Introduce 3D printing into the curriculum with ease, with the help of MakerBot Learning

So your school has just acquired its first, brand new 3D printer….now the fun can really start! Some of you may already know exactly what you want to start printing with your students, whilst others of you may be struggling for inspiration. But no matter which category you fall into, you’re going to love MakerBot’s Thingiverse – especially MakerBot Learning!

Just in case you didn’t know, MakerBot’s Thingiverse is a flourishing online design community for discovering, making and sharing anything 3D printable with the rest of the world. It is the world’s largest 3D printing community and is completely free to use. Its members have already uploaded over 571,080 3D models – a number that is constantly growing! Browse through all of the incredible objects Thingiverse members have created and print any one you like on your very own 3D printer. Or better still, as Thingiverse encourages uploaded designs to be licensed under a ‘Creative Commons Licence’ whereby anyone can use or alter any design, you can remix the creations you find to make them even better! You can then share your remixed creations or your very own designs made from scratch for others to enjoy.

At MakerBot, they recognised what an incredible tool Thingiverse could be for the education sector and as such created MakerBot Learning. MakerBot Learning has been designed to connect educators to Thingiverse, providing them with 3D printing know-how that has been created for use within schools. It is broken down into different collections surrounding the STEAM subjects – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. For each subject there are two categories; the first is ‘Things’ which provide a collection of .stls (the most common file format used when exchanging and publishing 3D models) that are applicable for each subject. They are ready to be used in the classroom and have been designed to help teach the core concepts of each subject. Whilst the second category – ‘Projects’ – provides a collection of high quality lesson plans that include educator-relevant information for using each ‘Project’ in the classroom, such as learning objectives and grade levels. Many projects are even provided with step by step instructions, photographs and downloadable activity sheets.

The ‘Things’ and ‘Projects’ on MakerBot learning are sure to keep students engaged and motivated right from the word go, whilst encouraging experimentation and innovation in the process. The lesson plans are endless, from building bridges in Engineering, to exploring the layers of the Earth in Science and designing artefacts in Art; excite your students with MakerBot Learning!

The full range of MakerBot Replicator 3D printers are available from Utility Rentals, via our simple and affordable rental contracts. Each MakerBot 3D printer is available on a range of rental packages, enabling your school to rent the 3D printer only along with our teacher packs or the full package which also includes installation of the 3D printer, training of the 3D printer, as well as a market leading 3 year onsite warranty.

To find out more, call us on 01628 667373 and a member of the team will be happy to recommend a selection of 3D printers for you to consider which best suit your requirements. We look forward to hearing from you soon!