http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2014/07/21/3-d-printing-becomes-accessible-for-high-school-teachers
The cost of a 3-D printer for the classroom may be less than many teachers think.
140718_3dprinting
Educators say there are ways to make 3-D printing affordable, easy and educational.
By Alexandra Pannoni July 21, 2014 | 8:00 a.m. EDT + More
[X]email apannoni@usnews.com
Imagine a classroom where teens design and manufacture a chess set, a scanner or even a prosthetic hand, for pennies on the dollar.
While it may seem like science fiction, it is happening in high schools around the country with the help of 3-D printers – which can be more affordable than most think.
A 3-D printer works much like a more familiar 2-D text and picture printer.
The 3-D printer uses a digital file of a design of a 3-D object and prints the object by laying down successive layers of a material until the object is complete,
Chris Elsworthy, CEO of CEL, which manufactures 3-D printer Robox, said in an email.
[X]EMAILed at http://www.cel-robox.com/contact-2/#FSContact1
Instead of ink, users can choose their own material. Most educators use a low-cost plastic filament.
"It’s been incredibly motivating for kids because it does allow them to be creative and think a little bit about some of the math and science behind what’s happening," says
Jeff Bailey, a technology teacher at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Maine, of his newly acquired 3-D printer.
[x] EMAIL
[Check out more technology trends for teachers to try.]
Though the technology is still relatively new, 3-D printers might not be as expensive as one would expect.
High school art teacher Martha Slack found her 3-D printer on Amazon for about $500, she says.
[x] EMAIL
Slack decided to purchase the printer herself because she wanted it for personal use too, but the printer would have fit into her materials budget had she decided to purchase it for the school, says
Slack, who teaches at Denton High School in Texas.
Other teachers have been able to acquire 3-D printers through grants, fundraising and giveaways.
Bailey got his 3-D printer by raising funds through DonorsChoose, a website that allows public school teachers to request donations for classroom projects. He got the idea from his friend,
*English* teacher
Dan Ryder, who got a 3-D printer through a similar campaign with DonorsChoose and MakerBot, a 3-D printer manufacturer.
[]EMAIL
http://www.pressherald.com/2013/10/25/teachers_turning_to_twitter_for_new_ideas_/
His school participated in a national event where they designed objects out of cardboard. Ryder tweeted a picture of a suit of armor styled after Star Wars storm troopers that was picked up by the Star Wars community.
“It was shared with potentially 12,000 people, and that’s a lot cooler that the student just showing their friends,” he said.
Kaitlin Schroeder can be contacted at 861-9252 or at:
kschroeder@centralmaine.com
Another low-cost option is to use 3-D printing pens, which can create small objects and are manually operated, says Slack. They generally cost about $100 each.
In Ryder’s English class at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, Maine, students built an art installation to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts in the graphic novel, "Watchmen." The display was made out of wood, but held together with metal plates that the students made with the 3-D printer.
Both Ryder and Slack have used free rendering software available to educators to design objects in their classes to use with the printers.
"It’s pretty much load up the file and watch it go," says Ryder.
One of Slack’s students created a $50 3-D scanner using a laser pointer, glass tube and a webcam, with the 3-D printer.
[Learn about transitioning to project-based learning.]
The printer has been a natural fit in Bailey’s pre-engineering, engineering, architectural design and technology classes, he says. His students have made key chains, pencil holders and chess sets. One student even created an elaborate operational action figure.
He says that some of his students who struggle in other math classes have been able to comprehend mathematical concepts better and find the topics more enjoyable with the printer.
"It is not to say that they don’t need geometry because they certainly do," he says. But the printer offers them a different way to understand math and science.
"Any kind of hook that you can use with teenagers that is going to get them motivated to learn is worth trying," he says.
Have something of interest to share? Send your news to us at highschoolnotes@usnews.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment