3D Printers' Articles Reviews

Smithsonian:
The availability of a 3D printer to students in grades K-12 provides amazing opportunity. This is greatly explained in the Smithsonian educators article. The teachers sharing in this article tell us of how the students have the chances to design useless museum items or their own creations. More importantly they are able to analyze the data needed and used while creating these things. Some of the students mentioned in the article state that it was so much easier for them to understand something that was directly in front of them rather than simply reading about it in a text book. I believe a 3D printer used in such ways can completely open up a students mind and allow them to reach their full potential in several areas.
Thingiverse Lesson Plan:
A lesson plan based off of a 3D object called "Speedy Architect Project" allows students to use their creativity, analyzing, and engineering in this lesson. The 3D printer and designing program is used to create pieces that are able to connect straws in several directions. These pieces and the straws are used by the students, who are divided into groups, to make building-like structures. The students are given two 15 minute periods to make two separate buildings. In the third section of the lesson the students' buildings are examined and tested for height and strength. I think that this use of the 3D printer technology is exceptional in increasing the students imagination and engineering skills. Also, the lessons learned can be applied to a more realistic form of architecture and engineering.
3D Printers in Schools:
This article discusses the use of 3D Printers to further the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). There were several areas in which this technology helped students learn. Firstly, being able to take part in a personal creation helps motivate students. Aside from that the students are able to learn a lot during the designing process. A majority of the learning, in this situation, come from the computer aided design (CAD) programs. These programs allow the students to visualize what they are studying or creating. At the same time they are required to calculate and break down code used for the items. All in all, I think the entire process helps students in each area of STEM.