This project began as a discussion about how to best utilize a 3D printer in the elementary school setting. We knew we wanted students to build something meaningful (not just a trinket)...but we also recognized that there would be a learning curve to utilizing a new tool and we did not want to make something so complex that success would be beyond some students. Mr. Langevin had the brilliant idea of building something for younger students--perhaps a playdoh tool for use in the kindergarten classroom. We settled on this idea and began to develop lesson plans that would get us to that end goal. Our essential goals were to build community in our school and give voice and choice in student learning, while at the same time learning to use an awesome new technology tool. During these lessons we wanted third graders to:
--Learn to 3D design in Tinkercad (https://www.tinkercad.com/)
--Develop a relationship with a kindergarten student
--Create a design for their new kindergarten friend that aligned with their interests
--See their iterative design process through to completion
--Give their creation as a gift and way to build community
We wanted kindergarteners to:
--Develop a relationship with older students in the school
--Feel welcomed by our school community
--Receive a personalized gift that they could use to play, explore and create at school
To date third graders have created Tinkercad accounts, met with their kindergarten buddies to learn their interests and began to design their playdoh tool. It has definitely been an exciting month in enrichment! I am not sure if I enjoy seeing students stretch their learning and risk taking through the use of the new Tinkercad tool or watching the relationships in our school community grow---they are both awesome! We hope to have playdoh tools completed in January. I have also enjoyed listening to students make connections to the measurement unit that they are studying in math as they determine the correct size for the 3D printing.
