Toys in the classroom

I love my "toys" that I use in my classroom! Sure I get to make just about anything I want and so can my students, but can they actually learn anything from using this and having fun?

They sure can, all my equipment is nice but unless you know how to use them, they are just big paper weights.  3-D Printers, laser engravers, even computer are useless unless we can actually use them.  All of the equipment in my rooms are used in my lessons in me engineering and wood shop classes.  They have to know how the machine works and its limitations. They have to know how to properly operate each thing and know if how to fix it when something is wrong (if I am not around).

Let take my 3-D printer, my students learn a CAD software in class, from making a simple shape to something as complex as a toy car.  They have to know how that object looks on all six sides and know all the measurements to properly complete it. They also have to know how to calibrate their object with the some errors built in since the 3-D printer is not perfect and they will need to adjust to compensate for that.  They see it as a way to make something cool, something they thought was a challenge, hard or easy.  In reality what I just thought them was, how to use an industry level software, pictorial views, spacial recognition, measurements, basic statistics, and material testing.  The way I see it, if they kids thinks its fun to do they will try to learn it through what I teach them or they will find other ways to understand it. 

 The CNC machine or plasma cutter can be used with many different software but is not to technical.  Some students find that 3-D modeling software to be intimidating and tend to shut down and don't want to try it.  These machines are a little different.  Both machines you are able to imagine and be creative on what you want to do but with these machines you just have to see it in one view, which is a whole lot easier than six.  Students learn that certain materials have different strengths and special bits or temperature to be able to cut through it.  They can create there pattern by drawing a regular "flat drawing" and have the program handle the math.  So what did they learn, well they still learn about measurements, they learn about density and strengths of materials, and they learn to have confidence with using something so complex.  Thought the machine is simple to use there are a lot of small little details the student has to consider prior to turning it on. 

All the equipment in my rooms are used by my students but only after they have learned how to use it, from start to finish.  Using technology in your room is fun by being able to say that you know how to use it with out anyone telling you what to do is a lesson on its own.  STEM principle are great but using them in practical applications like this is just as important.