Failure

3D Printing Adventures

Tinkercad is down for maintenance and I've a stack of design from Term 4 students to download and print.  No worries this provides a good opportunity for some maintenance, change the printing filament to a new colour, ready to get started tomorrow!

After many prints the glue we apply to the bed of the printer builds up and causes the base of a print to be bumpy! (See picture below)

First make sure that the Ultimaker 2+ is turned off and build plate has cooled down.  Then gently  scrape some of the glue off using a painter's palette knife.  We have a couple of different sizes of pallette knife (they are also good at helping to get finished 3D prints off the bed.)

Next we vacuum clean the scrapings of dry glue so that it does not stick to the next print.

Today because the last print had gone really bumpy on the base I cleaned off all the glue.  After the vacuum cleaner step I use a damp cloth to take off all the glue.  I only do this once in a while! 

Ultimaker recommend removing the glass plate to clean of excess glue.  Watch these videos to show you how to do this.

Before our next print we re-apply a base layer of glue (it helps the 3D print stick to the bed of the printer.

3D Printing

Wow - fantastic morning with a small group of 6, 7 and 8 year olds from the Coronet habitat on our very first 3D printing project at Shotover Primary School.

Having completed lots of research and talking to some fantastic educators and 3D printer experts I decided to start small and simple.  I initially had grand ideas about deep and meaningful projects for students, where they solve complicated problems through design thinking.  After a wee while I decided that we all needed to 'tinker' and play first, to develop both skills and confidence first. Including myself, as I am also new to 3D Printing!


So our first projects has started with making personalised key rings!  I created a school account in Tinkercad (linked to my school email).  Within the account I created one of the projects as a class (see image below and the project called "Coronet Group 1").  I was working with a younger group of students and had not used Tinkercad with them so I was unsure how they would handle the programme.  I set up each student with 'design' with a blank key ring.

I then taught the students how to drag and place letters and an object to add or customise / personalise their key ring.

Some of the skills taught were to navigate the:

• editor
• view controls
• handles on objects to resize 
• workplane

We also discussed:

• digital citizenship - passwords, logging off etc.
• how to use the MacBook Air mouse
• what a URL / web address is
• a growth mindset (we need to practice to improve)

Why set up one account for all students to use?

I set one account up as I was working with a group of younger students and I did not want then to create individual accounts.  In Tinkercad's terms of use, under 13s need parent permission to create individual accounts.  

I've looked into Project Ignite which integrates with Tinkercad and 123Circuits (linked to AutoDesk) which creates 'classrooms for teachers and students' and in their words 'Brings engaging ready-to-teach 3D design and electronics projects into classrooms, manage and track student progress. All in one place.'  Teachers can create classrooms and projects but students need they own 'account' to then join the class.  I created a teacher account with Project Ignite, which is linked to my teacher Tinkercad account, not the school account we used for students today, and then I created an account as if I was a student to see how the two linked together.  What was interesting as the teacher I could see ONLY objects that they created from projects I had set not their own individual creations.  I'm keen to use Project Ignite with older students in the future but will need to look into permissions from parents before setting this up.  

Another reason for using the school account for my younger students means that it is easier for us to send these prints to the 3D printing software (we are using CURA software) from the one interface, although I presume that Project Ignite would also deliver this.

What was really cool was I started a test print run of my key ring design before school started (which I'd created in Tinkercad to teach myself the skills so I could teach others).  It was a fabulous 'fluke' as when I brought the students over to the DATS room they could see the printer in action before designing their own.  This made it more exciting and concrete for what they were about to do on the computers!  Not mention the great discussions on how it worked and developing some great analogies to describe how it was printing!

A very simple start to our students' 3D printing journey...yet 8 very excited confident successful 6, 7 and 8 year olds inspired to learn and grow skipped back to class this morning!  I'm looking forward to Monday morning when we set the 3D printers going with their finished designs.

Journeys in 3D Printing

MZOU2845 from Emma Watts on Vimeo.

Our 3D printers arrived at the end of last term and sat waiting to be opened when the new DATS room (aka makerspace) opened!  It was very hard to wait!  So the new term arrived and the keys were handed over - the boxes were finally opened!

Set up instructions on the Ultimaker website were eagerly followed and with some troubling shooting support with Tim from Mindkits, our two new our 3D printers made their first test print.

MY NEXT GOALS IN OUR 3D PRINTING JOURNEY

Goal 1 - meaningful purposes for printing
At Shotover Primary School we've been exploring how design thinking links with our inquiry model (see diagram below).   I've also had awesome support via twitter from Myles Webb who kindly shared his blog which if full of practical examples of 3D printing in school.

As I set up the 3D printers, I'd started reading the new book Launch: Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and Bring Out the Maker in All Students by John Spencer & AJ Juliani. I love how the first step within their design thinking cycle is about "...a sense of wonder at a process or an awareness of a problem or a sense of empathy toward an audience." I'm really keen for our learners at Shotover Primary School to use their wonder, awareness and empathy to create meaningful purposes for 3D printing.

 

I'm passionate about sustainable resourcing. During my research into 3D printing I decided that we would initially use PLA filament. It is made from cornstarch and is a bi-product of milk.

PLA is non-toxic, so no ventilation is needed (to avoid fumes). It can be composted in a ‘good hot’ compost (40-60°). It takes approximately 18 weeks to break down, and by 20-24 weeks it should be completely broken down. (Another big shout out to Tim who helped me with my research into 3D printers!)

I love how accessible 3D printing is and it is great to have the ability to print multiple prototypes before the final print or product yet I'm also passionate about "intelligent failure" or "thinking before printing".

I read an interesting article at the weekend from Mindshift "Why Understanding These Four Types of Mistakes Can Help Us Learn" which linked in beautifully for me to "intelligent failure". Alongside 'grit' and a 'growth mindset' making mistakes (can I say a 'mindful mistakes') is an important capacity (a key competency or life skill) for us all to develop.  Being mindful helps us to use our resources sustainably.  I'm currently working with a small group of learners on creating mechanisms as part of their concept learning (inquiry).  We have even been unpacking the concept of sustainable resourcing with our recycled cardboard boxes, BBQ sticks, straws and low melt glue!

Goal 2 - students creating own designs 
I'm currently teaching myself to use Tinkercad. I've lots of questions around using Tinkercad with our students: student individual accounts or a class account?  Within their terms of use is a class account viable? Is a class account developing our students digital citizenship?

According to Tinkercad's terms of use, under 13s need parent permission.  I keen to touch base with other schools to see how they are using either Tinkercad or other open software to create their 3D designs.

Activating the 'Maker Space' with Coronet

My one line job description for my DATS leadership role is: '...to lead the igniting of curiosity for meaningful making and learning.'  Earlier on during this term I worked with the mentors from the Coronet team to develop shared beliefs, principles and practices for their DATS (maker) space in their habitat, and to support the team 'activating' this hands on learning space. We used the DATS belief and principles to ensure we shared beliefs and principles across Shotover Primary School and then the Coronet team developed their ideas around the practices for the learners in their habitat. I'm looking forward to work with the team next term to see how they have been developing their DATS makerspace.

My 3 Great Steps towards my desired reality

At Shotover we have been developing our understanding as appraisal as learning / teaching as inquiry and expanding our current model of appraisal to "growing our professional capacity".

As a teaching team we looked at the work of Patti Dobrowolski's visual goal setting. Dobrowolski method is to draw your current reality, then your desired reality of where you want to be in a year's time.  The next part is to identify 3 'bold' steps to achieving your desired reality.

Unpacking the visuals in my Current Reality

Joining dots or making connections between DATS, beliefs, learning model, capacities and values is vast! These are all amazing best practice ideas that are incredibly exciting and will support our students, learning mentors and our community to "live and breathe" our school vision: "creating a climate of possibilities".  My drawing depicts all of these ideas excitedly 'buzzing' around.  My current reality is working with students and learning mentors to make these ideas or concepts cognitively portable.  I'm 'juggling' many exciting roles, but at times this can be overwhelming and I sometimes wonder on my effectiveness of achieving my role, hence the question mark!  Time ticks and the teaching and learning team have many priorities.  It's hard to spread my time around, to attend 3 different team meetings or for time to be fitted into already busy team meetings!  There is no 'blue print', especially around the DATS role and redefining traditional technology in the primary school!  Working at a new school is both challenging and rewarding - and exhausting, as we are creating, redefining, trialling our first iterations of our school's unique 'blue print'...this takes slow thinking time, discussion, collaboration and developing shared beliefs, principles and practices (BPP).

Unpacking the visuals in my Desired Reality

My desired reality (or my utopia!) is where the students, mentors and community have connected all the dots between our vision, values, learning beliefs, capacities, DATS and the learning model! Where we truely collaborate...relying on each other to achieve our shared goals (think BPP!).  This is no mean feat to achieve!  It is also one that will take a great deal of collaboration, patience and intelligent failure (with many iterations!)  It is a desired reality and not one that will be 'completed' by the end of the year (nor should be - as great schools continually reflect and adapt to the needs of their learners.)  My desired reality for the end of the year is to have taken 'steps' towards my goals.

My 3 Great Steps Towards My Desired Reality (my goals)

1. develop my co-teaching practices with a variety of different teachers across SPS - reflect upon our experiences
2. start to join the dots between vision, values, beliefs, capacities, the learning model + DATS
3. develop an understanding of DATS as tinkering, maker space + maker culture across SPS

Immersion

Shotover Belief Statement for the value Curiosity

An inquisitive, curious attitude fuels the quest for learning

Professional Reading:

• Kath Murdoch page 56-57 ‘The Power of Inquiry’
• Shotover BPP (beliefs, principles and practices) on curiosity

After reading Kath Murdoch + the Shotover BPP on curiosity think about what aspect of this week’s teaching and learning was just immersion? Which aspects of this week’s teaching and learning were moving into connecting, creating and communicating?

At Shotover Primary School we call our inquiry learning process 'The Learning Model'.  Part of our Learning Model is immersion - this is to immerse the students in a concept... to 'hook' them in and create 'curiosity' in learning, which is on of our 5 learning values.  Kath Murdoch calls student curiosity 'the grease that helps turn the wheels of learning'.  She states that we want our learners to be questioners... 'to be curious, risk taking, wondering learners who are thirsty to find out, critique and explore the world.' 

Initially I thought that the define map I create with a whanau group in Hays on the concept of movement on Monday was just activating prior knowledge (PK).  Yet on reflection after reading our BPP and the extract from Kath Murdoch the learners PK for the define map initiated the most exciting questions, wonderings and discussions about our movement concept (see below for a more detailed account of our discussions.)  

On Wednesday I also started working on the Otago Mothnet Project with a group of 16 students from Hays.  This community based project is part of our movement concept.  The students are researching which moths live where in Otago and how our lights affect moths.  

So what was immersion for the Otago Mothnet Project?  Simply just introducing the project to the students!  Using the the poster advertising the project and the information from the scientist leading the community project (Barbara Anderson) I explained that not much research has been completed on NZ moths, that we would collecting and researching which moths live where in Otago and how our lights affect moths,  that other schools would be collaborating with us on the project, that we'll get to work with scientists and become entomologists ourselves, and that we will create an exhibition at school to communicate our research to others.  Also that our research would form part of a new exhibition on moths at Orokonui Ecosanctuary.  It took about 10-15 minutes!  It certainly generated lots of curiosity questions from the students!

Since then we have moved on to the 'connect' phase of our learning model.  I've been teaching students how to take notes (keywords) from youtube clips, websites and books.  We've also been learning how to connect our ideas and learning how to use a compare and contrast map, looking at the similarities and differences between butterflies and moths and explaining why they have differences! It's very exciting stuff!

ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE + DEFINE MAP ON MOVEMENT SESSION

The focus of this session was to:

• activate students’ prior knowledge
• capture student voice (their wonderings, curiosities, interests etc.)
• start to develop an understanding of SOLO levels
• model / scaffold how to use a define map
• model / scaffold how to create a first definition

First we unpacked the different levels of SOLO Taxonomy - and used the hand signals to help concrete the different depths/levels of thinking used in SOLO. We identified that we were going to focus on multistructural thinking and relational thinking. We used talk buddies to share our ideas, then share with the whole group and then we created a define map. Students wrote their ideas about movement on the post its. One idea on one post it. We had some amazing discussions about what is movement and what movement isn’t, with lots of discussion around gravity, the earth spinning, things that are alive or were once alive. We looked at what we had put in the non-relevant part of our map - after much group discussion the students decided all of their ideas were movement and it was hard to put anything into the non-relevant part of the map. After morning tea we started to craft our first definition. We did this collaboratively as one group - we aimed to include all of our ideas from our define map. We discussed that the define map was multistructural thinking (listing many ideas) and that our definition was relational thinking as we were starting explain our ideas / thinking using the word ‘because’. Lots of wonderings or curiosity questions arose up so we recorded these ideas too. 

Possible next steps:

• take one of the ideas from our collaborative definition to explore further and deeper (perhaps those linked to Health + P.E as that is this terms focus)
• create define map collaboratively in pairs 
• create a definition collaboratively in pairs 
• unpack how to come with a wondering or curiosity statement or question 
• students to keep evidence of their initial ideas in a learning book or Google Doc e.g. photograph of the group define map, stick in their post-it notes, stick in a copy of their collaborative group definition