Tech Review #2

The tool I decided to review is the 3D printer. The 3D printer a new and exciting tool that has become widely used. The 3D printer was named the machine of the year by Time magazine because of the amazing products that have been made. Education has been attempting to use the 3D printer in the classroom by creating student friendly printers. In the CTLT at Iowa State University they have invested in two MakerBot printers for educators to use. To use the 3D printer you must design what you want to create first. To do this you could use Tinkercad (a free designing website) or a different designing website or program. I have used Tinkercad before and I liked using it because it was simple and students could easily use it. Once you have your design ready you must download it to the app MakerBot onto your computer. Once you save it onto a flash drive in the correct format, you can begin printing your design. The product will be made of “filament” which is kind of like a plastic material. To use this tool in the classroom requires a lot of work and technological knowledge. For this tool to be productive the school’s environment needs to be able to support the tool and the materials used. So in saying that, this tool is not necessarily easily accessible and useable for schools.

Substitution: One idea I had that the 3D printer could be used for is to allow students to print out an imaginary creature. For this lesson I would have students create a story or a comic. In this story, students would have to create a character. This character could be a simple human or a crazy creature they have thought of. Instead of having students draw their creature or create it from clay, the students could design their creature using Tinkercad and then 3D print their creatures. If supplies are not available to print a creature for every student I would make the writing a competition and whoever has the best story would get to print their creature. I could even do this once a month to engage students to be creating stories on their own.

Modification: Instead of having students create something for themselves using the 3D printer I would have the students design and create something they could sell to other people. Students would create an object they could use that will benefit them and other people to make something easier. Some example might be a charger holder, key chain holder, book mark, or a water bottle holder. The idea is that the students are creating something of their own to make something that will benefit people. The students would create something and then attempt to sell it to other students. The students would have to create visuals as advertisements, selling points, pricing, and use persuasive talk. The teacher would host a night were the students could try and talk other students into buying their items and parents could come along as well. The buying process could be done with paper money.

Redefinition: One way I thought the 3D printer could be used to fulfill this level is by having the students create something to help people in need. As the teacher I would inform the students on issues that can be helped by creating something from the 3D printer. The students would have to research their issue and think of things they could design that could potentially help those in need. This would be a great way to give back to the community or even people beyond the community.