3D printing
will be an incredibly helpful tool to have in my classroom. The uses of a 3D
printer in a classroom is practically endless. Not only does it help the
teacher by being able to create and use more precise and helpful tools, it’ll
help students learn certain things more easily by having the object of
discussion at hand. Two programs that are useful to have if there is a 3D
printer in the classroom are Thingiverse and Tinkercad.
Thingiverse is a website with many great ideas and designs
ready to be printer on a 3d printer. Students can use this website to print
many great projects, especially if they are unable to come up with something
they want to design. It might also give them some ideas on what they would like
to design. I think this website might be more helpful for the teacher than for
the students. There are many great ideas and projects that the teacher can
print out to make teaching easier on them. The website even has some lesson
plans for the teachers under the education tab. It’s also easy to find
appropriate material for your class because you can search for projects by subject
or age group.
On the other hand, Tinkercad is a great tool for the students,
or teacher, to create and print out their own designs and projects. This site definitely
sparks children’s creativity and opens a whole new world for the students. It
is also a very helpful tool for the teacher. Teachers can create and print out
exactly what they need to make a specific lesson more teachable.
3D printed objects makes learning a lot easier and
definitely more fun for the students. It will reach more students since the
lessons are more hands on. It’s certainly easier to learn by touching the
objects than just looking at pictures of the objects online or on PowerPoints. Sometimes
classes aren’t able to go on trips and see the actual objects, like in
museums, so having a 3D printer can still make these experiences possible for
the students.
