Making Stuff: 3D Printing on Campus [Campus Technology]
... He'll be teaching a course in the fall, "Elementary Science Methods," to pre-service teachers. As part of that he'll be introducing them to the inclusion of engineering in their science lessons. As a result of theNational Research Council developing a national framework for K-12 science standards, he says, "One of the things that's happening in science education is that there's a big emphasis on including engineering in science classes."
3D printing fits well, Meadows explains, in a scenario where the student is "designing something, testing it, learning, recording information, going back and redesigning. It's really a great way to do problem solving." ...
The fascination instructors have with the MakerBot recalls an era when humans did more for themselves, muses Meadows. "Like we used to do with our cars. You'd go in and take things apart and fix things. With computerization it's difficult to do that. Now we're getting back to the idea of making something, building something, testing it, fiddling around with it, and rebuilding it. It goes back to that hands-on DIY ethic." ...
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