By Apoorva Khandelwal
There are several technologies that have changed our lives. These technologies include light bulbs, World Wide Web, and computers. One of the most recent technology piece is the 3D printer and we need to give it more credit.
The physical world and 3D can interact. The idea that the 3D printing started from was making something physical from nothing. When students brainstorm ideas for projects such as making a model, they don’t know the end result. They don’t take in all the factors. With 3D printing, they get a visual of how the result would turn out. In education, 3D printing helps students know how ideas are realized in the world. 3D printing benefits future engineers and scientists with hands-on learning by introducing them to challenges communities face.
Microsoft and Kabaku collabed together in Japan to provide 6th graders Minecraft-based coding and 3D printing for 10 sessions. The program was called Digital House Making and each session was 45 minutes. This was an engaging environment for students to be in because they learned how to design a product by a program in which you could see the ending results.
Another reason is that digital fabrication teaches trial and error. Students should learn how to pay for materials, design, and ensure files by themselves so they can learn the process of it. When they switch and test designs, students will get something that matches their imagination. Nothing comes out right the first time, so they learn how to test again.
New technologies also inspire interest in the STEM career. Exposure to sparking ideas is very uncommon in school, but when we play around with the 3D printer, students get ideas. Students get hands-on experience in the classroom in which they come to learn. A great example is Henryk Sienkiewicz’s technical school. Children that are part of the 3D modeling club learn designing skills and get hands on experience.
3D printers are definitely what schools should invest in because they allow problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. This piece of technology deserves more credit.
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