My students need a 3D printer to bring CAD/CNC into perspective while allowing the students to create various parts and models relating to aerospace engineering.
As a technology/engineering teacher, my goal is for my students to not just complete projects, but to solve problems that are based on real world scenarios. Learning about CAD, CNC, and 3D printing is something my students enjoy. Kinesthetic learning is the best learning style for them.
My students are part of a STEM Academy that focuses on aerospace.
We start our students out with learning the basics of engineering and then move on to aerospace engineering. My program consists of 120 sixth, seventh, and eight graders. The rigorous curriculum launches their educational career on an accelerated course, allowing them to take IB and AP courses in high school. The same teachers have the same students for all three years of middle school.
My Project
The county's technology curriculum is very broad, allowing us to cover a variety of subject areas. The Makerbot 3D bundle will give us the ability to create parts for larger projects will increase the hands-on capability of my classroom and greatly reduce costs of necessary parts, providing us with greater budget flexibility.
We will be able to create propeller blades for underwater ROVs, wheels for CO2 dragsters, models of airplane turbines, rocket nose cones and fins, size-specific enclosure for weather balloon payloads, and many more parts for projects.
One very important activity is creating various airfoil shapes to test in our very small wind tunnel. When we turn on the smoke, students will be able to see the airflow, allowing us to visually see how aerodynamic different airfoil shapes are. It can be difficult for students to understand turbulence as well as how changing direction can cause large amounts of turbulence.
Donating to our cause will allow my students to make connections between CAD/CNC with real-world jobs.
Going on field trips to see the fabrication of machine parts is fun and educational, but many students don't feel like they are capable of doing jobs like this because they don't know how to set up machinery. The creation of specific parts will also allow us to work on larger projects for cheaper (ie, ROV propellers and weather balloon payload enclosures).
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