Osmo is a unique gaming accessory for the iPad that comes with games that will change the way your child plays. Created by two ex-Googlers and a former Disney executive, Osmo combines real physical objects with the virtual world of an iPad. It uses a simple plastic stand, a mirror, and a handful of common objects to create a unique gaming experience. Tangible Play’s Osmo lets kids play games on their iPads using pens, paper, and puzzle pieces. “Instead of a virtual reality game, we wanted to build an ‘actual reality’ game,” says co-founder Pramod Sharma, “We wanted something that didn’t require electronics, WiFi, or a battery, and couldn’t be easily broken. And it needed to be deep. We don’t want you to play it for just a day; we want you to be able to play for months.”
The Osmo consists of a Reflector mirror
that attaches to the top of your iPad, a base that the iPad sits in, and 3 different games for students Tangram, Words, and Drawing.
This device is only $79 for the reflector, base, and 3 games. One other great feature is that with the Word game teachers can upload their own images and words to the app.
How does it work?
- Install the 3 free apps on your iPad
- Place your iPad 2 (or later) into the plastic stand (It even works with a mini)
- Attach the mirror to the front-facing camera
- Launch the App
- Let the Learning Begin!
Check out first graders using the Tangram, and Word games.
cross-posted at msedtechie.blogspot.com
Patricia Brown is the Technology Integration Coach at Old Bonhomme Elementary School in Saint Louis, MO, where she implemented the first annual OB Family Tech week and Digital Learning Day. As a classroom teacher, she was awarded a $25,000 Innovative Technology grant for her school. Read her blog at msedtechie.blogspot.com.
