SOWETO school children who had never used a computer until eight months ago are now learning to leverage new technology to share their community and communicate with pupils in the United States.
Students at Lavela High School are using a robotic camera (GigaPan) to capture panoramic shots of their community and then load them onto a website. Software is then used to merge all the photos taken by the GigaPan into vast panoramas.
A key feature of the photos is the level of detail they contain; from a picture of a crowded market, a user can zoom in to a detail like a belt buckle for example. Users can then take a snap shot of the details, comment on it and converse with others.
This project was developed to help children from different socio-economic backgrounds understand each other and their cultures. Using GigaPan, children will learn about the world and teach their contemporaries about their heritage by sharing community sites, events and places of importance. Through the creation of their own interactive community the students should develop a deeper understanding, consideration and respect for others, their beliefs and values.
Students in Sowteo and at the Falk School in the United States are already exchanging GigaPan panoramas and discussing their communities and heritage. It is expected that in late 2008 there will be a gallery exhibit of seven meter long, high resolution print outs of the GigaPans displayed in both Soweto and Johannesburg. Project Objectives:
Project Details: The South African component of the GigaPan Project occurred from 22-23 April 2008 at Lavela High School. Students were trained to use the robotic cameras, stitching software, and web platform by Illah Nourbakhsh (CMU) and Christopher Strebel UNESCO IBE. The project was jointly organized by CMU and UNESCO IBE in collaboration with UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet). The pilot phase of the project is expected to take place in schools in Trinidad and Tobago as well as the US and South Africa.
