3d Printing In Schools
- 1. Why Implement 3D Printing in Schools? Schooling has advanced dramatically since I was younger, access to technology has increased, and children are exposed to more than I ever was in my youth - but is that enough? We need to teach our children to think and think critically, because although the content that we teach them now at school is important to their growth, the ability to reason, implement and problem solve is equally important. What does this have to do with 3D Printing? Implementing 3d Printing Labs in Schools is not about training our children to be 3D Printer operators, it is not about training our children necessarily about how a 3D Printer works - although this is fascinating. It is rather about providing our children with access to tools to better explore and understand their world. Good learning is a combination of verbal, visual and tactile and yet in many cases it is almost impossible to create tactile tools for learning - 3D Printing addresses this. 3D Printing can be used to inspire entrepreneurship, can be used to better understand the physical world and grasp abstract concepts, which is why we need to pro-actively sponsor the implementation of 3D Printing In Schools.
- 2. What will Students print? Typically when planning 3D Printing In Education and implementation the obvious areas are Design and Technology, but 3D Printing has benefits to offer in enhancing understanding in many areas. Geography/Geology - 3D Printers can be used to print geological forms, print maps of the local environment, understand abstract concepts like the water cycle History - print copies of historical artefacts, understand the difference between modern and historical items, print dioramas to explain settlements, battles and create non-electrical machinery Art - print famous sculptures, design and print sculptures, design and print inks and embossing stamps Cooking - design and print cookie cutters, moulds, and icing tips Mathematics - print tools for teaching complex concepts, printing counting devices, teach the beauty of geometry and create 3D solids for teaching volume. Do Students have to be CAD trained to benefit? CAD skills are not critical, although if you already teach CAD skills 3D Printing enhances this teaching by allowing the student to create a physical object from their digital modelling thereby cementing the learning experience and making the purpose of learning more functional, but CAD skills are not needed to benefit from 3D Printing.
- 3. Although CAD skills are not required to benefit from a 3D Printer there are many free and simple resources for teaching CAD and the list below can never be complete as these resources grow almost weekly. Is 3D Printing complex to implement? No it is not! Rapturize 3D Printers provide many excellent resources for teachers with access to files, software and training tools and various Software vendors provide free CAD programs for children to learn. My recommendation is to treat a 3D Printer much the same way you would treat a copier or printer and provide access to the general school by putting it in a shared resource area, the library is a good example. It is simple to operate and will not take up the library resources, but putting it in a common area will allow the general school access to the printer, will generate excitement across all levels of the school and will ensure that it is used. Which 3D Printers are recommended? Best 3d Printer Company in India - Rapturize.in Provides 3d Printing In Schools and Colleges. They have Best 3d Printing Services In India