Bringing Students' Ideas to Life with 3D Printing

Our 3-D printer hard at work!

Our school Media Center Makerspace has created STEAM learning opportunities for students in many new and exciting ways. Now that we are in the second year of the Makerspace, there have been many teachers who have been eager to have me help them incorporate Makerspace learning activities into their curriculum. Whether creating MakerEd opportunities within their lessons, or having me come in and teach students skills that involve coding, creating with the Makey Makeys, and more, it has provided great opportunities to make sure that the Makerspace items and concepts are useful not just to individual or small groups of students in the Media Center, but also to classes full of students.

With this in mind, the newest addition to our Makerspace has by far been the most exciting! That is the addition of our 3D printer. Adding a 3D printer did not come without its own learning challenges. Luckily, our school has an amazing technology assistant who helped me with researching how to setup, align, load the filament, and troubleshoot the 3D printer as we got started.

Olaf

Our next step was to figure out how to make our own designs. We initially planned to have some CAD software downloaded on a couple of the Media Center computers and realized it may be difficult to have enough time to teach a great number of students how to use that software, thus limiting the reach that the printer could have. Luckily, a little more research led me to an awesome website called Tinkercad. Tinkercad uses CAD design to allow users to combine shapes, letters, numbers, and more to create 3-D designs. Even better news- it's a web-based program that we can access on any computer in the school. This meant that the program could be accessible to students throughout the school-making it even easier to get more of our students designing and printing!

After a few test runs using Tinkercad and the 3D printer with some eager students in the Makerspace, we were ready to roll. The type of 3D printer we have does have some limitations, and those test runs were very valuable to help us learn what some of those limitations were.

Spongebob and a Rocket

BB-8 being printed

Luckily I work in a school where innovation and creation through Making are valued. Many of our teachers have embraced the school Makerspace or Maker Ed concepts in great ways that allow students to be creators while meeting curricular goals of the class. If all schools valued Media Centers and the Maker Movement in this way, it would be pretty incredible to see just how creative all students can really be. I've now had three classes successfully create designs and print on the 3-D printer. For the first two classes, the sky was the limit when it came to design. Students were told to design what ever they wanted (within size and printer limitation guidelines), and they would vote on two to print. Printing does take a lot of time and filament, so we found this to be the most effective way to have that class participate, especially with the end of the semester just days away. We had everything from BB-8 from Star Wars, to Spongebob, to a very detailed rocket ship, and so much more! Students were very creative with their designs and really did a great job learning how to create designs using the program. With the next class that I worked with, a class of 6th graders, students had to tie their Tinkercad designs to an item that represented one of their classes. The designs were creative, and many quite detailed, especially considering it was their first time using the program. In this class we printed six different designs and gave students the option to make more on their own time.

BB-8 from Star Wars

 Maybe even better then hearing students' excitement while they created their designs on the computer, was hearing their enthusiasm the first time they saw the printer running.  Most of them had never seen a 3-D printer before, so the questions and exclamations they had during that first print are a great example of how exciting learning and creating can be.

The initial rollout of our 3-D printer has had its challenges, but all of the time put in to learning how to make it work best for our students has been totally worth it. Throughout the year, I am planning to work with even more teachers to help them find great ways to use 3D printing as a way to enhance their curriculum and continue to work with students in our Media Center Makerspace to help them see their designs and ideas come to life!

6th Grade Student Creations!

If you are interested in adding a 3D printer to your school or Media Center Makerspace, the time put into it can really be worth it to our students. After seeing his design printed, one student said to me "Really? I made this? And I get to keep it? This is so cool!" Since then, I've found him teaching other students to use Tinkercad in their free time, showing off his creation, and discussing design ideas with other students. More and more students have started to jump on Tinkercad in the Media Center on their own time, and many will come to me and show me what they have worked on all night. Given the time, materials, and resources, it is incredible what our students can create!

If you are looking for ideas for what your students can design with a 3D printer, check out my 3D Printer Design Task Cards! 

Maker Faire at B & N

You know the Maker Movement has taken off when a huge national chain like Barnes & Noble gets involved! I was delighted when I first saw a flyer for a  Maker Faire happening at Barnes & Noble stores just over a month ago. Barnes & Noble has teamed up with Make: Magazine (one of my favorite resources for learning about Making) to create this event. It is also sponsored by some of our favorite creation companies like Little Bits, LEGO, Makey Makey, and Snap Circuits, to name a few. As an educator who is so invested in the Maker Movement and providing opportunities for students to be innovative creators, I am so glad that students across America will have a chance to experience Making with high-tech items and learn from other Makers at this event.


I got in contact with the manager at our local Barnes & Noble to learn more about this great event so I could share it with my Makerspace Intramural kids at my school. The event will run from November 6-8 and there will be all sorts of different activities all day long throughout the weekend. He said they were given fun high tech items, like robotics and circuits, that people will be able to play with and learn from, there will be demonstrations on how to use many of the items, and there will even be Makers from throughout the community there to present.

I know the kids in my Makerspace group are very excited to attend and see all that they have to offer, as am I! Check out the images below to see the MakerFaire schedule at Barnes & Noble stores across the nation:

Another great thing I noticed on the Barnes & Noble website is that they are now selling many of the Maker materials that they will have at their Maker Faire. From Sphero to 3D printers, they are selling some really great Makerspace items! If you host a book fair at their store like we do, it's a great opportunity to shop for your school Makerspace while earning money for your school.


I, for one, can't wait to check out the Barnes & Noble Maker Faire and applaud them for recognizing the importance of giving the community a chance to explore, create, and be innovative by providing this event. I hope to see more businesses embrace the Maker Movement and find ways to get the community involved. Check with your local B & N store if you want to see what great opportunities they will be providing that weekend.

Here is a fun video they put together to promo this event:

Seven Tips for Starting a Makerspace

Many of my posts have focused on our school Makerspace and the Makerspace Club. While I've already shared some of my favorite activities and some of my Makerspace stations, I thought it would be helpful to share some tips for how you can start your own school or classroom Makerspace.

Tip #1

You don't need to buy it all

When you start researching Makerspaces, you will see that there are a lot of cool tools out there. 3-D printers, Arduino, Hummingbird, Sphero, circuits, and more. I would caution you to not buy every last tech  tool and gadget that you've seen in other Makerspaces right from the start. It can be really exciting to see 3-D printers, robotics, and more, but there is a benefit to starting small. Just like you wouldn't just blindly buy the newest and shiniest computers on the market for your whole school, you shouldn't just jump into buying every gadget and gizmo that's out there without doing your research. What do you want to achieve with that tool? How will it help your students learn, create, or discover? Can it be better accomplished with another material? There are plenty of Makerspace recommendations out there, take your time to explore what the purpose of the materials really are before spending money. If you're looking for starter items, check out this post or if you're looking to see how we've used some of our favorite items, look here.

Tip #2

Think creatively to fund your space

Use extra bookshelves for storage and
display- here's our Breakerspace after 
a fun day of breaking

Once you have done your research and have chosen the materials/tools that you are most interested in, the tricky part can be figuring out how to actually fund your Makerspace. Remember that many items, Legos, K'Nex, household items like duct tape, yarn, batteries, old technology for your take apart station, etc., can be donated. Reach out to your school community through a school newsletter or website to see what your community will donate. Also, look to garage sales or Salvation Army for great storage units or building items like Legos. There is no better time to recycle or re-purpose items than when you are building a Makerspace. I use extra bookshelves to store and display our Makerspace and Breakerspace items and old magazine holders to display Maker books for students. Our school/district PTSA and Student Council have been great funding sources as well. Don't forget to look beyond your school and see what district or state grants may be available. You can also look into crowdfunding through sources like DonorsChoose.org, digitalwish.com, or gofundme.com. Both Donors Choose and Digital Wish have been great sources for providing tech materials for my students. There are also many technology or STEM-related grants out there that can really make a difference. Major businesses like Best Buy offer technology grants or check out Funds for Teachers to explore grants by category.


Tip #3

Collaboration is key

A Makerspace is about collaboration in so many ways. It is certainly about student collaboration. Students work together to design, build, and create. It is so fun to see how students naturally come together to explore in the Makerspace and develop theories to test. As a Maker educator, it is also very helpful to collaborate with other Maker teachers. Using resources like blogs or Twitter (try #Makerspace or #MakerEd), you can learn so much about what others are doing, what has worked, what challenges they have encountered, and opportunities to ask questions. Don't be afraid to share or learn from others. It will make a tremendous difference in the experiences that you provide for your students and will help to challenge your thinking and move you forward.


Tip #4

If you build it, they will come...with a bit of modeling

It may seem like as long as you buy the materials, kids will flock to the Makerspace. With time and modeling, that will happen, but you need to make sure that kids know what a Makerspace is and guide them through what they can do. I created a promo video and shared it on our morning news show to first share what we had in our Makerspace and when it would be accessible. Between that and starting a Makerspace Club, word began to spread about the neat things kids could do in the Makerspace and soon kids were exploring before school and at lunch daily.

Tip #5

You don't have to be an expert

As teachers, we sometimes make the mistake of thinking that we have to know everything. When really, kids learn best by doing, exploring, and even making mistakes. That is what a Makerspace is all about. I introduce my students to our Makerspace, share examples, and offer challenges, but I don't claim to be an expert on everything. You will often see me sitting with the kids during our Makerspace Club experimenting with them. My favorite phrase during Makerspace Club seems to be, "Let's try it!"


Tip #6

Utilize Challenges 

It's hard to rate my favorite days with our Makerspace Club, but if I had to, it would be the days that we have challenges. Challenges can be as small or as big as you want them to and tend to develop and change based on the students' ideas throughout the challenge. Sometimes our challenges take a day, other times they'll take a week. We've done paper airplane catapult challenges, Sphero race challenges, and more. We don't focus on winning or losing, but rather the process, design, and planning. I emphasize that challenges are about the thinking process rather than a competition. The kids love the build up designing and creating for whatever the challenge may be. I have designed Makerspace Challenge Cards so that we always have challenges to choose from and multiple challenges can be going on at once. This is great because we have limited materials and lots of interested students. Check them out if you're looking for guided challenges for your Makerspace!

Tip #7

A Makerspace is a journey

This is the most important tip to remember when creating your Makerspace. Our Makerspace evolved throughout the past year, and it absolutely will continue to evolve this year. When I first looked at what other educators had done with their school Makerspaces, I felt inspired, but overwhelmed. I found myself starting with lots of questions that could only be answered by actually creating a Makerspace and adjusting it as needed. What I really learned after one year with our school Makerspace is that Makerspaces really do need to adapt and grow based on your students' interests. Once you see how your students choose to use the Makerspace, you can make choices and activities that build on their interests.







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If you're looking to start or enhance your Makerspace, I created a Makerspace Kit Bundle. It includes signs, challenge cards, a Makerspace journal, and more items that we use in our Makerspace. I also have these Makerspace items individually here.

Makerspace Showcase: Stop Motion Video

You know how sometimes your students just do something so neat that you want the whole world to see it? One of my Makerspace Club students did just that at our club meeting this week!

The truth is, they are all always doing such cool things that I wish we could show off all the time. However, most of the time, they are engaged in activities, like playing with the Makey Makey, which we can share in pictures, but you really have to be there to get the full effect of how neat it is.

Stop motion videos are a little easier to share though, so, without further ado, here is a stop motion video that one student made in under 30 minutes yesterday.

I was so impressed with his great video and just had to share it with everyone!

He used the Lego Movie Maker app to create this "video game" stop motion video.

To see some of the earlier stop motion videos that students made and the apps they are using, check out my earlier post on stop motion animation.



If you have any feedback for him, I'm sure he would appreciate it. :)

Makerspace Club: Visiting the Robot Garage

Our Makerspace Club had our last meeting for the winter session last week. After such a great club, I wanted to make sure we went out with a bang!

I had heard about a great business in our town called The Robot Garage. The word robot was enough to draw me in of course, but one look at the activities offered on their website, and I was sold. Robots, Legos, plenty of space to explore-what more could we ask for? I contacted the store and was thrilled to hear back from them that they would be happy to host our club for a session.

The Robot Garage logo
from http://therobotgarage.com/

The owner of The Robot Garage, Sarah, came to explain to our group all about how and why she began the store. She then took the time to ask every single student what their favorite activity in the Makerspace Club has been. I loved hearing these answers because they were varied and showed that each student was able to find their niche within the club. The favorite club activities that were said the most were the Makey Makey (no surprise there!), taking apart computers, and creating videos using stop motion animation or green screen. 

As opposed to having the kids do a structured activity, which The Robot Garage does offer, Sarah encouraged them to just take the time to explore-something this group does very well!

In the drop-in room there were tables set up with different activities. The group took turns moving from table to table and exploring.

There were five tables and plenty of pieces for everyone to get their hands on something. The tables were:

• Lego Table
• LaQ Table
• Robot Table
• Plus Plus Table
• Lego Duplo Table (our group was too old for these, but my son would love this table!)

A LaQ creation made by a
VHMS student 

There was no doubt that battling robots was the most popular choice. In fact, Sarah kept bringing more robots to the table so more kids could join in the fun. They did great with taking turns so that everyone had a chance to try to flip robots. Our school has an awesome Robotics Team and some of the members of the team are also in this club, so they had great insight to share with the group about robotics too.

The LaQ, Lego, and the Plus Plus Table were all so much fun for the kids too. They created all sorts of colorful items that they shared with each other. Some kids worked together to build their creations and others worked independently, but by the end of our time at The Robot Garage, they all had created something new. 

LaQ pieces from http://www.laq.co.jp/

It was neat to see items we had never heard of before. The kids all had spent plenty of time building with Legos, but seeing what they could make with LaQ and Plus Plus was really neat! The LaQ blocks advertise that there are an "infinite possibility of creation from just 7 types of block parts", while Plus Plus, a Danish company, advertises that there are "endless possibilities" for design with just one plus shape that comes in many colors. The kids put these claims of endless design possibilities to the test and built some pretty neat things during our one hour visit!

The LaQ allowed them to build intricate designs, while the Plus Plus were easy to manipulate, allowing for everything from stacking towers to writing out words. Both of these items were developed in other countries, so it was also great to get a different view of the different types of things that we could build with.

Here are a few pictures of our trip to The Robot Garage so you can see all of the fun that we had!

Sarah and Laurie also shared with our kids about all of the awesome robotics camps they offer and that kids can attend drop-in sessions where they can explore some more! I thought that was great information for our Makerspace Club students, as it gives them another avenue for making. It was an awesome experience and I'm looking forward to working with The Robot Garage again soon!