Last week, when musing on my Final Vision project, I was looking into creating a website to help teachers and librarians with access to 3D printers, but no idea how to use them. But why use 3D printers in schools at all? What use are they to teachers, librarians and students?
With school budgets getting cut all the time (with numerous consequences), and models for classrooms can get expensive. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can bypass the cost of many classroom tools and just make your own. Want a human skull? Make one! Need a 3D model of your province? Totally doable! You can even use a 3D printer to build replacement parts on broken tools or models you already have, getting more life out of them. Just this one tool can be used for all kinds of classroom objects, like making rewards for students - they can even choose their own!
Not only can objects be printed to use in the classroom, but students can design their own 3D printed projects in the classroom. In the re-designed BC curriculum, there is a high amount of focus on inquiry. A great way to get to the heart of inquiry is with project-based learning - students tackle real world problems and come up with real solutions. With 3D printers, they can make those projects reality. They can create working models of their own inventions.
With so many reasons to use 3D printers in schools, it's a shame that many teachers have no idea how to use them, myself included. There are lots of websites out there trying to convince teachers that they should use 3D printers in their classes, but if no one knows how to use them, they will do no one any good. My goal is to create a website that gathers together resources for educators that want to use 3D printers for teaching. There are definitely tutorials out there, as well as lesson plans. I would like to create a central place where teachers and school librarians can go to learn everything from how a 3D printer works to how best to implement it in classes, all organized and discussed in a way that can be understood by an absolute beginner. As an absolute beginner myself, I should hopefully be able to judge which resources are best for those with no prior knowledge.
Works Cited:
Bedrich, Frederick (n.d.). How to Make DIY 3D Printed Parts for Just About Anything. Retrieved from https://all3dp.com/diy-3d-printed-parts-spare-parts/
LeBlanc, Cameron (2018). Schools Now Demand More Supplies Than Parents Can Afford. Retrieved from https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/school-supplies-too-expensive-for-parents-to-afford/
MakerBot (2016). 7 Fun & Easy Lesson Plans to Jumpstart 3D Printing in Your Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.makerbot.com/stories/education/lesson-plans-steam-learning/
Neilson, Sonya (2019). LIBE 477: Final Vision Brainstorming. Retrieved from https://svneilson.blogspot.com/2019/03/libe-477-final-vision-brainstorming.html
PBL Works (n.d.). What Is PBL? Retrieved from https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl
Printeraction (n.d.) 3D Printing Basics. Retrieved from https://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printing-Basics/
Stevenson, Matthew (2018). 3D Printed Skull - 10 Great Curated Models to 3D Print. Retrieved from https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printed-skull-10-great-curated-models-to-3d-print/
Stritesky, Ondrej (2018). How to Print Maps, Terrains and Landscapes on a 3D Printer. Retrieved from https://www.prusaprinters.org/how-to-print-maps-terrains-and-landscapes-on-a-3d-printer/
WeAreTeachers (2018). Why You Need a 3D Printer in Your Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKdUKIJkf38
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| Kids' drawings turned into 3D printed objects. Image from The Guardian. |
With school budgets getting cut all the time (with numerous consequences), and models for classrooms can get expensive. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can bypass the cost of many classroom tools and just make your own. Want a human skull? Make one! Need a 3D model of your province? Totally doable! You can even use a 3D printer to build replacement parts on broken tools or models you already have, getting more life out of them. Just this one tool can be used for all kinds of classroom objects, like making rewards for students - they can even choose their own!
 |
| A 3D printed model of the anatomy of a human heart. This one you can buy from Anatomy Stuff. |
With so many reasons to use 3D printers in schools, it's a shame that many teachers have no idea how to use them, myself included. There are lots of websites out there trying to convince teachers that they should use 3D printers in their classes, but if no one knows how to use them, they will do no one any good. My goal is to create a website that gathers together resources for educators that want to use 3D printers for teaching. There are definitely tutorials out there, as well as lesson plans. I would like to create a central place where teachers and school librarians can go to learn everything from how a 3D printer works to how best to implement it in classes, all organized and discussed in a way that can be understood by an absolute beginner. As an absolute beginner myself, I should hopefully be able to judge which resources are best for those with no prior knowledge.
Works Cited:
Bedrich, Frederick (n.d.). How to Make DIY 3D Printed Parts for Just About Anything. Retrieved from https://all3dp.com/diy-3d-printed-parts-spare-parts/
LeBlanc, Cameron (2018). Schools Now Demand More Supplies Than Parents Can Afford. Retrieved from https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/school-supplies-too-expensive-for-parents-to-afford/
MakerBot (2016). 7 Fun & Easy Lesson Plans to Jumpstart 3D Printing in Your Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.makerbot.com/stories/education/lesson-plans-steam-learning/
Neilson, Sonya (2019). LIBE 477: Final Vision Brainstorming. Retrieved from https://svneilson.blogspot.com/2019/03/libe-477-final-vision-brainstorming.html
PBL Works (n.d.). What Is PBL? Retrieved from https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl
Printeraction (n.d.) 3D Printing Basics. Retrieved from https://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printing-Basics/
Stevenson, Matthew (2018). 3D Printed Skull - 10 Great Curated Models to 3D Print. Retrieved from https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printed-skull-10-great-curated-models-to-3d-print/
Stritesky, Ondrej (2018). How to Print Maps, Terrains and Landscapes on a 3D Printer. Retrieved from https://www.prusaprinters.org/how-to-print-maps-terrains-and-landscapes-on-a-3d-printer/
WeAreTeachers (2018). Why You Need a 3D Printer in Your Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKdUKIJkf38
This is sounding great! I think we have very similar ideas about what we wanted to create. We are both interesting in a new tech and how to pass that on easily to others. I found it overwhelming with all the information for the tech I am focusing on and I can imagine it the same about the use of 3D printers in school. I can't wait to see your website! I would LOVE to use a 3D printer!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I am looking forward to learning more. There is obviously information out there, it's just a matter of finding it and making sense of it, so hopefully I can do the work so that others don't have to. I'm also looking forward to making a central space to put all of my ideas and creations - this blog has been great for that too. And I would still like to look into accessible libraries more, but I might have to leave that for another day.
DeleteI think your website will be a great asset for teachers. Having a place where quality 3D printer resources are curated, organized and easy to access will help teachers move forward feeling supported and more confident. You will want to spend some time mapping out the design for your webpage. You will also want to consider how you will share your work with teachers. How will they know such an excellent resource is available to them? Would you share it at a non-instructional day? A learning-over-lunch? Things to consider for your next post.
ReplyDeleteHi Darcy,
DeleteThanks so much. That is great feedback and something that I was thinking about for sure. There's not much good creating a resource if no one knows about it!