As a first-year Denver Math Fellow (I assist math teachers and tutor in small groups), last week I was give a reprieve from my daily grind of lesson plans and teaching by participating in what my school calls Explore Week. This is a week where I was partnered with a teacher, chose a topic to explore with students, made a video promoting our explore class, and had students sign up to join us.
The topic my teaching partner and I decided on was “Creating Furniture Using Non-Traditional Methods and Materials.” Our course included designing and creating furniture models from cardboard, as well as 3D printing simple models. It was a lot of fun, and as I said, a nice change of pace, not to mention I really felt I was in my comfort zone.
Explore Week was made possible by the efforts of several companies, including:
Software we used for the project:
- Onshape for 3D design for 3D printing
- Autodesk 123D Make for converting 3D designs to 2D cardboard designs for laser cutting of cardboard
Hardware we used for the project:
- Epilog laser cutter (owned by the school)
- MakerBot (Fifth Generation) (also owned by the school)
Example 3D printed models were generously provided by:
- Wohlers Associates
- The 3D Printing Store (which also provided an excellent presentation on 3D printing, as well as bringing a MakerBot Replicator 2 onsite for additional printing capability)
