In exploring the application of 3D printers in the classroom, I stumbled upon an amazing TED Talk by Stephen Elford. Elford is a high school teacher in Australia and has incorporated 3D printing into his classroom.

In his talk, Elford highlights many reasons for incorporating 3D printing in the classroom but by far the most important reasoning was creativity. Elford (2016) outlined many projects that students were passionate about, pursued, and were able to trial as a result of having access to a 3D printer.

I would like to use a 3D printer in my teaching career for a similar process. There are a great deal of relationships in physics that could require students to build and model something. A particular favourite mentioned in Elford's talk is the creation of an object that makes sound.

If I were to have a 3D printer, I could create an assessment task were students model and print an object that makes sound. This links directly to the Grade 11 waves and sound unit in Ontario. I believe this project would be a great way to get students engaged and motivated in designing and printing an object. It would also be a good project to familiarize students with tools they may need or use in a career in engineering, a common field for students with a physics background.

I also believe a 3D printer would be an excellent tool to have if I were to assign a more open ended Genius Hour style project. In this case, students could use the printer as a tool to print and work through prototypes, should they pick a design and build style project.

Elford also relayed the story of time he used a 3D printer to help a blind student gain the same understanding of students with sight when it comes to presenting the periodic table. This story shows that 3D printing can be applied to make concepts accessible for all students.

Overall, I believe 3D printers could be an excellent tool to increase student passion and engagement in the classroom.