We’re All In This Together

Teachers. We are a very supportive group of people. We support our students. We support their parents. And we support each other. It’s all about collaborative thinking and finding the best ways to enhance learning for our students. Why not support each others’ blogs?

Maker Spaces

If you haven’t heard of a maker space yet, go find one. They’re amazing. This blog, Tales of a 3D Printer, discusses the different ways the students featured in the blog use a maker space and 3D printers. A maker space is a designated “area” (meaning anyplace can become a maker space) that people come together to build anything. Some are more structured. Some are not. Either way, they’re a lot of fun and they incorporate a lot of STEM design thinking, which is great for everyone.

School

Having a blog that incorporates many different ideas about 3D printing is a great way to get the ideas flowing for your next project. 3D Print School is just that kind of blog. From short-term to long-term projects, teachers can find inspiration out of the many examples provided.

Who needs pencils anymore?

Incorporating 3D printing into language arts can open a whole new set of ideas than the regular pencil and paper routine. Heather, at Pencils to 3D-Printers, writes about engaging those who are disengaged or are struggling to find a connection to the lesson. Even the smallest hint of engagement from students can spark an interest that will allow them to begin to open up to the possibility of learning (and sticking to) the fun topics they are learning.

All About the Students

Students love 3D printing. It’s amazing how quickly they get into it. Sometimes, while we’re teaching, we have at least one student who wants nothing to do with the work in front of him or her. They refuse to do it. They’d rather eat the paper. But with 3D printing, they’re so interested in it. There’s never a dull moment. The students gravitate towards all the projects.

Having a 3D printer directly in your classroom allows your students to become creative all the time. I mean it. They’re always willing to put in the work if it means they can create a 3D print.

“But Julia, doesn’t that make students lose interest?” Nope. I have been in a classroom for the entire year a printer was integrated into the curriculum. For every subject. And every student never lost interest. Granted, they didn’t print every day. The printer might be running each day, but the students also have other items in a lesson to complete before they can print. It’s all about balance. Find your happy medium and print with it!

And don’t forget: having student voice in some of your 3D printing decisions is a great idea. That makes the students feel like they are in control of their learning, which is exactly what they should be learning!

The Prints Are Already There

It’s easy to get carried away with 3D printing. The possibilities are endless, really. And having a printer directly in your classroom can be the best and worst, especially when you want to print all the time.

But, good news! You can print all the time! I mean, who wouldn’t want that? Finding the right balance between using your printer and creating meaningful lessons can take some work, but with a little elbow grease, you can do it.

Math

What could you possibly do with this numbers subject and a 3D printer?

So many projects!

With my students, I came up with a fractions lesson. Using manipulatives are a great way to learn fractions. Why not 3D print them? It’s a great way to implement student learning while also giving the students the opportunity to really take learning into their own hands.

Science

Students who learn about habitats can make their own creatures and build their habitats with recycled materials! This was a great hit with the students and really showcased their creativity, all while learning the different habitats.

Social Studies

Many students learn about different countries.  A great way to implement 3D printing within this topic is to create their own countries by printing a flag!

The best way to implement 3D printing into lessons is to find that creative spark that will really bring the lesson or project together.

Happy printing!

Finding the Inspiration

So, now that you know the tools and the websites that will create 3D prints, it’s time to put them to good use.  It’s time to make some projects!

There are countless ideas that teachers can think of in order to pursue the creativity in his or her students.  The first lesson should be something fairly straightforward.  Bookmarks are a great first option.  Even name tags! By implementing these short introductions into the beginning of 3D printing, your students will be able to familiarize themselves with Tinkercad.

Check out this blog to find more inspiration!

Another great option for 3D printing is to have students create something they can give as a gift. This past February, I printed Valentine’s Day keychains for my students. It was a great way to get them to see that 3D printing can be both for fun and for education.

The best part about making these for my students was printing more than one at a time. It definitely cut down on a lot of time spent waiting for the prints to get finished. Waiting for them to be done feels like it can take forever sometimes.

Students can also create their own work! For example, on Mother’s Day, students made their own keychains to give their moms!

These are just a few options for finding the creativity that’s within your students. Don’t worry, I have ideas for educational purposes, too!

How Can You Make Projects?

One of the best creations about the Internet is all of the online tools that can help create art.  There are endless possibilities to create something when the inspiration hits.

When it comes to 3D printing, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the different platforms that can be used to create prints.

One of the best online platforms for 3D printing is Tinkercad.

Don’t believe me? Check out this video from Autodesk Tinkercad.  It’ll show you that creativity can start with a simple shape and become a useful tool to a wonderful invention.

Tinkercad is a great website to develop your prints.  Simply make an account and begin building. 

Picture from the Tinkercad website.

 

Tinkercad has short tutorials that help you become accustomed to the tools within its website.

 

 

 

When you feel like you’re ready and familiar with the amazing components Tinkercad has to offer, you’re ready to start building!

Picture from the Tinkercad website.

 

Here’s what the layout looks like when you start to build your own creations. 

 

 

 

The best way to become familiar with Tinkercad is to try making something.  Learn as you go, if you will.

Picture from the Tinkercad website.

 

Once you’ve made a creation, which could be anything, like the tree-like object I just quickly made, you’re reading to begin printing.

 

 

 

The last step that you need to do is hit the ‘Export’ button to save the file to your device in order to start printing.  You can copy the file to a flash drive or attach the USB cord to your computer and the printer in order to print.  Each print has an estimated build time so you know when to go back and check out your finished product!

Have fun with Tinkercad! It’s a great way to learn the basics before getting into more complex designs.

The Important Tools

Thinking about 3D printing is one thing.  Getting one is another.  You want to be sure to have the right tools in your classroom in order to create the best productivity possible.  Here are my suggestions.

FlashForge Finder 3D Printer

Picture from Amazon.

I highly recommend this printer.  It’s not too heavy, it’s super easy to set up, and it’s a nice color.  While it is a little bulky, it’s practicality outweighs the idea that it takes up space. It has an open surrounding to give people a nice area to look at the progress of their prints.  The best part about this printer is the fact that it can be located anywhere there’s an outlet. Plug it in and it’ll be good to go. When you get the printer, it even comes with glue, a small toolkit, USB, and filament!

Here’s a short video, from 3D Print – Tech Design, that goes into more detail about the printer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHyO7ZhggVc

Filament

Picture from hatchbox3d.

Now, even though the printer comes with filament it doesn’t mean that you have to stick to that specific one.  The first printer I ever set up came with green filament while the most recent printer came with white filament.  There are so many color choices that you can purchase.  And they’re affordable! Make sure you get PLA filament. This type works best with the FlashForge Finder.  Check out the size of the filament, too.  Some spools are larger and won’t fit in the back of the printer, but you can purchase an extra tool that attaches right to the printer.

Here’s a link to Hatchbox 3D filament: https://hatchbox3d.com/collections/pla

You can also get filament from Amazon!

Removal Tools

Picture from Amazon.

 

These are essential for taking your prints off the bed of the printer.  They’re easy to store and they take the prints off easily!

 

 

While there are plenty of other tools that can help you in your 3D printing journey, these are three of the important ones that are crucial for making sure your prints are successful!

You Know You Want a 3D Printer

Get a 3D printer.  It’ll change your classroom.

Three major components to having a 3D printer:

  1. Having a 3D printer in the classroom will change the way you see curriculum.
  2. It’ll add a new perspective to the lessons you’ve been teaching.
  3. It’ll give a pep in your students’ steps to learning more and staying engaged.

When I first heard about using a 3D printer, I was confused.  I didn’t understand how important it was to have one.  However, it didn’t take long to see that using one was a great decision.

I noticed that the projects students worked on became more intricate and detailed.  They had a newfound passion that wasn’t there before when all they had were piles of cardboard and markers.  Now, they could combine all of those materials, the cardboard, the markers, and their 3D prints, to make something even more spectacular.  Their hard work showed.  And what’s even better, the students were proud of their work.  No one was shy about what they could present. In fact, the students couldn’t stop talking about their work!  Isn’t this what we want from students?  Students who are proud of their work and want to do well?

You want one.  You know you do.

So go get one!

So, You’re Thinking About 3D Printing? In the Classroom?

3D printing is one of the best creations ever. I mean it. I wish I would have thought of it. I mean, think of how wonderful it would have been to have created something so intricate.  It’s fascinating.

But why would anyone want to 3D print?

1. It’s simple.

Really.  See, 3D printing can allow you to be creative while also being practical!  Ever needed to have a specific gadget or thingamajig? Well, you could print one and it wouldn’t have cost you anything but some time. With the exception of the 3D printer and the filament, of course, but we’ll get to those in later posts.

2. It’s a topic of discussion.

3D printing in the classroom has become a popular discussion within the school halls. It has offered multiple benefits, including more engagement and curiosity for all subjects. 

3. It’s fun!

Don’t be fooled by the unfamiliarity of printers.  Students, and teachers, have fallen in love with the printing process because it’s fun. Isn’t it about time people put the fun back into learning?

I highly recommend learning more and seeing what you and your school could do to implement 3D printing within your curriculum!

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