3D Design in the Classroom

I remember my first experience with 3d printing where I began to understood the power of this technology in education. We had just set up our first on campus 3d printer at my middle school and ran some test prints to verify that things were in working order. I had created some designs of cups and other small items in a Project Lead the Way training course for Design and Modeling, and I was excited about the ability to dream of something in the virtual world and bring that item to life in the physical realm. Wow. It was and still is an incredible concept, but that wasn't my light bulb.

My light bulb was a 1.88 million year old Jawbone from an early hominid discovered in the Rift Valley of Africa. You see, after the printer was set up, I got to poking around to see what we could explore and bring to life in our new makerspace lab when I stumbled upon African fossils.org, a collection of .stl (more on that later) files of 3D scanned fossil discoveries available to anyone interested in the finds. A few clicks and an hour or so of whirring stepper motors, and I was holding a 1.88 million year old fossil in my hand. Questions of place, of discovery, of connection danced through my mind as I studied the object. Who did it belong to? Who found it? How similar is this jawbone to mine? The stories behind the object that was just breathed to life in our makerspace were coming alive through this new medium, and there were more to come. Next, we figured out how to create 3D models using topography information and mde models of mount everest (along with one of my favorite stretches of california coast) using a program called Terrain2STL. Could these models help better understand different approaches up mountain faces, or the effects of erosion on coastal watersheds? What other kinds of powerful, immersive learning experiences might come from further deep dives into the virtual realm?

You see, for me, the process of 3D printing to fabricate or reproduce objects is a great start, but as an educator, it is the learning that occurs through the process of investigation and creation. The stories and questions that come from this type of exploration are captivating and immersive, and I hope you find this technology to be a powerful tool for creation in your classes. I am a middle school science teacher at heart, but it is my hope that this site is a valuable place for educators and learners of all levels and subjects. You will find information on these pages about designing in 3D using Tinkercad, my favorite classroom CAD tool, and how to use it in the classroom to start on the road to bringing 3D printing into your project or classroom.