After getting comfortable with the builds, we began creating their own builds from scratch. The involves drawing the object and then adding in the width and height of the object. The children in 3rd and 4th class decided that they wanted to build a tank and designed it themselves by adding different shaped together and drawing their own designs onto it.
The hooks on the tank are where the class plan to add wheels. They also plan to add a motor and be able to programme it like some of the other bots we have in the STEAM room.
Check back for our progress.
3D printing is the way of the future. It works by “printing” objects–but instead of using ink, it uses materials–plastics, metal, rubber etc. The object to be printed is designed on our computers or iPads, where you decide the size/shape/design of your object. The object is then sliced into hundreds layers and printed layer by layer.
As far as how this can be used in education, it’s a matter of bringing objects out of the computer screen and into the hands of students for inspection, analysis, and other processes that can benefit from physical manipulation. In that way, 3D printers may eventually be able to bridge the gap between the physical and the digital–use a screen to find what you need, then print it into existence.
In October 2017, we got a new addition to our STEAM room. Our very own 3D printer.
The children have already created a mascot for our 3D printer, named Steamy. This was our printers first build and therefore became the symbol for our 3D printer.