Output 2

Material didactic tools for science education: 3D tools

Practical activities does not have to be just laboratory courses or experiments generally, but it can also be also a work with some tool that develops fine motor skills or stimulates cognitive processes. Recently 3D printers have become more available and popular, so a new didactic field can be developer and researched.

HomeLab plans to discuss, design and test nine 3D tools with suggested scenarios of implementing the tool into science education. HomeLab (CUNI) will create an account on web site Thingiverse.com to share the 3D designs under appropriate Creative Common license, such as CC BY-NC-SA (attribution, non commerce, share alike).

Worksheets and models

It makes a difference if you sweeten your tea with sugar or accidentally use salt instead. And not just in taste. If you use salt, a phenomenon called electrolytic dissociation will occur, which has a fundamental effect on the properties of the resulting solution. Try out with this model what kind of phenomenon it is and why dissociation happens at all!

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Student´s version Teacher´s version Instructions for printing Models for 3D printing

Maybe you have ever put a full bottle of lemonade in the freezer in a hot summer to cool it down as quickly as possible! However, if you forgot a full bottle in the freezer, it may have happened that the bottle burst. How is it possible? Why did it crack? Conversely, why, if you fill a plastic bottle with hot water with steam and cool it down, why does it "flatten"? Well, you will find the answer to these questions in this activity with our 3D model!

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Student´s version Teacher´s version Instructions for printing Models for 3D printing

Would you like to assemble a molecule? For example, such popular molecules as caffeine, water, ammonia or adamantane? But you don't have a molecular model kit? It doesn't matter if you have straws and a 3D printer at home, you've come to the right place! Download the relevant files, use the "straw calibration.stl" template to determine the thickness of your straws, use the "atom generator.scad" generator to generate the necessary atoms in the OpenSCAD program, print them on a 3D printer and assemble the molecules you want! And it doesn't take as long as it might seem. Let it go!

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Instructions Models for 3D printing

Wonderful world of nucleic acids - base pairing

DNA is undoubtedly one of the most amazing molecules in the world. A double-stranded molecule, only about 2 nm wide, but up to 2 meters long! As you know, DNA stores genetic information, specifically the structure of proteins. Thanks to her, we have our father's nose and mother's eyes. And also everything else. In this activity, you will learn with the help of 3D models what components DNA is made of, how information is stored in it and how DNA protects it so that it cannot be destroyed by environmental influences.

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Student´s version Models for 3D printing Models for laser cutter

Wonderful world of nucleic acids - DNA replication

DNA is undoubtedly one of the most amazing molecules in the world. A double-stranded molecule, only about 2 nm wide, but up to 2 meters long! As you know, DNA stores genetic information, specifically the structure of proteins. Thanks to her, we have our father's nose and mother's eyes. And also everything else. In this activity, you will learn with the help of 3D models what components DNA is made of, how information is stored in it and how DNA protects it so that it cannot be destroyed by environmental influences.

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Student´s version Models for 3D printing Models for laser cutter

Wonderful world of nucleic acids - transcription and translation

DNA is undoubtedly one of the most amazing molecules in the world. A double-stranded molecule, only about 2 nm wide, but up to 2 meters long! As you know, DNA stores genetic information, specifically the structure of proteins. Thanks to her, we have our father's nose and mother's eyes. And also everything else. In this activity, you will learn with the help of 3D models what components DNA is made of, how information is stored in it and how DNA protects it so that it cannot be destroyed by environmental influences.

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Student´s version Models for 3D printing Models for laser cutter

The periodic table of elements is perhaps the chemist's most important tool. It hides a lot of information that may not be visible at first glance, which is all the more beautiful to discover. Play around with the 3D printed periodic table of elements and discover what you might not know yet!

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Student´s version Hints Solutions Models for 3D printing

The puzzle of electrons and periodic table of elements

The periodic law states: "When elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number (and atomic mass), there is a periodic repetition of their chemical and physical properties." This definion does not reflect the role of electrons and electron configuration of atom. Discover connection between number of electrons and electron configuration with periodic table of elements!

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Student´s version Models for 3D printing

The home-made VIS spectrometer

Spectrometry is a very important method of qualitative as well as quantitative analysis, method of determination of properties of molecules and much more. It is, in general, based on absoption or emission of radiation by a sample where an energy is exchanged between radiation and sample. Both the processes, absorption and emission of radiation and their course are dependent on a electronic, vibrational and rotational states! Discover these processes with your home made 3D printed spectrometer and discover, how the spectrometer is constructed and how it works!

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Student´s version Models for 3D printing

Cycle of water revisited

Water is a substance that is present in the three states of matter in our planet. As a solid, as a liquid and as a gas.  Very common actions take place in our planet because water is in a concrete state, and if it was not like that, they would not occur. Why? There is question arising: Why some properties of water are different depending on its state: solid, liquid or gas? In this activity, you will answer this question using the submicroscopic point of view.  The submicroscopic level is how we do imagine materials at molecular level.

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Student´s version Models for 3D printing

Stacking in metallic solids

The high majority of elements of the periodic table form metallic solids when they are prepared as a single element compound. Moreover the atoms in those metallic solids tend to pack with a limited number of configurations. With simple experiments and 3D printed models, we are going to model at the centimetre scale, the packing of atoms that is done at a much lower scale. We also are going to study the density of a metal!

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Student´s version Models for 3D printing

Qualitative & quantitative indicators

Output 2:  

Each 3D tool will be developed after lively discussion among all project members. Participants meet once in 2 months to discuss the usefulness of a tool in biology or chemistry. Beside the tool itself, it will be created also teaching or/and learning material that comment the with the description how to implement the tool into education (guideline). The designed tools will be printed by the author of the tool and will be sent by mail to other partners to test in with students.

Testing of 3D tools for active teaching

Output 2 was implemented by Institut Sabadell  (Catalonia, Spain), CESIRE (centre de recursos pedagògics específics de suport a la innovació i la recerca educativa, Catalonia, Spain), Charles University (Czech Republic), University of Maribor (Slovenia) and Matej Bel University (Slovakia)  during HomeLab courses between December 2022 - May 2023. Teachers participating courses were satisfied with the models and activities presented and they plan to implement to their teaching!