3D PRINTING FOR THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM WITH THE MAKERBOT ACADEMY PRINTING BUNDLE
The Goal and The Why
The goal of this project is to obtain a 3D printer for a high school classroom serving 9 -12 graders. Making use of the 3D printer will allow students to experience abstract concepts in an interactive and hands on way. Textbook models of molecules and fine anatomy can be brought to life through the use of the 3D printer. The use of a 3D printer also presents the unique opportunity to immerse students in a curriculum that demonstrates to students the applications of technology and engineering in the classroom. Student could be taught about the use and development of prosthetics in medicine. Another application of the 3D printer in the science classroom could be a project based learning activity about renewable energy and sustainable building design.
Budget
MakerBot Academy - 3D Printing Bundle $2,000.00
Procedure
Full-time U.S. public school teachers are eligible to register on DonorsChoose.org and submit project requests for classroom needs. To request a Makerbot Academy bundle:
- Create an account at DonorsChoose.org/teachers, or sign in if you've used DonorsChoose.org in the past.
- Upload a photo to represent your classroom - it does not need to include your students!
- Click on "Create a project" and the website will walk you through the steps to complete your request
- In step 4, go shopping in the MakerBot store, where you'll find the MakerBot Academy Bundle. To qualify for any future Almost Home funding from MakerBot, do not include any additional items in your project
- In steps 5-8, tell potential supporters why you want to bring 3D printing to your school and describe the impact this technology could have on your students
- Once you submit your project, teacher volunteers will review it and post it on DonorsChoose.org within a few days.
If your project for a MakerBot Academy 3D Printing Bundle is funded, MakerBot will deliver the bundle to your classroom and provide curriculum and technical support so you can bring 3D printing to life in your classroom.
Evaluation
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of the 3D printer in the classroom control and test groups will be formed using my classes for a minimum of three units. The control groups will be taught with conventional methods, building their own models, picture, etc. The test group will be taught with a mixture of conventional, use of 3D model and project based learning with the end goal of designing models on the 3D printer. At the end of three units the grades will be compared an evaluated for the effectiveness of the 3D printer’s use.