Introduction
If you are looking to bridge the gap between the ‘conventional’ classroom and the highly sought after STEM approach – 3D printers are the perfect piece of kit.
Nearly all traditional classroom topics / subjects / projects can be slightly modified to incorporate a 3D printing element.
Overview
But why do this at all?
As educators, it is our job to prepare our students to have the necessary skills to be successful after their formal education years. More and more emphasis is being placed on STEM / STEAM curricula due to the fact that these are the skills that are needed in the modern day jobs market.
By ‘tweaking’ lessons to incorporate 3D printing, you are straight away enhancing / incorporating the following skills into your lesson:
Engineering
Mathematics
Spatial Awareness
Scientiific Concepts
And the list goes on...
Sounds good - where do I start?
There are literally hundred of differing 3D printers in the market place, and more are being added on a daily / weekly basis. I’d recommend asking yourself the following questions:
What is the target audience for the printer/s - students and/or staff?
How does this technology map into your schools broader technology plan/vision?
After asking myself the above questions – and conducting plenty of market research – I opted to procure a selection of Da Vinci Jr printers made by XYZ Printing for my school group / district.
The 2 x models that we currently have are:
Da Vinci Jr 1.0W
3D prints
Uses PLA filament only
Connection methods: USB / SD Card / WIFI
Da Vinci Jr 1.0 3-in-1
3D prints + 3D Scans + Laser engraves (additional extruder head needs to be purchased as well for this functionality)
Uses PLA filament only
Connection methods: USB / SD Card / WIFI
Summary
If you are looking for a general purpose 3D printer for use in classrooms, I would recommend having a look at the XYZ range of printers.
For value for money and implementing a 3D printing solution within education - they are hard to beat IMHO!