FREE: 3D Printing, CAD Design and Curriculum Workshops For Teachers Grades K-6

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 with Young Makers (2 Days):

Full Introduction to 3D printing, digital design teaching, & managing printers for grades K-6.

This workshop is ideal for any educator teaching grades K-6 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 8 & 9, 2024 or July 22 & 23, 2024

Developing Lesson Plans for Digital Design & 3D Printing - Grades K-6 (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 10, 2024 or July 24, 2024

Advanced Workshop: Teaching & Support of the Digital Design Ecosystem (1 Day):

Advanced training in 3D printing, digital design teaching, & managing printers for grades K-6

This workshop is focused on intermediate and advanced techniques to both teach and support the entire digital design ecosystem and is ideal for any K-12 educator or robotics coach who is already 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 with Young Makers (2 Days)

A child and creativity centered introduction to teaching TinkerCad:

1. Introduction to Teaching Digital Design (TinkerCad)

What is digital design, and why it is different from physical design
Teaching digital design for joy and curiosity: the basics
Software overview
TinkerCad overview (yes, you can be an expert)
Teaching TinkerCad exercises and games for fast and deep learning

2. Introduction to Teaching Digital Design (TinkerCad)

On creativity and innovation
10 key techniques to teach TinkerCad 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 K-6 - (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