PED3155 - 3D Printing

Hello readers,

This week I had the chance to learn about and interact with 3D printers that were provided by the University of Ottawa’s makerspace program. By using the tinkercad software (available to be used online at https://www.tinkercad.com/), I was able to make a small house and export it into a printable file, ready to go! The ability to quickly and easily use one of the 3D printers is a testament to how times are changing and is a sign of its rise in popularity. As such, it is high time I found ways to incorporate it into my teaching, should I ever gain regular access to one in my school.

3D design software has become incredibly easy to access, learn and utilize. As such, there are plenty of ways to implement some of the designs that science students come up with, changing the dynamic of the projects from the theoretical to become hands on. One of the examples of implementing it into science classrooms is in a physics classroom: students could design their own balloon powered drag racer, and have it printed. This, in turn, can let students analyze and test their own designs in a hands-on lab, giving kinesthetic learners a chance to understand the concepts at hand. Additionally, we are often faced as chemistry teachers with the dilemma of purchasing expensive models to show off abstract concepts or are stuck with making our own homemade ones (which take a good time to make and effort). With easy access to a 3D printer, we could (for example) print out 3D models of VSEPR theory orbitals, which in turn allows for our students to recognize where the electrons can be found, and how the shapes and sizes vary from orbital to orbital. This can help both visual and kinesthetic learners grasp the concepts even further. This could also be used in a design project: students could then be asked to make a “g” orbital (that would come after the f-orbitals) that could be printed out, helping students accompany their explanations with models. Looking at the trends from the above examples, it becomes clear that having access to a 3D printer helps enhance design projects and allows students to push their creative limits in a safe (and cheap) way. This also helps students who may not have access to a plethora of modeling materials at home with modeling projects, as the school is capable of providing the material. This also allows for the students to learn about and interact with modeling software that will likely become a huge part of the future (as 3D printers have become a solution in many fields across many disciplines), building skills that they will need to become 21st century citizens.

Image Credit: https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2470038,00.asp

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