Got Gabsee? 3D Augmented Reality Avatar

(WARNING - Lots of embedded videos - page may load slowly)

Got the Gabsee App?
I just got Gabsee and I love it! Gabsee is like an animated 3D version of Bitmoji but with an Augmented Reality twist. 

Some are saying it's the "Bitmoji of the future — and illustrates a more personalized path forward for AR." -The Verge 

I say that it's a whole lot of fun, and I can see using it for program advocacy, as well as book and library promotion. 


Please take 36 seconds to watch this amuse bouche iMovie intro to Gabsee that I created in a hotel room in Nashville - just in case Gabsee or Instagram was blocked in the school that was hosting the awesome #MNPSLibHack conference, (and guess what? It was! Whew!) Good thing I never rely on the Interwebs when keynoting & presenting! Then we'll get down to virtual brass tacks.


Oh, and I have a little mini-rant below about how, yet again -- I'm a little late to the Gabsee party, and it's OK! Read it below if ya'll want, because I'm giving us all a pass on any cutting edge tech guilt trips - but let's talk Gabsee first!


This was my first Gabsee - taken in my foyer where I (inexpertly) painted a Tuscan mural a few years ago. Shocker, my first Gabsee is kind of a brat!



Gabsee is (kinda sorta) a customized avatar that you can place and animate anywhere Augmented Reality kind of anywhere! 

I can put "her" on a shelf, like an elf, next to a new book display, I can have her dance around our #MHTVNews studio to promote to the kiddos to apply for a crew position, I can put her next to a computer station to engage & start the conversation for Computer Lab Orientation.  

Once you get your Gabsee you'll have all kinds of "attitudes" or actions to animate your avatar - and it seems like you'll get extras as a bonus - there are things you can do to "unlock" new animations. I tried to unlock a couple (refer a friend, follow on Instagram, post 2 days in a row, etc.) That's how I got that "Carleton" dance below in my second Gabsee!  The "Dance" on the top left of the picture is what my avatar is doing in the TV studio below and the "Playful" with the apple is what my avatar was doing in the first Gabsee example.

And if you're not there, there....you can use your phone to have your Gabsee animated on top of a photo on your laptop, or a book! Which is what I did in the examples below.

2nd Gabsee


This is not really a video! This is a static screenshot example of how I made a @gabseeapp using a picture just on my laptop - or an example of augmented unreality. 


Social Studies Photo Scavenger Hunt or Mystery Skype with Gabsee! 

Think about making a series of Gabsee's as a "where in the world is?" insert your name here. 

Like with the Eiffel Tower, the pyramids in Giza, or dancing on the stage at the Kennedy Center! Or how about a virtual tour of your school?

Once you upload your Gabsee - why not generate a QR Code to it and allow the kids to go on a Gabsee Digital Discovery or scavenger hunt? They could write down the world landmarks pictured & and fun facts! 

Like to mix digital & analog? Why not borrow an encyclopedia or almanac cart! OR have kiddos use your databases! Heck, have them even use .....wait for it...a GLOBE!
 
 
 
3rd Gabsee 
(I didn't want to talk, so I asked Alexa to play me a song) LOVE @Pharrell

 
4th Gabsee - TV Studio 
(again, made by shooting on top of a pic on my laptop)
 
A post shared by Gwyneth Jones (@thedaringlibrarian) on


I Want Cat Eye Glasses & Bangs Please!
OR How I am Deeply Shallow!


Yeah, I downloaded the Gabsee - 3D avatar for fun videos on the App Store months ago, but I didn't create an avatar because I was directed to take off my (super cute) cat eye glasses and scrape back my bangs. I don't look good with no bangs, no fringe! I'm not gonna post a picture here to prove it, just trust me. Need bangs.


 See? I've always had bangs! 

Just sayin, Avatar App designers, please include an "add on" like an eyepatch that's bangs. Because in both Bitmoji, Zmoji, and Gabsee I could have an eye patch added, but no fringe. /rant


But after I bit the Gabsee bullet, clipped back my bangs, and took a un-touchedup selfie of my moon face, creating the Gabsee avatar really only took mere minutes and it was easy. 
Hairstyles, not a lot to choose from, no high pony or bun with bangs, so I chose this silly pigtail look with a nice fringe. Tap on right to change hair color.

Now...the default body shape is skinny. Meaning, you can't have a fluffy avatar like you can on Bitmoji - so gosh darn, guess I'll just have to be aspirationally skinny for now.  Then, the only cat eye glasses are sunglasses, check. 

Next, let's play dress-up. I chose an casual look - a hoodie is good for me. That's my casual Monday uniform - a Google T-shirt & a hoodie. Chuck Taylor shoes? Yes, please.

A Few Tech Tips
I'm still new at this, still learning, but it seems to me that for posting on Instagram it's better to save your Gabsee to your camera roll THEN bring it into Instagram because the default share size is a really skinny static size like a Snapchat video. Whereas, when you bring it in from your camera roll you can adjust the video up and down to get that SQUARE size better. That's just my preference so far! 


NSFMS or Elem!
Like Bitmoji - this is another cool thing you really can't use WITH kiddos but is more appropriate to use FOR kiddos. I haven't seen it, but apparently there are some questionable behavior choices (like drinking beer) and bad language in the app. Though for we Sophomoric types, check out the farting animation! lol  

Think about using it to promote a book display or Makerspace.  Focus on modeling for students the best way to use them - fun, appropriate, or silly. Because I'm middle school and not all my students are 13, most all the social media stuff I do is not WITH the kiddos but ABOUT the kiddos and hopefully they'll get by example or osmosis the proper way to use social media.

Give it a try! Download Gabsee, make an avatar, and go have fun! PLEASE Share with me either on Twitter or in the comments how you are going to use it in your classroom and library, ok? Would LOVE that!  See the very very bottom of this post for a Teacher's Gabsee Gallery! Thanks to all who generously shared! Rock on!

A post shared by Mrs. M (@elissamalespina) on
  Elissa posted this on June 29th - the ever charming Shannon Miller shared it with her -  I saw it, loved it, didn't play with it. 

Late Again to the Party, and it's STILL OK! 
Ain't no shame in my game, friends! Again, I come to you sharing something that's not real spankin new. (Well, it's less than a year old, so pretty new!) 

But this is another cool thing I saw online last spring,  I thought to myself "WOW! That's AWESOME! I need to get onto that" then MAP, PARCC, and a whole passel of standardized testing steamrolled into my life and the thought of trying out something super cool and 3D Augmented Reality slipped my mind. Fast forward a few months then the amazing Elissa Malespina shared hers and I was like "Oh yeah, I gotta try that!"  Finally, I did - 6 days ago! LOL

Summertime is Learning & Exploring Time!

I've talked before, about the blissful Time and Tide of the teaching profession. That, in the summer, we have a break and the opportunity to try out those things that we couldn't get around to during the school year. 

NO Tech Guilt! 
This is a whole lot of blathering, let me get to the point - I want you to know that it is perfectly fine to not try something when it first comes out. Life happens. Don't feel guilty if you're catching up late on something, don't get discouraged or think that you're not COOL if you feel like you're learning it after everyone else. Because the fact is, you're learning, always learning, right? AND THAT, my friends, is always COOL!

BAZINGA!  

Please chime in your thoughts in the comments! But spammers, I'll never publish your thinly veiled sales comments! Ha Ha! 
But real people? You are awesome and I LOVE hearing from ya!



Resources:

Gabsee’s charming 3D avatars are the Bitmoji of the future

Got Bitmoji? There's an App for That!

Like Bitmoji? There's an Extension for That!

It's a Cartoon, It's An Avatar - The Daring Librarian


Teacher Gabsee Gallery:

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Do You Know About Secret Bitmoji's?

Don't Label Me: LGBTQIA+ Ally

You Don't Have to Marry It!