3. Week 03

This week we learned about 3D printing and how we can connect it to our class.

3D Printing Adventures

During module 1, we learned how to use the laser cutter and I thought of a great idea of making a stationary box that can go on each table to support their learning. This box would include 4 holes for pencils, 4 for glue, and 4 for scissors. The students are constantly using these materials in my class so it is much easier to have them right in the middle of their tables for everyone to share. When making the laser cut box, I found there is an extra challenge of I actually have to cut 6 sides and glue them together so we can make a box. Back then I had an idea that maybe it would be easier to do this in the 3D printer! So, I went back to Tinkercad and finished the full design.

I printed it once with supports, but the inside was like a spiderweb and resulted in it being difficult to put different objects into it.

To avoid wasting filament, I decided to print in two sections so I didn’t have to use any supports. The top would be glued on later. It turned out much better.

Finally, compairing the first and last side by side.

Reflection Questions

1. Are you planning to use the fabricated object in your classroom? If so, how?

Yes, my stationary holder is already being placed onto group tables. I have finished two but would like to make 5 eventually so that every group has a box with 4 scissors, 4 glue, and 4 pencils. This will assist with classroom organization as well as speed, as I find that primary students are always struggling to find their stationary needed for class. The hardest thing would be keeping up with the boxes to make sure they are always full and kids aren’t losing/taking the materials on accident.

1. Think on a learning activity involving 3D printing. How could it be aligned with your curriculum / standard? What are the challenges?

Since I teach primary students, I think all lessons could somehow involve a 3D printed object and be a better lesson because of it. Young students need manipulatives/things to touch to help them learn. For example, in grade 1, we recently learned about the differences of different animal groups such as mammals, fish, birds, herbivores, etc. The challenge, as always, is that it would be very time consuming to make the manipulatives, but it would be great if we could print examples of different animals and have them sort them into the correct groups. Or, students could pick one of the animals in their group and give a presentation based on that animal instead of just the animal group itself.

1. Have you started an educational portfolio? Why or why not? In your opinion which are the advantages of having these education portfolios? How do you evaluate success of* a learning activity and how do you keep track of possible modification/improvements ideas?

I have not really started an educational portfolio, but I know that I should. To start, something I should do is put together in one binder all of my resume, degrees, certificates, classroom evidence, and other achievements for when I apply to job fairs. This would make applying for new jobs easier, allow the employeers to see evidence and examples of my creative lessons, as well as open for more discussions during interviews. They can also help you show growth in yourself, and if you are good at reflection, they can help you learn how to imrpove your teaching. In terms of evaluating a learning activities success, there are multiple measures you can use. Of course you can use assessment data to see if the students learned what the learning outcome of the activity was. Something a little harder to guage is how much fun they had while doing the lesson. An enjoyable lesson for students is much more memorable than only a practical one. In my lesson plans, I always have a reflection section at the bottom for me to go back and evaluate how each lesson went. I should be putting in a sentence or two after each lesson to provide myself with feedback of what could be improved/changed, but in all honestly, I rarely do that. What I will do instead is after the lesson is over, if I think of something, I will go into the PPT/worksheet/file and edit it right away so that next time I am using it, it is already updated.