Through a grant some teachers in our area were gifted with 3D printers. I often get questions about them. While I'm able to keep the machines running and printing pre-made models, it's time to dig in. I have decided to learn 3D modeling.
Learning a new skill when I was growing up usually meant an exciting trip to the library to find a book with a title ending in "for Dummies." However, in the spirit of Bransford et al. (2000), who stressed the importance of rethinking how learning is taught, I stopped my dash to the library and made a plan. I pivoted and reached out to the experts in my REMC RITS group in an email defining my goal, current condition, and asking for help.
Ed tech specialists from around the state chimed in with a plethora of information for me to consider emerging from that single email. Most 3D printers come with software to "Slice" a model for printing, but a second software tool is needed to create a 3D model. Before I could begin I had to find that software which can be incredibly expensive and complicated.
Photo by Kumpan Electric on Unsplash
The first option I explored was Blender. Although free and very popular, it requires a powerful computer to run and would not work on the Chromebooks used in our schools. I then tried Tinkercad, finding it to meet my needs. It is free, widely adopted in education, works on Chromebooks, and is relatively easy to learn. Today I created an account and began exploring. I recorded reflections on my first attempt at a smiley face below.
Video Reflections by Chad Riffle
References:
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind,
experience, and school. National Academy Press.
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