The final project is intended to be a small, idea driven experiment or prototype which is manageable in size and scope, but a real thing that can be experienced by others. In order to students settle upon an appropriate (and attainable) idea (which is often the most difficult things for students in this class, here are some final project templates that students can use as is or alter to meet their interests:
Heritage Webmap
Expand upon the basic skills you learned during the webmapping lab and build a more robust heritage webmap that focuses on a specific theme.
What do you need to do to Build This Project (very roughly speaking):
- Select a theme of some sort that can be represented on a map
- Chose locations that speak to that theme
- Create the webmap. You can use the edge to edge leaflet map that is in the webmapping lab repository (https://github.com/msu-anthropology/anp412-webmapping-lab) as just a starting point. You should absolutely do more than just what we did in the lab.
- Add pins, pop-ups (with content) that speak to the theme you have created
- Put the web map online
Online Exhibit
Build an online exhibit using Omeka (use the Trial Plan). The exhibit will have a theme, contextualizing information, and a number of digital objects (complete with metadata) that make up the exhibit.
What do you need to do to Build This Project (very roughly speaking):
- Choose a theme for your online exhibit
- Come up with a series of digital objects that you want to be part of your exhibit (minimum 5)
- Create a metadata scheme that you’ll use to describe the digitial objects that are part of your exhibit.
- Write some introductory text/contextualizing text to your digital exhibit (which you’ll enter into Omeka)
Place-based Heritage Experience
Using QR codes or NFC tags , create a place-based experience that lets people engage with the heritage of a landscape.
What do you need to do to Build This Project (very roughly speaking):
Come up with a theme and locations around the landscape that speak to that theme (no more than 4 locations)
- Choose whether you are using QR codes or NFC tags. If you are using QR codes, you’ll need to find a QR code generator (some good ones include https://www.qr-code-generator.com/ or https://new.express.adobe.com/tools/generate-qr-code). If you are choosing to use NFC tags, you’ll need to find an NFC tag encoder (I’ve use NFC Tools with a lot of luck – its free and available both on Android and iOS). If you are using NFC tags, Ethan will give you a bunch for you to use in your project.
- Decide what happens when the user scans your QR code or NFC tag with their mobile device. Will an audio file play? Will a video play? Its up to you, but it needs to be something that provides information about that place.
- Create the media asset that the user will experience when they scan the QR Code or NFC tag (video, audio, whatever).
- Install the QR Codes or NFC tags at the locations. You also need some sort of signage that will provide context. Something like “Scan this QR code with your phone to learn more about the history of this building.”
Web-based Augmented Reality Experience
Create a simple web-based AR experience that displays 3D objects in a space or landscape on the user’s smartphone. Please note, this final project template is a little code intensive. So, if you want a challenge and you are not scared by writing (well, copying and modifying) some robust HTML and Javascript, then this one might be for you. If you are interested in building an AR application, but don’t want to create the code manually, there are some easier options you could try – something we can talk about.
What you need to do to build this project (very roughly speaking):
- Make a choice about what 3D object you want to display – obviously, you need to choose some sort of heritage object. You can download the 3D object from Sketchfab – you don’t have to create it yourself.
- Following this tutorial to build the AR application – https://medium.com/swlh/build-your-location-based-augmented-reality-web-app-a841956eed2c
What if you’re interested in augmented reality, but don’t want to build a web AR experience from scratch? There are a variety of tools out there that help you build app-based AR experiences. Some of them cost $$$, some cost $$$ but have some sort of free tier, and some of them are free. Here are some options you might want to look at:
- Adobe Aero – https://www.adobe.com/products/aero.html
- Assemblr Studio – https://www.assemblrworld.com/studio
- WebAR – https://mywebar.com/
- Overly – https://overlyapp.com/
- BlippAR – https://www.blippar.com/build-ar
Interactive Museum Kit
Combine 3D printed objects and and NFC to create an interactive museum kit in which artifacts tell their own stories. Somewhat similar to the Place Based Heritage Experience, but with 3D printed objects instead. Ethan will provide you with a bunch of sticky NFC tags for this project.
So, here’s roughly what you need to do for this project:
- Think of a theme of some sort and 3D printable objects that speak to that theme.
- Find downloable objects (minimum 3) on Sketchfab that will make up your interactive museum kit. The objects (obviously) have to speak to your theme. They can’t be a collection of random objects that aren’t bound together in any way.
- Print those 3D objects (you can either do it at the MSU Library Makerspace or have Ethan do it for you (though, you need to give him a lot of lead time)
- Decide what happens when the user scans the NFC tag with their mobile device. Will an audio file play? Will a video play? Its up to you, but it needs to be something that provides information about that place.
- Create the media asset that the user will experience when they scan the QR Code (video, audio, whatever).
- Encode the NFC tag with the link to the media asset (audio file, video, whatever) that will play when the user scans the code with their mobile device. I’ve use NFC Tools with a lot of luck – its free and available both on Android and iOS.
- Stick the NFC tags on the 3D printed objects. You’ll also need some sort of instructions that provide context to the project and tell people what they need to do.
Create a Twine Heritage Story
Use Twine to create an interactive heritage story. Here are some great resources for building in Twine (including tutorials and some great Twine examples): https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/twine
Here’s what (generally) you need to do:
- Come up with an idea for a story or narrative that would work with Twine (take a look at the examples in the link above). It can be something linear or branching (choose your own adventure). The story, game, experience, or narrative you come up with must focus on a heritage topic, and have a specific audience (kids, teens, adults, etc)
- Plot your Twine project out on paper (how many passages, what each passage will contain, how will the passages branch, etc)
- Build the Twine story
- Export to HTML and then put online.
Interactive Heritage Story Map
Create a “scrollytelling” heritage story using the Mapbox Interactive Story code. This is somewhat similar to the Heritage Webmap project. The difference, however, is that instead of having a bunch of pins on a map that a user can click on in any order they want, an interactive storymap has a linear experience that guides the user through a narrative that is map-based.
Here’s what you need to do
- Come up with a heritage theme/narrative that works with the “scrollytelling” model.
- On paper, may out the panels in the project (what is the text and what map will be displayed?)
- Build the interactive storymap. When you look at the tutorial (link above), you’ll see a lot of code. This might be intimidating, but its probably easier than you think. You aren’t writing anything yourself, you’re just copy/pasting/modifying…you aren’t writing anything from scratch.
- Put the project online