Week 7- 3D printing

 How can 3D printing change the way we think about education?

This was a very exciting week for me because I have never had a chance to use a 3D printer let alone use it with a group of students. I was shocked there was so many resources and lesson plans that utilized 3D printer technology. In an article on lpfrog.com there are many benefits to 3D printing in educational programs because "students get tactile feedback of learning concepts that are difficult to represent using standard teaching materials" (3D print in Education). With 3D printing, students are more engaged in the lesson because they are able to see a visual aid representation of what is being taught. The process of designing and printing something allows students the opportunity to be creative and presents opportunities for collaboration and group work. 

After looking at the article on Leap Frog I explored more of the options for what can be created using 3D printing. After some exploration, I thought a really fun lesson plan for an older student (maybe 5th grade or higher) would be to think of an everyday problem and design and create a simple solution and create it using a 3D printer. For example, everyone has trouble getting the last of the toothpaste out of the tube, so a student may create a device that pushes the toothpaste up towards the top as you use it. 

This video from an Elementary School in the United States shows how literacy and 3D printer can be intertwined to bring the two together to create a hands-on science and literacy lesson. The kids read If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dussen to get ideas of the outlandish cars they could make. They then brainstormed ideas and did pen and paper sketches. The sketches were then transformed into 3D sketches and input into a 3D printer. It was so much fun to see the kid's reactions to having a 3D drivable version of the sketch they used their imagination to create. 

When I was watching the above Youtube video I was struck with the higher-order thinking these young kids were doing. I am sure some of them would have been unsure of themselves when their teacher told them they were gonna use computer software to engineer a car. When 3D printing is presented in this way it can be overwhelming, but when it is done with simple items like a button, wheel, or flag it demystifies engineering to something young children can understand (Velez). 

[Digital Learning at Grant Wood AEA]. (2015, November 2). Think, Make, Innovate: 3D Printed Cars [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xnP4aBd3Ds

3D Print in Education . (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://www.lpfrg.com/applications/education-and-3d-printing/

Eadicicco, L. (2015, February 18). 23 useful things you can make with a 3-D printer. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/useful-3d-printer-projects-2015-2

Velez, G. (n.d.). 5 Reasons 3D printing is on its way into your classroom. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://teachthought.com/technology/5-reasons-3d-printing-is-on-its-way-to-your-classroom/