EDET 678 Emerging
Technologies
Week 7 Blog
Essential
question: How can 3D printing change the way we think about education?
It seems
that the possibilities for advancement of society with 3D printing are endless.
Any one can build a basic or even advanced robot, shown by Randofo, with 3D
printed parts, a breadboard, other robotics parts found at RadioShack, and a
code on a free application that is downloaded on the computer (2014). Danit
Peleg has designed and created five different outfits for her culminating
fashion design project only using a 3D printer. This means that there is a
potential that a very physical thing such as clothes can be digital and able to
download in our own houses just like we are able to download music (Peleg,
TEDtalk). Federico-O’Murchu thinks that with the advancement in 3D printing
material, there is a possibility of a man-made food supply.
Knowing the
capability of 3D printing outside of the education realm, I was excited to
start dreaming and researching about how 3D printers can help grow education in
a forward thinking way. 3D printing is a great resource to help students
explore personal fabrication of ideas that they have (Martinez & Stager,
2013). Students can begin taking models that they see in a book or on the
whiteboard and print it into a physical object. This creates a deeper
understanding of structures that are found in education. In math class, we can
create shapes that are regular 3D figures versus irregular and talk about what
are the differences not only in a physical sense but also in the code of the
objects.
In
Dillingham we had a beached whale quite a few years ago. Last year a few high
school students got the chance to somehow (I really don’t know how) scan these
bones and create a 3D replica of the bones of the whale. Eventually there will
be a full a replica of the whale that will be made for everyone to see in the
future and remember as a piece of local history. 3D printing can be a
cross-curricular activity and is applicable all levels of students. I can’t
wait for the day that we begin designing clothes and printing them out in my
math class!
Resources:
Federico-O’Murchu,
L. (2014). How 3-D printing will
radically change the world. CNBC. Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/2014/05/09/will-3-d-technology-radically-change-the-world.html
Martinez, S. L.,
& Stager, G (2013). Invent to Learn:
Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. Torrence, CA:
Construction Modern Knowledge Press.
Peleg, D. (2015).
TEDtalk. Retrieved from http://danitpeleg.com/videos/
Randofo (2014). 3D printed robot. Instructables. Retrieved
from http://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printed-Robot/
That's really interesting about the whale. At our school one of the students has their own 3D printer and she uses it to print prosthetic legs for turtles who are missing limbs due to boat accidents. I would never have thought of doing this. Kids are so amazing.
ReplyDeleteInteresting ideas. What education opportunities are those? Think about it.
ReplyDelete