Inventiveness, if you ask us, is something that goes hand in hand with 21st century problem solving and creativity, but, despite how it could potentially really help enable instructors to challenge student creativity, it is oftentimes overlooked. Luckily, inventiveness is key in STEM education and one of the key soft skills students can work on as soon as they enter the classroom.
Like most educational 3D printers, the METHOD melts materials and then it extrudes them onto the build plate in very thin lines, going layer by layer to create the object. The METHOD, specifically, is equipped with a heated build chamber that allows for all printed material to cool slowly, which is a process known as fused deposition modeling. Head inside to learn more.
BlocksCAD is a tool that allows students to use blocks of code to engineer completely digital designs while they work on building their tech, invention, and other crucial STEM literacies. Educators can use BlocksCAD to shape an entire class or unit or to supplement existing instruction and sign up for the plan that’s best for what both them and their students need to thrive.
Our maker experts are very well-versed in makerspace tools, technologies, budgets, and design—something that we have recently put extra effort into developing. So, whether educators already have a makerspace program at their school and are looking to expand on those offerings or need help with getting started, our makerspace team is ready to help you out! Here’s how.
The Strawbees STEAM kits provide students with a complete solution built for hands-on design, engineering, and programming. Each kit is comprised of reusable and recyclable straws and connectors that fit together and kids can create structures or robotic mechanisms with complete customization. Plus, teachers can find lessons or activities within Strawbees Classroom.
Perhaps for the best, there’s no blueprint for creating a school makerspace but there are some strategies teachers could employ that might help to set theirs apart. Whether your makerspaces are big, tiny, stationary, mobile, or full of high- or low-tech tools, here are some of the coolest characteristics that the best makerspaces share—both physical features and attitudes.
The Matter and Form 3D scanner is a super unique example of educational technology for a makerspace. It can capture and measure physical objects and turn them into digital 3D models for fabrication with any 3D printer. It’s laser-based and, by shining this laser at something, it’ll capture thousands of data points as it hits the object, like its surface, texture, color, and more.
When educators can work to simultaneously engage their students’ heads, hearts, and hands in projects—something they could really accelerate with MakerEd tools—they often develop vital SEL skills more quickly while also preparing for future careers. So, what are these key social-emotional skills and what are some of the ways in which educators can teach them?
If you mostly focus on introducing elementary school students to MakerEd, it could potentially involve a much more simplistic start. Then, once they’re into middle school, children can start to create their own valuable MakerEd experiences. And, by the time they transition to high school and more fully grasp the essence of making, it’s up to them to impact their communities.
The line of LulzBot 3D printers are some of the most affordable 3D printers for CTE and STEM learning largely because they don’t sacrifice any of that necessary power and precision students need. Check out this recording of our webinar with the LulzBot team as we partnered with their executives to dive into the uses and benefits of these machines in STEAM education.
