5 Ways Combining AR and 3D Printing Can Transform Learning

Girl using a Merge cube with a tablet. MakerBot 3D printer behind her. Teq logo.

As any educator knows, the tools of the classroom have undergone a drastic change in the last decade or so. The majority of schools around the country now boast STEM labs, makerspaces, 3D printers, interactive flat panels, and other educational technology. These tools have become indispensable in the 21st century learning environment. They will only continue to become more essential as educators prepare students for the careers of the future. MakerBot 3D printers and Merge AR are two such tools that, when used in tandem, can be game changers for students and teachers alike.

I recently watched a webinar on this topic called Building The Future: Innovative Learning With AR And 3D Printing. In this webinar, they discuss the power of using computer aided design (CAD), 3D printing, and AR together. This talk was hosted by Andrea Zermeno of the MakerBot Education team, with guest speaker Shannon McClintock Miller, District Teacher Librarian and Innovation Director at Van Meter Community School in Iowa. Hearing from an educator about how 3D printers and AR have been used for grade levels from Pre-K through high school was invaluable because it offers a ‘boots on the ground’ view of these technologies in action. Additionally, it added some wonderful ideas and resources to help other educators in developing their own impactful and innovative programs. Here are my key takeaways on how combining these technologies can be transformative.

CAD, 3D printing, and AR together

Before we get excited about transformative learning, let’s first talk a bit about what these technologies are and get a bit of background on how to use them together. Sometimes it can feel like we are using our edtech just for the sake of using tech, to ‘check a box,’ so to speak. With MakerBot and Merge, this is definitely not the case. The way in which they can be used together is organic and purposeful, it’s almost as if they were originally designed to be used together (they weren’t). As McClintock Miller shares her experiences with using these technologies, it is evident that the use of the technology is not the sole focus. Instead, it implies that the concepts and curriculum are the primary concern and the technology is used to enhance the learning experience for students.

CAD and 3D printing at Van Meter Community School

To start off, McClintock Miller got a MakerBot printer and began learning how to use it. Students printed a small project for the Olympics.
She then dove into various CAD and 3D printing tools like Tinkercad and Thingiverse. She began using the tutorials to teach students CAD and 3D design skills.
She discovered Selva, which she used to convert 2D pictures of student drawings into 3D objects. This opened up more possibilities for using the tech with different grades and subjects.
Students used Merge AR (which was already being used in some science classes) to view the 3D objects before printing. This made iterations and improvements more accessible and saved on print time and filament usage.

There you have it! It started small, with some Tinkercad tutorials and a quick 3D printing project and grew from there. Now, Van Meter has integrated these technologies across all grade levels and subjects. Van Meter’s program clearly shows that although the possibilities are extraordinary, starting off can be fairly simple. Transforming learning is a big task and may sound a bit high-flown. However, my big takeaway was that these technologies enabled the gradual growth of a program and inspired a mindset of change and evolution. Here’s 5 ways combining AR and 3D printing can transform learning.

1 – Build essential 21st century skills

When using CAD, AR and 3D printing together, students are deeply involved in the learning process. This process allows them to build skills like critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, problem solving, perseverance, and more. For example, using the Object Viewer app with the Merge helped McClintock Miller’s students visualize CAD projects before printing them. This helped students identify areas of their creations that might have faults or need improvement.

By giving them a 360-degree view that can be manipulated, the project becomes more ‘real’ to students and helps them build critical thinking and problem solving skills as they identify areas that might have mistakes, and then work on solutions for the problems they have found. (It also doesn’t hurt that this technique will help teachers save filament and print queue time.) The ability to share objects in the app is also a very helpful feature that allows for collaboration as well as giving and receiving feedback. When using this feature, students will develop collaboration and communication skills.

2 – Incorporate transdisciplinary academic knowledge

In addition to developing 21st century skills, using these technologies together can help build academic knowledge. The most obvious use of these technologies is probably in a STEM or STEAM class or club, but the opportunities for use are not limited by subject. In the examples below, you’ll see how subjects like literacy, ELA, science, and art can be incorporated. There are also opportunities to involve other subject areas.

For example, if a social studies class is learning about a specific period in history, let’s say Ancient Rome, they can do research on what types of homes people lived in and construct their own, or create artifact reproductions from that time (vases, sculptures, tools, etc.). These are all things they can design, manipulate in AR, and eventually print. Plus, projects like these are inherently transdisciplinary, for example, you can involve math through measurement or formulas. The quickest way to get started on a highly-engaging transdisciplinary project like this is to look at what you are already teaching and see how a few tweaks or the addition of these tools might be incorporated.

3 – Increase student confidence and self-efficacy

Not only are projects involving Merge and MakerBot highly-engaging, but they also have the ability to build enthusiasm and therefore confidence in students. When students are excited about what they are learning, they are much more likely to take ownership over their own learning. Building up a sense of self-efficacy, pride, and independence in students is invaluable. Students who feel good about what they have accomplished are more likely to help others and be successful in future endeavors.

In the webinar, McClintock Miller relates the story of Luke, a 10th grade student who was enthusiastic about the arrival of the school’s first MakerBot. McClintock Miller used this enthusiasm to build excitement in other students and had Luke become the resident 3D printing expert. His work assisting other students at all grade levels greatly increased his confidence and willingness to learn other technologies and create things independently. He ended up doing this by writing a novel, designing an eBook, and scoring it himself in his senior year.

One of McClintock Miller’s first projects was with a class of kindergarteners who learned about butterflies through reading a story, then doing research on different species, and finally designing and printing their own butterflies. She talks about how those students, now in sixth grade, still talk about their projects to this day. What teacher doesn’t dream of that kind of sticking power for their lessons?

4 – Prepare students for the future

That type of staying power is what leads students to discover their passions, dreaming of futures and careers in which those passions play a role. Perhaps some of those students who completed the butterfly project will become entomologists or artists due to the experiences they had in kindergarten. The ability for technology to inspire is exponential. McClintock Miller discusses how she connected her students with Carla Diana, the author of LEO The Maker Prince. Diana is an expert working in the field of product design, robotics, and machine learning. Getting to speak with a working expert like this can be invaluable and inspirational for students both inside and outside the classroom.

Being public and relying on community is one of the major differentiators between doing a “project” and project-based learning (PBL). Taking steps like this can help educators build PBL experiences gradually out of their existing curriculum. (For more on getting started with PBL and incorporating tech, see our library of courses on OTIS and check out iBlocks PBL). The beauty of PBL and of building and incorporating the wider community in the classroom is that it reflects the ‘real world.’ It shows students how to work with others, opens their eyes to new possibilities. Additionally, it makes content more meaningful for them because the purpose and outcomes are very evident.

5 – Grow and develop across grade and skill levels

Nothing beats a successful outcome, especially when students have worked so hard on designing and printing. The best part is that you can give your students a taste of what it means to work hard and then succeed at any level! One of the best parts of using Merge and MakerBot together is the fact that they can be used at any grade level, as shown in the examples from Van Meter. The teachers there use these technologies across subject areas and grade bands. From something as simple as a butterfly to something more complex like building a bridge to scale, there is a way to incorporate edtech that is both meaningful for students and purposeful for educators.

AR and 3D printing projects help get students comfortable with learning new technologies and build the skills and confidence needed to think critically, learn actively, problem solve, and work together to create and innovate. It’s not a one-and-done type of approach. Using these technologies together becomes a way of thinking, not just for students, but for educators as well. It also becomes something that is ingrained in the curriculum at all levels. Thereby, it builds skills from day one and helps students to increase those skills as they develop and mature.

Example projects from the webinar:

Olympic symbol:

Students learned about the Olympics, designed a new Olympic symbol, and 3D printed it.
Thematic and current-event based prints like this allow students to connect their learning with the wider world.

LEO the Maker Prince character prints

Students read the book and were able to speak with author Carla Diana to discuss 3D printing and ask questions about careers in robotics, machine learning, etc. They then 3D printed characters from the book.
This is an example of how to build community and discover career connections to classroom content.

Design a Butterfly

Kindergarten students read Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly, then learned about different species of butterflies. They put their research to use by designing their own butterflies on chart paper. After converting pictures to 3D objects, they viewed their creations in Merge AR with Object Viewer, then 3D printed the objects.
Transdisciplinary projects like this one can incorporate many different subjects like science, ELA/literacy, art, and technology.

Gingerbread house real estate

4th grade students create gingerbread houses using Tinkercad. They then need to write a real estate ad attempting to sell the house. They are also able to view and give “tours” of the house using the Merge cube.
This is a great way to incorporate CAD and AR with or without using the printer itself if you are strapped for time.

Build a dream house together

5th grade students worked in groups to create a house complete with details like a garden, yard, pond, etc. They were able to view those creations in Merge.
Group work like this encourages collaboration and communication skills as well as teaches students how to give and receive feedback.

As you can see in the experiences and projects shared by McClintock Miller in the webinar, it can start with one printer, one student, one educator, and a simple little project. Just as with Rome, good PBL and edtech integration is not built in a day. Transformative learning starts with that first step and will grow from there.

For more tips, tricks, and tools for teaching in and out of the classroom, check out more content on the Teq Talk blog or our YouTube channels OTIS for educators and Tequipment.

We also offer virtual professional development, training, and support with OTIS for educators. Explore the technology and strategies that spark student success — no matter where teaching or learning are happening!

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