‘Twas weeks before Christmas, when all through the Marymount Catholic School for girls, the only creature that was stirring was a MakerBot Replicator 2. In preparing for the annual Christmas pageant – you know, with magi and the farm critters and Big J, Virgin M, and Lil’ Baby J – the 3rd graders turned to the school’s new fab lab to 3D print their props.
In order to print the gifts of the Magi, the students were first taken to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by their fine art teacher. There, they were exposed to Byzantine chalices and Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Adoration of the Magi.” The 3rd graders were also taught the theological meaning of the gifts by their religion teacher. Finally, they got to work producing their Magi props with guidance from their science teachers, Margaret McCarthy and Kathryn Cohen, altogether proving that the Gifts of the Magi Project would be an interdisciplinary task.
Prepping for the production of their props, the students sketched up their ideas and even modelled them in clay, as any experienced designer would do, with McCarthy reflecting, “There is value in play and creation, whether it’s cardboard or new technology. It doesn’t have to be the perfect product. There’s a value in messiness.” The students took their ideas to Tinkercad, deciding on the final designs as a group.
For instance, when it came to the gold coins, the 3rd graders deliberated about whether or not to print using gold filament or to paint the coins after fabrication. They racked their brains over what sort of emblem to inscribe on the coins, such as Jesus’s initials or some other symbol, such as a crucifix, to which one student replied, “They didn’t know there was going to be a cross when Jesus was born,” and another pointed out, “If it’s going to be dark at the pageant, most people won’t be able to see the coins, only the people on the aisles.” As in all good democracies, the designs came down to a vote.
With each of the school’s classrooms designing a different gift, their science teacher was able to print out the complete set for the pageant on the fab lab’s Makerbot Replicator 2. Alongside the 3D printers, the lab also features a Digitizer and computers for programming and digital design. The coordinator of the fab lab, Jaymes Dec, explained that the goal was to instill the students with the modern skill of self-directed learning, “What I’m really trying to teach them is how to learn on their own in the 21st century.” Incidentally, what Dec is also doing is helping to close the STEM gender gap in the United States. According to the National Science Foundation – as cited by techbridgeforgirls.org – in 2009, “only 12% of engineers are U.S. women; 2% of engineers are women from underrepresented minorities.”
Introducing engineering tech, like 3D scanners and printers, to a Catholic girls’ school sends a strong message that those students can pursue interests in STEM, displacing the gender normative roles at large in society.
And, on that note, happy holidays, everyone!
Source: MakerBot
