One of the highlights of my spring semester was helping my geometry students understand scale-factor and similarity through design and creativity. To understand these concepts more deeply we embarked on a project to design dollhouse furniture to scale. The students worked in small groups to plan the furniture that would go in their room. Using
123D-Design, the students developed a 3-D image of their piece of furniture. These digital creations were sent to the schools brand new
MakerBot-3D printer where they came to life. Throughout the week, the various pieces of furniture were added to the dollhouse, created by one of my students. Each day the girls looked forward to coming to class to see what new items were added. Once all of the pieces were completed, the dollhouse and its contents were given to the kindergarten class to play with in their classroom. As we left the kindergarten room, one of my high school students said, "I feel like we just touched the future. They will grow up to think 3D printers are just a common thing just like we have grown up with cellphones. My mom tells me stories about when cellphones were new. These girls will have a story about when 3D printers were new."
"Why was this project important?", you may be asking.
1) 3D printing is rapidly growing and new uses for this technology are growing rapidly.
NASA is sending a 3D printer to the International Space Station in order to manufacture parts rather than waiting for deliveries.
2) Creativity is an important component in education. This project allowed students to be creative, exploring the features in 123D-Design that would allow them to get the results they desired. The opportunity to use the MakerBot printer and see their designs come to life motivated the students to be more creative. Sir Ken Robinson discusses the importance of creativity in his
TED-Talk.
3) Making real-world connections helps students to learn and understand mathematics.
NCTM President Linda Gojak stated, "Instructional programs from prekindergarten through
grade 12 should enable all students to—
- recognize
and use connections among mathematical ideas;
- recognize
and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics."
This project supported these ideas as my student's reflection indicates, " When designing objects, it is crucial to use scale factor when
designing. In architectural projects, conversion factors are used in
online programs. This project allowed us to look into the eyes of an
architect, which was very interesting!"
This project has everything, Jen! Relevant geometry skills put to practical use, creativity, project based learning, and a window into the future. I really enjoyed reading the student reflections, too.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! How lucky you are, to have access to this technology. I love what your high schooler said about "touching the future." It's so true and fascinating that even the "next generation" is seeing a change and influencing the generation that will follow them.
ReplyDeleteAwesome project! I like how the project led to something beyond the classroom (the kindergarten students received a new toy!). I also really like how you used new technology to teach an important skill. Being next door to your classroom I was witness to the excitement the students felt in seeing their creations come to life. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThis was an excellent use of 3D printing technology and really helped to make the abstract concepts more concrete for your students. You've already taken 3D printing to the next level by integrating it into your classroom in a meaningful way--touching the future indeed :)
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