Here is a project that I do with my kids in TinkerCad. I combine it with a Math measurement unit. We can calculate the volume of the nameplate, and relate that to how long it takes the printer to print it. It is a good idea to do this pretty prescriptively so that no none gets lost. After that, they have time to mess with the concepts we learned. This lends itself to making iterations on the theme.
It is a good idea to prep some 'assistants' to help with this lesson. This could be some kids who express an interest, or kids from higher grades who have done it before and want to take on a leadership role.
Other things I've done with the kids are pencil toppers. It is great for a measurement unit, because if they can't measure the pencil right, then the topper doesn't fit. It is great for teaching the real world implication of accuracy in engineering.
Here are some more projects that I've done with kids.
I used https://www.tinkercad.com/ for all these projects. I found it to be intuitive, and pretty easy for kids to use. I found the printer itself to be finicky and hard to get along with. It is difficult to plan out print runs in order to get a class set done in a timely manner. I would set it to run after school and be done by morning, but one print per day isn't much. Our printer was quite loud, so if you want to run all day, it needs an isolated place where the noise won't interrupt learning.
Hi Rupert,
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you have made a video on how you use Tinkercad! It is great watching you on cad as you explain what you are doing. Making a video like this would be a great supplemental resource for a class to use. and I like that you have made the coding cross-curricular with math as the two really do come hand in hand. I wonder how accessible the 3D printer is? Is the 3D printer available to the entire school? Do all elementary schools in SD62 have access to 3D printers for their students to print their small creations>
Madison D
ReplyDeleteHi Rupert,
It is great that you have made a video on how you use Tinkercad! It is great watching you on cad as you explain what you are doing. Making a video like this would be a great supplemental resource for a class to use. and I like that you have made the coding cross-curricular with math as the two really do come hand in hand. I wonder how accessible the 3D printer is? Is the 3D printer available to the entire school? Do all elementary schools in SD62 have access to 3D printers for their students to print their small creations?