My students need a 3D printer. This will allow my high school Engineering students to create actual 3D models of the work they have already designed on a computer.
"The engineer creates what has never existed before.'' -Theodore VonKarman
In my classroom students learn by creating. Students leave my room with houses, frisbees, & Rubik's Cubes. The only limit is that they are just computer models. With your help, we can make those models into real objects.
My students find engineering a fun and challenging field.
I have had to create new, higher level courses because of student demand. I am amazed, on a regular basis, with their creativity, critical thinking and imagination. I always feel I learn more from them each semester. They are only limited by our meager resources and their own imaginations. Our school has an 71% free/reduced lunch rate and cannot afford to support many high tech programs. The district budget can only maintain the computers we design on, but cannot fund the next step: 3D printing the ideas students create. Many of my students realize that a career in this field will be their road out of poverty and work hard toward that end. Some students even continue their learning in this and related fields by enrolling in our vocational school's Metal Trades program and go on to obtain scholarships and paid internships in precision machining (a great paying and in-demand career in our area).
My Project
My students need a 3D printer. The possibilities of this technology are boundless. Since my students are already accustomed to designing 3D models in a computer program, the only thing missing is creating that object. But merely holding that object is just a beginning. Students can design a print a Frisbee, but then we can examine other questions like "What design will make a Frisbee fly the farthest?" We can make wheels for model cars and ask "What is the lightest wheel design you can make and still hold the weight of the car?" We can test prototypes, create variations, and test them again-- like real engineers do. Students will be learning more than merely a computer program, they will tie in knowledge from physics, science, algebra and geometry.
Students will also be able to showcase their artistic talents designing and printing objects like key chains, pendants, earrings and toys. Some of these student created items could even be sold for fundraisers, thereby helping to support future program needs.
Students in my class will be able to think critically, experiment and be creative in their work in ways they have never been able to before.
Getting the full picture of what careers in Engineering can mean for them is an important step in getting them on the road out of poverty. Allowing students to express themselves, not only on a computer screen, but through custom designed and created products will give them confidence, and hands on learning possibilities that they never dreamed possible.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Bailey and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
