Teacher-tested lesson plans in STEAM subjects aid classroom instruction and immersive learning
Y Soft Corporation has announced be3D Academy™, an online collection of 3D resources and lesson plans designed to make it easy to teach in 3D. be3D Academy is now available to educators as an additional part of YSoft be3D eDee®, a 3D printing solution designed specifically for education.
While the benefits of 3D printing in the classroom, as an immersive learning tool that engages students and makes difficult subjects easier to understand, are well understood, many educators have neither the time nor the 3D knowledge to develop lesson plans that incorporate 3D printing.
Yet, even with these barriers, schools are increasing their 3D printing adoption. Our own research (1) shows that 77 per cent of schools planned on expanding the use of 3D printing in their schools. IDC analyst, Tim Greene, stated: “We have observed the adoption of 3D printing in education not only in engineering curriculums in higher education but the technology has made its way into K-12 institutions with the recognition that this skill set will be essential in the future.” (2)
From day one, Y Soft has worked with educators around the world to understand how 3D printing could seamlessly be part of classroom learning. By designing safety features for the eDee 3D printer and ensuring that the entire flow, from design to printed 3D model, was easy for school-aged children to use without direct supervision, eDee® has continued to meet the needs of educators. With be3D Academy, educators now have an online resource of teacher-tested science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematic (STEAM) projects that quickly bring classroom subjects to life.
Each be3D Academy lesson plan offers educators a variety of tools, including 3D model files, videos, student worksheets, and presentations to help introduce the 3D project to students. Each lesson indicates the STEAM or design concepts that the project explores. be3D Academy also includes video tutorials and a 3D model database containing ready-made models that can be printed using the YSoft be3D eDee printer.
Teacher approved
Robert Havlásek, a mathematics and informatics teacher at GML Brno, said, “Our students enjoy using 3D printing in the classroom. We can see comprehension levels rising. I like that Y Soft really listens to our feedback in creating an online library of 3D printing projects for Education.”
Joseph Martindale, teacher at The Hills Sports High School, said, “The implementation of the be3D eDee printers in our classrooms has had a significant impact on the educational outcomes of our students. Utilising “ready to teach” lesson plans from the be3D Academy has provided a streamlined process for implementing effective learning intentions and has been vital in our STEM programming and implementation. Students have loved seeing their designs come to life and enjoy exploring the opportunities 3D printing provided in both the working world and the classroom.”
Elke Heiss, Y Soft Chief Marketing Officer, said, “3D printing is particularly valuable in the classroom to convey complex subjects. When students can touch and adjust physical objects they have created, understanding increases. Comprehension of STEAM subjects can be difficult, and be3D Academy’s lessons make concepts interesting and fun. be3D Academy lesson plans range from creating castles to understanding geometric shapes and volumes to creating a Da Vinci bridge as a science learning project.”
be3D Academy is open to any educator interested in bringing the benefits of 3D printing to the classroom. The lessons and provided 3D models are designed and optimised for use on YSoft be3D eDee printers with Y Soft certified filaments. be3D Academy can be found at: be3dacademy.ysoft.com
A video introduction to be3D Academy can be viewed here.
