4. Field Activity: Digital Fabrication for kids

1) References

I currently only teach in our school-Fablab, so unfortunately I cannot fully meet the requirements. One of my classes is about making stickers. There are often problems with multi-colored motifs, so I developed a stencil-ruler to help the students. As an example, I would like to use our school’s logo, which consists of three colors. The students usually cannot glue the individual colors together so that they are neatly aligned symmetrically.

This is a screenshot of the colored school- logo at the website of my school

I didn’t find a solution to this problem in my research. There are no stencils that can be used to apply multi-colored stickers. The main way to solve the problem is to apply the negative space to the transfer film and then glue the individual colored elements into the gaps. However, it is very difficult for the students to work so precisely. So I thought about how I could construct a tool.

2) Developing the Prototype

My first idea was to make marks on the design. These markings should be in the same position for each color. So that all the markings line up precisely, I designed a kind of ruler on which the markings are cut out as holes.

silhouette-studio-file with school-logo and marker-aids

Once all the colored elements have been applied to the transfer film, there is another problem: The finished sticker must be stuck onto the target object in the correct position - e.g. along an edge and at the correct distance. To do this, a second template is attached to the object. the other template can be aligned to it.

Here are my designs and the finished stencils:

I cut template out of both 3mm wood. I also printed a prototype with the 3d-printer. For this it was necessary to convert the SVG-file into an STL–file to migrate. This is easily possible with Onshape, the 3D program I use. You have to convert the SVG-file into a DXF-file and import this file as a layer. Then you have to extrude the scetch on the layer. I found out that the wooden prototype is best suited.

3d-printed stencil-rulers

As a further improvement, I added a centimeter scale to the template so that the sticker can be positioned very precisely on the object without the need for an additional ruler. Here is a screenshot of the improved stencil-ruler:

screenshot of improved stencil-rulers

Steps to create multicolored stickers with the stencil-rulers:

1. Cut out elements of the first color including markings with the vinylcutter

2. Transfer 1. all elements to a transfer foil.

3. Stick the transfer foil onto the template, paying attention to the alignment of the markings

1. Attach the second stencil-ruler to the object.

2. Place the stencil-ruler with the transfer foil on the second stencil-ruler on the object and transfer the adhesive elements.

1. Repeat these steps for all other colors.

3) Lesson Plan

My lesson is about learning a tool for making colored stickers. First, students should try out their own technique and think about what problems might arise when making colored stickers with the vinyl cutter. You will then receive a ruler template with which you can solve the same task more easily. They should find out how to use the template, write short instructions and discuss possible changes or improvements.

Subject Area	Concept(s)	Learning Objective(s)
Technology	strategies	Students will use individual strategies to solve problems
Technology	strategies	Students will use technical tools to create stickers
Technology	skills	Students can assemble multi-colored stickers from multiple single-color sheets
Technology	skills	Students will be able to apply elements of an adhesive film onto a transfer film very precisely
Technology	principles	Students will understand how multicolored symbols are created from individual color layers
Technology	principles	Students understand the purpose of technical templates
Common	communication	Students will explain how they go about solving a problem
Common	communication	Students will be able to formulate instructions for a technical process
Common	communication	Students will be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a technical solution to a problem
Common	skills	Students improve their fine motor skills

Here is the link to my lesson plan which contains also all files:

• Lesson plan at scopesdf

4) Reflections:

1. How do you think digital fabrication improves the activity vs utilizing traditional methods? What is the extra value?

With traditional methods, the proportion of creative activity is usually low. Even if learning products are produced, these usually follow precisely defined requirements, so that little or no encouragement is given to pupils’ creativity. In addition, the intrinsic motivation of the students is strengthened in digital production because they have to work on their own ideas and solve the resulting problems individually themselves. The additional benefit of this new type of learning is that not only subject-related objectives, but also media education objectives are always included. This includes, for example, knowledge about how digital technology works and how it can be used, but also the evaluation of digital technologies, e.g. on questions of sustainability or how digital technology is changing the world we live and work in.

2. What are some challenges you expect when you do the activity with your class?

The students will probably want me to explain to them exactly and step by step how they can work with the new tool. They may have problems trying it out and finding out for themselves how best to work with it. Pupils may not have such high expectations of themselves that their stickers will be applied precisely. They may also be satisfied with imprecise results. Here I may have to give the students certain guidelines and also explain to them what criteria they can use to assess the quality of their work. It may be difficult for students to overcome initial failures and not be demotivated by them. My students will also have a problem expressing verbally what strategies they used and explaining exactly how they went about it. They will also not know or use certain terms correctly. I have to take this into account and offer appropriate help. For example, I could provide the technical terms and allow the students to work with sketches or photos in addition to the language.

3. What have you learnt in the process?

Personally, I have learned that it is important to formulate clear goals for what the students should learn in my lessons. It’s not enough to have a good idea that can inspire the students, you always have to think about what the learning gain will be. I also learned more about how I can produce teaching materials and teaching aids myself with little effort. In doing so, I have found that the development of teaching materials definitely contributes greatly to dealing with the difficulties my students have. It also helps the teacher to get to know the principles, procedures and steps associated with a learning subject in more detail and to better understand them from the students’ perspective, in the sense of a didactic reduction.

4. Describe the process that you went through to create the teaching aid. What did you learn during the fabrication process?

First of all, I noticed that it is very difficult to deal with the topic theoretically. It was a problem for me to mentally anticipate the individual work steps and to develop technical help that you can actually use. For me, it is difficult to align the adhesive foils very precisely, so it was motivating for me to develop something that can personally help me to work more precisely. The main challenge was to ensure that the work with aids did not become even more complex than without aids. Above all, it was important that the results would be significantly better when using the stencil. Because you can also achieve good results manually with patience and skill. The technical challenge was to develop both a stencil file for the vinyl cutter and a corresponding file for the laser cutter. The svg file format helps here because you can use it for both devices. When cutting with the laser cutter, it was important to find the right settings for clean cuts. I also had to try out which material was best.