One of the best parts of helping teachers bring classroom projects to life is seeing how creative students can be with access to the right tools. We’ve seen amazing artwork, clever science experiments, and many, many beautiful thank-you notes. That’s one reason why we’re so excited for our new partnership with The 3Doodler: We can’t wait to see what students create in three dimensions.The 3Doodler lets students literally draw in the air; it’s a handheld 3D printer that doesn’t require a computer or any technical skills. The product has won awards from organizations as diverse as Scholastic and Good Housekeeping and created a lot of buzz. It’s in classrooms across the country, leading to amazing projects like this full model town.This match offer applies to three different educational bundles that include pens, extra plastic, guide books, and accessories. One of these bundles is aimed at younger audiences, ages 8-13, and the other at students 14 and older. You can learn more about the offer and how teachers can take advantage of it in our help center.Teachers have already been using The 3Doodler in the classroom, challenging their students with creative projects that bring together art, STEM, history, and more. Here are four of our favorite ideas from DonorsChoose.org teachers.
Engineering in 3D
Project: Engineering Concepts with 3DoodlerIn order to start a new “Projects in Engineering” class at her rural Maine High School, Mrs. Small needed a way to make 3D models of student designs. She’s using The 3Doodler to “bring these structures to life.” Her students have already created bridges and fractals, and are on their way to building a quadcopter. They were “instantly engaged,” and now “students can feel ownership in what they make.”
“By the end of the year, the students will not only have produced several 3D models of various engineered structures, but also will have gained experience in research, technical drawing, journaling, presentation skills, teamwork, and problem solving.” – Mrs. Small
History in 3D
Project: 3D Doodling in History ClassMr. Groetz’s middle school students are “always looking for new ways to express what they learn.” He decided to embrace this by creating a “Night at the Museum” presentation, inviting the community into the classroom as the students share their projects. Last year, students used The 3Doodler to add 3D models to the evening’s display. The class’s first project (pictured above) involved re-creating presidential portraits, followed up by modeling historic buildings.
“[The Night at the Museum] is a fantastic showcase for our students learning, and I foresee these tools to be a big part of that.” – Mr. Groetz
Math in 3D
Project: 3D Math Doodles for UnderstandingMs. Pruden teaches math at a 100% special education school, and many of her students have “missed chunks of basic material.” She’s been working with them to visualize concepts from algebra and geometry, but many of them “can't visualize a two-dimensional drawing as a three-dimensional object.” Enter The 3Doodler, which helps them model shapes and equations. Now they can “understand math as a dimensional, fascinating discipline that has beauty and use in their everyday lives.”
“Even though this project was designed to help them intellectually, it also helped behaviorally and emotionally.” – Ms. Pruden
If you’re still looking for inspiration, 3Doodler has created a curriculum resource for teachers. And thanks to the match offer, every donation to a project with one of these bundles (here are the full details) will be doubled. We can’t wait to see what your students create!
