Uncategorized

3D Printing Coming To USA Education

The massive potential of using desktop 3D printing as a teaching tool is increasingly being recognized: only this month the UK opened it’s education National Curriculum to the technology, alongside Arduino, Raspberry Pi and other Maker favors. Now a leading research project suggests that the USA will follow suite.

Further to research the paper, the annual K-12 series of the NMC Horizon Project, has been released by the New Media Consortium, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), with the support of HP, examining emerging technologies for their potential impact on, and use in, pre-college education. Key trends and challenges expected to continue over the next five years are:

  • Cloud computing, mobile technologies, open content, 3D printing, learning analytics, and remote / virtual laboratories.

NMC Horizon Report 2013

The report says it would take also four to five years for 3D printing to be adopted fully in K-12 education:

‘One of the most significant aspects of 3D printing for teaching and learning is that it enables more authentic exploration of objects that may not be readily available to schools.

In science and history classes, for example, students can make and interact with models of fragile objects such as fossils and artifacts. Through rapid prototyping and production tools, chemistry students can print out models of complex proteins and other molecules, similar to what can be seen in 3D Molecular Design’s Model Gallery.

While it has become easier for teachers and students to work with these models, some of the most compelling applications of 3D printing in K-12 come from schools and programs that involve students creating something that is all their own.

Higher education institutions are paving the way for 3D printing in education, and are also launching initiatives that make it more accessible to K-12 schools.’

The report concludes as the technology becomes cheaper and more prevalent in schools and after school programs, access will no longer be an obstacle for the widespread adoption of 3D printing.

The potential will not be lost on Makers or corporations alike. To quote 3D systems:

‘We think classrooms and labs should be places of practical application and hands-on discovery, and we’re not alone. Schools, colleges and educational and governmental institutes of all levels and disciplines are increasingly introducing their constituents to 3D Systems’ leading 3D printing technologies as a means of providing real world applications in math, science, mechanical engineering, and architecture among others.’

Find the NMC Horizon Report > 2013 K-12 Edition free download here.