OLTD 509 Blog
I have learned to appreciate what 3D printing can be used for in school much more as a result of being involved in the OLTD 509 seminar on 3D printing. I had not really focused much attention on the disruptive changes that 3D printing is causing and will cause. It is only just starting to create change. I can see 3D printing being used in many aspects of education. Right now in my school a 3D printer is being used in a drafting and design class. Mostly students are only making trinkets but they are starting to develop more advance ideas in their designs.
3D printing allows students to be creators and to be able to produce a final product that could be a piece of art or something that helps fix a broken part on a machine or tool. It can be used to create prototypes of something that can be used in project based learning or if small enough even the actual final product of a solution to a problem in PBL. In this way 3D printing fits my changing philosophy of education which includes moving more towards a style of inquiry learning and higher critical thinking that empowers the student to be more in charge of their learning. 3D printing is another tool that can encourage this type of learning. 3D printing allows the student to analyse what they made and to make changes to the creation to improve it and then re-print. It teaches students the power of redesigning if you do not get it right the first time, which is often the case in real life. The students who are in a drafting and design class at my school are quite excited about 3D printing. Some students who are not interested in many other aspects of school are quite involved in designing and spend some of their own time coming in to the shop class where the printer is located to create new things for themselves or for others. 3D printing is something in which students can see quick returns for their work and as stated previously make changes to their original design to improve it. In the seminar on 3D printing we were required to design our own creation to be printed. I created something very simple but in the process broke the ice of learning how to use something new. It has caused me to think more about how I can use 3D printing in my classes or in other classes that I do not teach. Some possibilities include a new art form in art class or to integrate a business class into making new products that could be sold for profit. I like how any student can learn to design and make things from other ideas available on the internet or from their own thinking. Tinkercad seems to be a program that is easy to learn by watching videos and participating in training exercises. I can see many students who like to integrate technology into their lives wanting to get to know how to design for printing on 3D printers. I also see great educational value in teaching students how to design for 3D printing. Here is a chance for schools to be involved sooner in something such as 3D printing which will have impact on society in years to come.
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The increasing use of technology and the changes in emphasis from the teacher in the classroom more to the student has caused me to really think about my philosophy of education over the last number of years. Teaching has become more student centered and less about the teacher. How I use technology and good pedagogy to help make the changes in my approach to the learner and teaching has been a journey I have been on for a while.
One thing that I have learned is that pedagogy comes first not technology. Using technology for the sake of technology is not a good reason. There should be good fundamental educational reason for using the tools we have access to. I believe that learning should be student oriented. A BYOD (bring your won device) program can help make education more relevant and engaging for the student. A BYOD program brings technology into the classroom on a daily basis and can be used to build in more flexibility, personalization, and learning opportunities. BYOD can help teachers create lessons that can be engaging by having students use their own personal devices in class. There are many cloud tools that can enhance the learning experience. An example can as simple as being able to view a video math lesson over again to get the concept. Collaboration can be improved by the ability of being able to share easier with fellow group members on an assignment or project. Something like Google Docs could be used to do this. Sharing and communication between the teacher and the student can also be improved. To me the only other solution to not having a BYOD program is to provide one to one computing in which the school provides the devices. Not having access to a computer at school on a daily basis at a certain age level is not providing some of the 21st century tools needed to be successful in many of the work place jobs of today and tomorrow. Most students are using many types of personal electronic devices outside of school and to not use them in school for educational purposes only disengages many of them. In today’s school, not having daily access to personal devices is not an option anymore for older grades. |
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