My students need a Makerbot Replicator Desktop 3D printer to create prototypes of the products they have been creating with computer aided design programs.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Teaching students to embrace technology for more than texting and gaming is the focus of my class. While their access to technology at home is unlikely, they appreciate its many uses as demonstrated and applied in class.
Our rural school is located in a high poverty area.
It provides food for stomachs and brains and a safe place to spend the day to children who might otherwise have to do without. Our students are diverse in every way and are hungry to explore life outside of their small community. They struggle each day with learning how to grow as students and young adults but they always appreciate a kind word and an engaging lesson - whether it is in the classroom or the hallway.
My Project
For the past six years I have been using Google SketchUp to introduce my students to computer aided design. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. Their renditions of the county courthouse, local sights, and their dream homes have always gone way beyond expectations. The only disappointment has been sharing those designs - a printed page just doesn't do them justice. With Tinkercad and a 3-D printer, my students would be able to design and produce tangible objects, to learn the importance of the prototype and how failure brings you one step closer to success.
Turning student designs into a 3-dimensional pieces that can be touched, displayed, and examined from all sides will absolutely rock their world!
This will be a great opportunity for my students to practice skills that are in use in the workplace and see their work come to life. Their creativity will be challenged when faced with engineering dilemmas that previously were not evident in virtual 3D. These projects will bring them through an engineering process from start to finish.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Dr. Brandon and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
