3D Printing for 7-12 Classrooms
Direct benefits not offered by conventional means
Students can
Teachers can
Examples of 3D Printing in 7-12 Classrooms
Technology
Social Studies
English
Physics
Other reasons for having a 3-D printer in your classroom
- Can be used to connect the entire curriculum together. Math+ Science+L.A.+Social Studies+…
- Supports for special needs children as you need them.
- Technology is built into every activity.
- A large variety of open source plans for all kinds of projects.
- 3 dimensional, special, non-linear thinking
- Turns “what” into how, why, how much, how big, when, how many.
- Tangible objects for every stand of the curriculum.
- 2D to 3D. 3D printing bridges the visual, special, physical and perceptual gap.
- Design and build. Basic engineering skills, built into every lesson.
Students can
- Build examples though the use of 3D software
- Build objects to get a deeper understanding of place/time
- Build their own math objects for geometry
- Build learning mechanism
- Think deeply in a cross curricular way
Teachers can
- Create 3D images that make students “look deeper”
- Build examples from abstract thought
- Build simple of complex models depending on the outcomes
- Build tools for facilitating
Examples of 3D Printing in 7-12 Classrooms
Technology
- In a drafting class ideas can be crated in the 3d world. Models of creatures, video game characters, special effects, etc
- In skill trades students can make samples of automobile pieces, fittings for plumbing pipe and practice parts for CNC machining.
- In robotics students can make small model designs to test
Social Studies
- Students can make artifacts to study first nations way of life
- Students can create models of important battles in history
English
- Students can make props for high school plays
- Students can make shapes for Geometry
- Integers tiles, algebra tiles, base 10 blocks can be made
- Molecular models can be created
- Complex proteins models can be created
- Car models to create distance vs time graphs / acceleration graphs
- Shapes can be made to learn force principles
- Tissue and organ models can be created
- Planet models can be created
Physics
- Car models to create distance vs time graphs / acceleration graphs
- Shapes can be made to learn force principles
- Tissue and organ models can be created
- Planet models can be created
- Make pieces for physical activities
Other reasons for having a 3-D printer in your classroom
- Many different items can be made that would usually cost a lot of money
- Gives access to unique objects
- Gives students different perspectives on issues
- Illustrates that objects needs to go through a design process before they are made
Examples of 3D printing
3D Printed Chemistry Models
Image courtesy of Goede Schueler
3D Printed Heart
Image courtesy of Insurance Journal
References
Johnson, L., Adams, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Ludgate, H. (2013). The NMC Horizon Report: 2013 Higher Education Edition.
Lacey, G. (2010). 3D Printing Brings Designs to Life. Tech Directions, 70(2), 17–20.
N, Parker. (2012, Nov. 14). 7 educational uses of 3D printing. Retrieved from http://gettingsmart.com/2012/11/7-educational-uses-for-3d-printing/
St. George, A. (2007). “Imagining Tomorrow’s Future Today”. EDUCAUSE Review, 42(6), 106–108.
Johnson, L., Adams, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Ludgate, H. (2013). The NMC Horizon Report: 2013 Higher Education Edition.
Lacey, G. (2010). 3D Printing Brings Designs to Life. Tech Directions, 70(2), 17–20.
N, Parker. (2012, Nov. 14). 7 educational uses of 3D printing. Retrieved from http://gettingsmart.com/2012/11/7-educational-uses-for-3d-printing/
St. George, A. (2007). “Imagining Tomorrow’s Future Today”. EDUCAUSE Review, 42(6), 106–108.