FREE: 3D Printing, CAD Design and Curriculum Workshops For Teachers Grades 7-12
This a collaboration between Picatinny Arsenal and the MIX Lab @ Montclair State University facilitated by professor Iain Kerr and professor Jason Frasca.
All workshop sessions are paid for by Picatinny Arsenal in support of STEM and STEAM education in New Jersey.
Workshop Overview:
Three experiential workshops offering a new, radically simple method that instills confidence to teach 3D design and creativity, delivering real results in the classroom.
- These are must-attend workshops that will change how you use and teach digital design and 3D printing in the classroom—or for robotics.
- You will leave these workshops with design skills, curriculum components, and the confidence to lead your students leveraging 3D Design and 3D Printing technology.
- All participants will receive a professional development certificate in accordance with the State of New Jersey’s guidelines.
Curious about what these workshops are like and what they offer?
- You can read what past participants have experienced.
- Or dive into the form and content of how we structure our workshops.
Three Workshops for Summer 2024
Teaching & Supporting Digital Design & 3D Printing for Grades 7-12 Makers (2 Days):
Full Introduction to 3D printing, digital design teaching, & managing printers for grades 7-12.
- This workshop is ideal for any educator teaching grades 7-12 or robotics coach who is new to 3D design or is contemplating purchasing a 3D printer for teaching.
- Teachers will learn a new simple student and curiosity centered approach to teaching software and get hands-on training on best practices for managing 3d printers.
- When: July 15 & 16, 2024 or July 29 & 30, 2024
Developing Lesson Plans for Digital Design & 3D Printing - Grades 7-12 (1 Day):
By popular request - we are offering this for the first time!
- This will be a one day hands-on workshop for teachers who have taken any of our workshops to help them develop lesson plans to teach digital design and 3D printing that meet their specific context and needs.
- These workshops are designed to meet a real need that many participants in our workshops have expressed over the years: specifically usable lesson plans to implement design, 3D printing, creativity, and innovation into their classrooms.
- Teachers will learn a new simple student and curiosity centered approach to teaching software and get hands-on training on best practices for managing 3d printers.
- When: July 17, 2024 or July 31, 2024
Advanced Workshop: Teaching & Support of the Digital Design Ecosystem (1 Day):
Advanced training in 3D printing, digital design teaching, & managing printers for grades 7-12
- This workshop is focused on Intermediate and Advanced Techniques to both teach and support the whole digital design ecosystem and is ideal for any robotics coach or K-12 educator who is comfortable with 3D CAD Design software and / or a 3D Printer.
- Teachers will learn new ways to teach software that promotes 21st century skills, student design autonomy, creative exploration, and problem solving.
- This will be a hands-on deep dive into hardware and best practices for managing everything from one printer to a maker space.
- When: July 18, 2024 or August 1, 2024
All Workshop Days Include:
- Lunch, snacks, coffee, and paid parking
- A certificate of completion to apply toward Professional Development hours
- Includes ample time for in depth questions and discussions.
- Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm
- Location: The MIX Lab in the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University
- Laptops will be provided for those who need them with all the necessary software
- All software used during these training sessions is free for educators and students and is approved by school districts.
- 20 participants max, per session.
- Reservation requests will be prioritized by school districts in need and order of registration.
Learn More
If your curious about what these workshops are like and what they offer?
- You can read what past participants have experienced
- Or dive into the form and content of how we structure our workshops.
Choose Your Own Workshop
You can participate in any or all of these summer workshops... But seats are limited!
Workshop Agenda's
Agenda for Teaching & Supporting Digital Design & 3D Printing for Grades 7-12 Makers (2 Days)
A child and creativity centered introduction to teaching Fusion:
1. Introduction to Teaching Digital Design (Fusion)
- What is digital design, and why it is different from physical design
- Teaching digital design for joy and curiosity: the basics
- Software overview
- Fusion overview (yes, you can be an expert)
- Teaching Fusion exercises and games for fast and deep learning
2. Introduction to Teaching Digital Design (Fusion)
- On creativity and innovation
- 10 key techniques to teach Fusion for creativity
- How to connect design to 3D printing to creativity to the classroom
- Digital design and 3D printing in education—from the arts to the sciences and back.
3. Introduction to 3D Printing
- Hands-on introduction to the practicalities of working with 3D printers, from software to hardware
- How 3D printing works
- Preparing and sending prints
- Removing and cleaning prints
- Basics of Running a printer
4. Introduction to 3D Printing Techniques
- Arranging prints on the platform
- Optimization of print time and material
- Basic print settings
- Solving common printing errors by being smart about design and printing software usage
- Supports, rafts, shells, warping, and more
5. Introduction to 3D Printer Maintenance
- Maintaining Printers
- Save money by clearing jammed extruders
- How to level print beds for flat and accurate prints
- Techniques to get prints to stick to the print beds, such as taping
- Stop the squeeks with proper maintenance and lubrication
- Filament holders to optimize changing filament spools
6. Finishing 3D prints for use and presentation
- An introduction to all aspect of transforming a rough print into a functional object
- How to remove rafts and supports
- How to sand and smooth prints
- How to finish prints with paint and other techniques
- How to embed outside components into prints
- What are all the tools, tips and tricks to get the most from your print
Agenda for Developing Lesson Plans for Digital Design & 3D Printing for Grades 7-12 - (1 Day)
This 1-day workshop designed for educators and robotics coaches who have taken any of our other workshops with the goal of developing lesson plans to meet learning objectives and student outcomes:
We have specially developed these workshops to meet a real need that many participants in our workshops have expressed over the years: teachers looking for usable lesson plans to implement design, 3D printing, creativity, and innovation into their specific classrooms.
In the morning, we will introduce and workshop techniques, exercises, games, and projects with accompanying support materials and documentation. The morning ends with a customization session for the exercises and games that adapt to the teacher's specific pedagogy.
In the afternoon, we’ll workshop the techniques, approaches, and exercises into lesson plans specific to the teacher's context.
Teachers will leave with an exercise, technique, and game booklet, a cheat-sheet on best practices for teaching digital design, as well as co-developed lesson plans.
Agenda for Advanced Workshop: Advanced Workshop: Teaching & Support of the Digital Design Ecosystem (1 Day):
This advanced 1-day workshops are designed for intermediate to advanced educators and robotics coaches. This workshop is a continuation of our introduction course, and it is also suitable for teachers with a basic proficiency in Fusion (or similar design platforms).
1. Beginning: Overview / Refresher to 3D Printing and software
- Hands-on overview and refresher – starting with the basics of working with 3D printers, from software to hardware, but from the lens of harnessing a deeper understanding to elevate what can be done in your classrooms and labs.
- How to develop a conjoined approach and ecosystem for 21st century skills and deep STEAM learning
2. Advanced Digital Design (Fusion)
- A student centered approach: An advanced introduction (hands-on)
- An advanced introduction to becoming a native digital maker (hands-on)
- Developing practices for taking advantage of the iterative loop between digital design, 3D printing, and making. (hands-on)
3. Advanced Design Skills
- Measurements - connecting physical to digital scales
- Collaboration - with objects and the software
- Multi-component projects - design and print in parts to maximize 3D printer output
- Biomorphic Modeling - advanced techniques built into the software
- Importing sketches from PDFs and other related techniques
- From Fusion to advanced design and making tools
4. Developing the Digital Mindset
- How to introduce advanced digital design to students, and what is the ‘mindset’ of digital design?
- Teaching digital design for joy and curiosity: the advanced universe
- Teaching philosophies from the arts to engineering to biology and beyond
- Introducing advanced skills a step-by-step guide
- 10 key techniques to teach advanced Fusion
- How to connect design to printing to innovation
- Digital Design and 3D Printing in Education — making a holistic universe in your school.
- Advanced games and exercises for 21st century skills learning
5. Advanced 3D Printing Techniques (from pieces within pieces to post-printing magic)
- Understanding how to take advantage of the logic of printers and prints in the design process
- Using custom print settings to maximize filament and beautiful objects
- How to use Cura and other print platforms
- Solving advanced printing errors by being smart about design and printing software usage
- Custom supports and advanced techniques to ensure a successful print
- Understanding what the right machine or process is for each specific task
6. Building out and maintaining the ecosystem:
- Building and maintaining a printing ecosystem
- What does support look like? From tools to techniques to community
- How does digital meet analog?
- Best practices for efficient printing management
7. Designing 3D prints for functioning in the physical world:
- An introduction to advanced techniques to make functional objects
- Multipart objects: moving components, hinges, fittings, etc.
- Hybrid objects: What is best printed? What is best made with other digital tools (laser, CNC, etc.), and what is best made via analog fabrication? How do all of these processes come together?
- Casting: making molds to get the right final material
- Collaboration: Working in fusion, iteration, and advanced experimentation
Choose Your Own Workshop
You can participate in any or all of these summer workshops... But seats are limited!
What Our Community is Saying
One of the best workshops I have attended in my 6 years of teaching. The two days met different concerns that I had for my upcoming year of teaching several STEM courses. I now have so many ideas about what to teach and how to teach it. Thank you for your time, effort, and professionalism.
Matthew Ducker Duffy
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Blown away by the methodology used to introduce 3D design, establishing facility with foundation features by repetitive design exercises using these features to "make anything”
Bill Ruhl
Golda Och Academy
Thanks to Iain and Jason for their patience and for being so accommodating. They are wonderful teachers and hosts. I truly enjoyed all aspects of this workshop.
June Polidoro
St. Anthony School
Really helpful workshop that makes me feel more confident in my instruction! As a new teacher, I really appreciate the way the instructors created practical applications for 3D printing, so what I learned will definitely be incredibly helpful to my teaching practice.
Bridget Day
Gregory Elementary School
I'd go for a whole series of these, where we could go even more in-depth: Learning through the eyes of our students and thinking about the implications of the plasticity of the software on the design process.
Tim Steen
Eastern Christian School
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