Reach Across the Stars, an augmented reality (AR) app for iOS and Android, by the Smithsonian Institution, introduces students to female luminaries in the fields of astrophysics, chemistry, and more. Through videos, audio interviews, and AR experiences, students learn about Hidden Figures mathematician Katherine Johnson, aviator Bessie Coleman, physicist and chemist Marie Curie, astronauts Mae Jemison and Cady Coleman, and many others. The roster, which is updated regularly, has expanded to include Christina Hernandez, a systems engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who worked on the Perseverance rover that recently blasted off for Mars. (Students can explore the rover and its instruments in AR.) The app presents its roster of scientists as constellations—truly putting these heroes among the stars. Cost: Free
Wonder Workshop is sponsoring the Wonder League Robotics Competition, a free global, virtual competition for students aged 6–14. The competition is intended to help students develop computational thinking, problem solving, and creativity by learning to code.
Vuforia Chalk delivers a unique communication experience enabled by the Vuforia augmented-reality platform. The app combines advanced augmented-reality collaboration tools with real-time video communications to connect students with their teacher or other educator so they can both see and discuss the instruction at hand.
Since Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland debuted in 1865, the fantastical tale of a girl who falls down a rabbit hole and ends up in an alternative universe has inspired countless retellings. From rabbit holes to mirrors, flamingoes to hedgehogs, Wonderland is the perfect world for virtual reality.