogrammetry tool to capture their own artworks and create a digital exhibition in AR. This approach not only enriches the learning experience but also ensures broader access to educational resources.
Supervisor: Stephanie Ashenfelder
Capstone Website: https://magbeyond.digitalscholar.rochester.edu/ (before our partnership with Verizon and CocoCast)
Verizon VIL HQ Lesson Plan Links:
