Although not a new phenomenon, 3-D printing is revolutionizing science, health, manufacturing, and education. These printers apply material (plastic, metal, titanium, etc.) in successive layers to make an object from a digital file. Currently, 3-D printing is at an exciting phase in its development, and as costs have dropped, the technologies have become more accessible to students and teachers who are working in an environment of innovation with increased focus on STEM and 21st-century skills.

This fall, I received a generous grant from the Petit Family Foundation to purchase two Robo R1 Plus 3-D printers for my classroom. My fifth- and sixth-grade students could not contain their excitement for this incredible opportunity. We used Tinkercad and Project Ignite to learn how to model and design using free online 3-D software, practiced tutorials together, and created works that ranged from iPod stands and keychains to abstract alien artwork and a scale model of our school.

Note that 3-D modeling, design, and printing do not occur in a vacuum. One of the goals of bringing this technology to my students was to create an awareness of how 3-D printing can impact and is impacting people all over the world. Compassion and problem solving go hand in hand, and we looked deeper at these essential questions:

How is 3-D printing changing the world?
How is 3-D printing making people's lives better?

Over time, each student researched a current event pertaining to 3-D printing and how it has an effect on the world and people's lives. Students then added a marker to the group Google Map and added a brief summary, an image, and a link to the article. Click on this final product to check out what is happening in the world!

Seeing the connection between students’ simple, local design and a larger, global 3-D printing presence was mind-blowing for some of them. The objects they modeled, designed, and were now holding in their hands had incredible potential. And they knew that one day they, too, could be a part of something larger and greater than themselves.

Tina Hurlbert is a grade 5 and 6 technology teacher in Regional School District 13 in Connecticut. Her work includes teaching students the digital and media literacy skills they need to navigate the ever-changing technologies they are faced with every day and providing them with opportunities to try a variety of technologies and software.

This article is part of a series from the Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).