Talking Tech: 3D Printing

https://3dprint.com/82272/what-3d-printing-works/

Describe the Instructional Technology Trend

3D Printing is a trend that has been around since the 1980s, but has gained popularity as the price of printers and materials has come down. 3D printing has hit the mainstream with with the availability of 3D printers on Amazon, the MakerBot & Thingiverse store in New York City, and the appearance of 3D printers in corporations and schools alike. 3D printing has also gained traction in the medical field, with amazing experimental research 3D printing skin, ears, and eventually organs. In education, 3D printers have been on the rise in Computer Aided Design (CAD) based courses and are now appearing in University and school media centers and other classrooms. As teachers and students become more comfortable using the machines, the opportunities for cross-curricular use of the 3D printers is growing.

How do you think this trend is going to impact learning/education?

3D printing has great applications in education, bringing ideas to life in short amounts of time. Students can touch and hold objects related to their courses, rather than looking at photos or hearing descriptions from their teachers. Additionally, design based courses reap the benefits of rapid prototyping; students can spend more time on design (and redesign) because 3D printing can bring their designs to life in a matter of hours. Outside of courses requiring hands on student CAD work, there are applications in many subjects. Here are just a few examples:

biology - study cross-sections of organs
chemistry - molecules
auto class - replacement or modified parts
cooking - intricate molds for ice, gelatin
geography - topographic maps
graphic design - 3D artwork
history - artifacts for closer examination

As an instructional technologist, what do you need to do to keep up with this trend?

The first role of an instructional technologist whose school is incorporating 3D printing into its curriculum is to understand both how to use CAD software, as well as how to instruct teachers and students on use of the software. Popular software includes Makerware, Replicator G, Thingiverse, and SketchUp. You can only 3D print things that you can design (or find the designs for online), so fluency in design software is very important. Additionally, museums and institutions are using 3D printing and design technology to scan rare or fragile artifacts, translating those scans to .stl files (the type of file needed for 3D printing), and making them available for free online. The availability of these resources is transformative for education. Rather than looking at an image of a sculpture, a teacher could have a 3D printed exact model for students to hold in their own hands in their classroom. If instructional technologists can stay connected to when these resources become available, they can work with their teachers to make 3D printed models accessible for use in their classrooms.

Provide three resources (an article, web url and a video) that provide more information on this trend and explain why these resources stood out to you.

Article: This article from 3DPrint.com is about the “Hovalin, An Open Source 3D Printed Violin.” The project is described as a “collective work in progress,” with the CAD files available online and forums set up for user feedback on modifications for the design. The violin is in its third iteration now, and is a fascinating look at a functioning 3D printed instrument. As a music educator, I’m not sure I’ll ever be fully comfortable with my students using 3D printed instruments, as it is part of my job to ensure that my students are using instruments that are well made and reliable. The nature of this project is that the design files can be modified by anyone who downloads them, so even if the original files produced a quality instrument, the question remains: was this instrument printed from the original files, or were they modified? Additionally, the materials used to create an instrument are an integral part of the design, so a 3D printer would have to be capable of printing with high quality material as well. As this technology evolves and people experiment with what they can replicate through 3D printing, I look forward to seeing the progress in this field and if it will be possible to 3D print an instrument that is comparable to one made using traditional manufacturing methods.

I wanted to include this article as well, for the “Educational” section. Teachers, this is where you can find those incredible resources 3D printing can bring to your classroom. This article includes links to resources from NASA, Smithsonian, British Geological Survey, and NIH 3D Print Exchange.

Web URL: The Smithsonian has a project called Smithsonian X 3D that is working to make artifacts from their collections available online in a variety of formats. Artifacts can be viewed from any angle via the Smithsonian X 3D Explorer with accompanying video and written background information (“Tours” and “Info” features), and files for 3D printing models (for education, personal, and non-commercial use) are available for download. I would encourage all educators, regardless of content area, to explore this website and its features. This is an incredible opportunity for our students to interact with artifacts from the Smithsonian in their own classrooms.

Video: This video is a great interview with Olaf Diegel, a professor at Lund University and a 3D printed instrument manufacturer. He discusses his “3D Printed Band,” his experience with 3D printing and why he uses it, as well as the advantages of using 3D printing with instruments and in other fields.

Design one activity using this trend that can be applied for teaching and learning.

This activity will be for a visual art class, studying a sculpture students have not discussed before. Students will receive the following handout to complete as they first analyze a photo of the sculpture, then (using their computer) analyze the interactive digital files, and lastly, exploring the details of the sculpture by holding their 3D model. The lesson handout and affiliated links can be found here.

Re-use information that you shared for your main post in the discussion forum

This 3D Printing Linoit was created as an assignment for EIST6120. It could also be used to show a few examples of 3D printing in K-12 education to teachers or administrators considering the incorporation of 3D printing in their classrooms or schools.