Gary states that one of the 3 keys roles in education is to “introduce kids to things and ideas that they didn’t know they love yet, to give them exposure to things that they could fall in love with, that they could become great at, that they could use as a source of pleasure and opportunity as they go forth in their lives.”
Similar to Doug’s message, they speak on the importance of introducing students to learning opportunities that might not presently appear as a discipline in the curriculum. I didn’t previously consider this student as tech-savy, so my grin was probably bigger than it would have been otherwise:)Īfter reading Doug Peterson’s post this morning, which promotes the merits of teaching coding in elementary grades, I was reminded of a powerful interview with Silvia Martinez and Gary Stager, authors of Invent to Learn. She then told me that her son asked for a 3D printer for Christmas (and there are low cost ones out there for this purpose).
Postscript: The mother of one of my student’s pulled me aside just before Christmas break, saying she had to thank me for something. I’m eager to hear other directions you envision this design process being used for in the classroom. Over 70 students with various learning needs from three typical grade 8 classrooms, completed this project either alone or with a partner of their choice.Ĭell models, terrain maps, art…. This “play time” is an important step before moving into creating a replica of a 3D cell model.
The Student-Created anchor chart posted in the classroom: Make the bottom and top layer the same colour, middle the alternative.
Open your design software (Auto123D Design).
Click “convert file”, save as a download or to your Drive. Settings: I chose monochrome and sharpen.ģ. Take a picture of each layer (jpg on iphone), save and upload to Online SVG image converter. The image needs to be solid fill with black marker on white paper.Ģ. This example shows 3 layers (students used 2 layers in the cell project). Thanks to for sharing her steps for single extrusion and Ainslie Martin for the drawings.ġ. Lesson: Turning 2D Drawings into 3D Designs Using Dual Extrusion The final step was a class presentation (which included the function of the cell in body systems and their design process). Throughout the research and design process, it was evident that students were developing a deeper understanding of their cell and how it related to their chosen topic as they asked questions and revised their project notes. As a next step, students will be using these skills in geography to create 3D printed terrain maps.Ĭreating a 3D neuron: Dendrites are detailed and difficult, so the girls added 2 drawings to their axon, which was designed using the software. Below are some of the final cell models and the lesson I used to model the process. nucleus) which they had previously designed using the software. Their drawn structures were then combined with some of the simpler shapes (e.g.
mitochondrion, dendrite), students then learned how to bring their 2D drawing of a cell structure into the software (we use Autodesk’s 123D Design). Because some of the organelles or structures are difficult to produce using the 3D design software (e.g. Each structure was assigned one of the colours in each extruder. I started the process by teaching students how to dual extrude by creating a simple cell base and adding a nucleus. This year, students learned how to design and create their cell models using our 3D printer with dual extruders. 8 Cells Science Unit, students usually produce a cell model.