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How has your MakerBot changed how your kid sees toys?
How Having a MakerBot Changes How
Children Think
MakerBots in the classroom are particularly powerful. At its core, a MakerBot
is an innovation machine, it lets anyone, including students, create the things
that they imagine. Because the cost of print material is so low, teachers can
let students make things on the classroom MakerBot and if they don't get it
right the first time, they can redesign it and make it again. And again.
So many young people try things and give up when things don't work out the
first time. With the freedom to fail, students can iterate and develop their
ability to push through failure and try again and again until they are satisfied.
And somewhere between success and failure, they might accidentally make
something unexpected and wonderful.
It seems so simple this idea of trying and trying again, but iteration is a pow-
erful force in the world. Once a young person realizes that failure is a passa-
geway to accomplishment, there is nothing they can't do.
It is MakerBot's mission to get MakerBots in the classroom so young people
can develop their ability to innovate and make the things they need instead
of buying them.
MakerBots in the Classroom
Chris Connors teaches in the Technology and Engineering track at Pembroke
High School in Pembroke, MA. Regarding using a MakerBot to prototype in
his classroom, Chris writes:
In each course, students are encouraged to learn the design software,
and print the designs they can for classroom projects. Initial designs are
geared toward very quick builds, ideally, 20 minutes per part. As stu-
dents become more proficient, they can take on larger or more time
consuming design files, with the understanding that they will need to
find a mutually appropriate time for printing the part, such as before
school, during lunch, during study hall or after school.
Chris shared the following two stories of how having a MakerBot in the class-
room is changing the way his students think.
After school printing
During a class, some resources are scarce, where others are abundant.
Brandyn's class had one computer for every student, and there were two
MakerBots available. He realized that he would have a tough time getting
access to the scarce resource of the desktop 3D printers, so he started
coming after school to get his build to work.
 
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