On January 20th Mme. Baker's Grade 1/2 students were the leaders at their 3D Design Expo showcasing the work they have been doing on their new MakerBot 3D printer. The students had various tinker stations set up around the class where their families and other classes of students from the Catholic campus could try out the Sculpt+ 3D software on iPads and design their own creations. The students also provided a demonstration on how the 3D printer works and they had a station set up displaying a whole table of invented animals.
Teacher Meagan Baker explains the learning: "The students started by selecting an animal. They were required to come up with a list of questions and then research their answers using Google and YouTube and then create a Prezi presentation. Their next steps were to design their animals using Sculpt+ on an iPad. They learned features such as shaping, scaling, rotating and asymmetry and symmetry. Throughout the process the students had many challenges such as trying to design claws, fins, manes, tusks, etc. but they persevered and exceeded the learning goals for the project! Their second learning project was to create an invented animal by initially drawing a 2D representation on paper and then creating a 3D representation using the software."
Grade 7 teacher, Nicole Lentz from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, attended the 3D Expo with her class and had this to say, "I'm really impressed with the student's mastery and the confidence that has been instilled in them. The students are comfortable taking about their designs and have mastered the software. I'm very impressed. This is what is going to make a difference when they enter high school having these skills and this knowledge."
"It is very cool how the students have designed these animals", says Connor a grade 7 student from St. Thomas Aquinas High School as he tries out the Sculpt+ software at a tinker station. "It's not as easy as it looks. I can't believe they are in grade 1 and 2 and doing this."
Megan explains what the next goal is: "We are going to have to step up our game because the students have exceeded all the learning expectations and goals to the end of the year. What I'd like to do next is challenge the class to find a problem in the school or in the community that requires them to design a solution."
This innovative learning project was supported through the Idea Lab. To learn more about the Idea Lab please click here.
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Chelsea (center) grade 1- "My favorite part is creating the animals. When Madam Baker took the frog off the printer for the first time we were really excited to see what we could create. It's exciting to see our creations come off the printer when they are done."
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Jasper grade 2- "I designed the Waterproof iFish. It can watch a movie while it swims in the water. It can also go on land and jump really high. It uses its tail to go on Netflix and the iPad. It also has a waterproof case.
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Mekhi grade 2 - "My invented animal is the Super Flame Wing Fish. It's a fish that lives in the ocean on a coral reef. It breathes fire under water and cooks other fish with its flame before it eats it. I designed my fish with Sculpt+ on the IPad 3D app and then I printed it on our 3D printer."
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Maddison grade 2 - "It's very easy to make things on the 3D printer. I take a picture in my mind and then I create it on the iPad. When I created my dolphin I learned a lot. So now the designs are easy. I like everything about our 3D printer because it's very interesting."
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