Our class

Maker Faire Orlando

September 15, 2015 Our class

Tracie Belt, Terry Conk and I went to the Maker Faire in Orlando on September 12, 2015. Lots of fun, hands on things. Exciting to see all the makers showing off their stuff.

 

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James Alday – 3D Printer Extraordinaire

ImmersedN3D LLC

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Inventor of Qubits

http://www.qubitstoy.com/

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March 5, 2015

March 5, 2015 Our class

3/5/15 – Maker Challenge

During the month of February, I challenged my students to make something. They had 30 days to build, draw, paint, create anything they wanted. I had 3 students pass in their creations on the last day of the month.

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Instagram Cubes By: Sabrina D.

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Melted Bead Window Hanging By: Jada R.

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Block Calendar By Sophia L.

Welcome to my page

December 31, 2014 Our class,

It was recently suggested to me by my friend and 3D enthusiast, TJ McCue (3dRV.com) that I create a web page to chronicle my adventures with 3D printing with my 7th and 8th graders in my science classroom.

This is a work in progress so please forgive me since I will be starting this process from about a year ago when I first discovered that 3D printing would have a place in my classroom. I welcome you to follow along with me and my students as we embark on our  3D journey.

12/31/14

December 31, 2014 Our class

12/31/14

I was trying to remember when I first got the wild idea that my classroom needed a 3D printer and I think it all started at FETC 2014. Usually this is a time when I am completely overwhelmed with new tech and a million ideas of how I am going to incorporate all these new things into my classroom. My friend, fellow teacher and Discovery Education DEN STAR, Tracie Belt told me about all of the great things her librarians were doing at their school, Shorecrest Prep in St. Pete Florida. Check them out at: http://www.shorecrest.org/Page/Academics/Carleen-Vinal-Haskell-Library

I knew that I needed to find a way to get a 3D printer for my classroom. With all of the budget cuts our district was facing, I knew I would have to find my own funding. I wrote my first grant, 3D printing – Science, not Science Fiction and was awarded $500 through the Manatee Education Foundation Cash for Classroom Grants http://mefinfo.org/educators_schools/

Although $500 is a great start, I knew I would need more money and more information about how 3D printing would have a positive impact on my students’ learning.

Then out of the blue, my college roommate, Amanda Keniston of 3/Thirds http://think3thirds.com/ contacted me on Facebook on September 19, 2014.

Amanda told me about TJ McCue and his 3DRV project and that TJ was going to be touring in Florida in the next few days. I checked out TJ’s blog and posted on the 3DRV Facebook page that they needed to swing by my school. http://3drv.com

 

 

Well, by some miracle, TJ McCue, his wife Susan and son Joshua took a detour in their 3DRV and headed to Electa A. Lee Magnet Middle School in Bradenton.

Over 350 students filled the cafetorium and were completely enthralled for over an hour as TJ and his family told us about their 3D journey. From that point on, we were hooked…

 

DECEMBER 16, 2014 – Set up and First Print

December 16, 2014 Our class, ,

Set Up and First Print

Needless to say I was super excited to set up the printer and start playing with it. I read the directions at home and figured out a good place to set up the printer in my classroom. I knew I needed a place where it was visible but not distracting and on a surface that was level and wouldn’t get bumped which could mess with the calibration.

I found a corner near the area in my classroom I dedicated to my “FAB LAB” Maker Studio. The printer fit perfectly, there was an outlet nearby and the printer would be in a place where students could access it if they were going to print, but out of the way so class could run without it being a huge distraction – I still have to teach science content after all.

I started setting up the printer at 9:30 and was done by 11:30 – I wanted to make sure that everything was calibrated and that I had read everything before I started printing.

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I did have to call customer support twice before I started printing successfully.

The first time I called was because I wasn’t sure of the voltage setting. I didn’t want to plug the printer in an then have it explode because I didn’t have the settings correct. I called the number listed on the directions and spoke to a REAL LIVE PERSON!! The support person, Brent, was very helpful and didn’t make me feel stupid with all of my questions.

The second time I called (and again spoke with Brent) was because I was having trouble with the settings. I decided to use ABS filament and although the directions told me the temperatures, I was having trouble with getting the filament to stick to the bed. Brent gave me suggestions to help with my problem and I ended up using a gluestick to help get the first layer of filament to stick. Apparently hairspray and Acetone work too – but all I had on hand were gluesticks so I decided to try that.

After taking a break I was ready to print. I downloaded an octopus from the Lulzbot site and started my first print at 2:00 –

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This is my finished product – about 2 hours later. Not bad for my first print.

…10478531_10152970220221155_7024060083034300178_n My octopus (right) compared to the test octopus (left).

Here are some videos of the printer in action.

November 18, 2014 – Lulzbot Taz

November 18, 2014 Our class, ,

LulzBot TAZ 4 by Aleph Objects, Inc. awarded “Most Maker Machine” by Make: magazine

Open Source Hardware Enables High Performance
3D Printing and Respects User Freedom

This press release (along with a great recommendation from a friend) helped me decide to purchase the Lulzbot Taz 3D printer.

Check out the press release below…

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Here is a link to Lulzbot’s site: https://www.lulzbot.com/products/lulzbot-taz-4-3d-printer

October 2014, 3DRV Blog Post

October 2, 2014 Our class

3DRV Blogs about Visit to Lee Middle

TJ McCue Visits Electa A. Lee Magnet Middle School – Bradenton FL

Joshua, TJ, me and Susan in front of the 3DRV3D RV

 

Mr. Cooper, my Principal and I.

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Joshua’s mini 3DRV Blog

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Check out TJ’s blog entry about his visit —–> http://3drv.com/blog/2014-10-02-makers-to-be-at-electa-lee-middle-school

 

Bay News 9 Interview