Canadian 3D printer manufacturer Tinkerine has announced that it will be expanding its successful pilot 3D printing education platform globally, making it available to schools and educators all over the world. The program started up yesterday and will run until 1-31-2015 and will involve 250 educators from the US, Europe, Asia and the eight original test schools in British Columbia, Canada.
When the original test program was launched last summer in Canada, Tinkerine U immediately tried to distinguish itself from the other educational programs being launched by their competitors. It was designed to be a constantly evolving curriculum designed by teachers and would offer an online web portal with educational materials and resources. The program was successful enough to warrant being expanded into the US back in September and now Tinkerine is taking the program global.
“We are excited to announce phase 1 of the Tinkerine U launch, our school pilot, which is a result of months of preparation. We believe that teachers and students of all abilities and interests, from elementary school to high school, can incorporate 3D printing into their teaching and learning.” said Tinkerine U Managing Director Kevin Brandt. “To support them, we created a complete suite of lesson plans and three dimensional model files. Our goal is to familiarize teachers with the process and practice of 3D printing, enabling them to bring the newest technology into their classroom in both a meaningful and authentic way to engage their students in active learning.”
The global Tinkerine U initiative is aimed not only at traditional classrooms or online education but can be used by anyone who is looking to learn more about 3D printing, including makers, hobbyists and businesses. The platform is comprised of a written curriculum supported by web-based educational materials, lectures and workshops. The educational materials were created by teachers to help other educators use 3D printing to enhance their existing STEAM curriculum.
“Our vision for Tinkerine U reaches beyond schools and is comprised of three core components,” explained Eugene Suyu Tinkerine CEO. “Academia – providing tools required for teachers to utilize 3D printers in learning environments, Technicians – providing the knowledge on how to maintain and operate our machines, and Learners – to create a large collaborative community of knowledge contributors, design entrepreneurs, fuelled by creativity and innovation or the next killer 3D printing application.”
Here is an introduction video for teachers interested in using Tinkerine U:
Tinkerine is the manufacturer of the DittoPro, Ditto+ and the Litto 3D and has recently been specifically targeting the education market with their line of printers and integrated 3D software.
