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"Designing your own 3D printed parts is a skill that every person who owns a printer should have or be actively acquiring. The power to design exactly what you want feels incredible when you actually have it, and the lack of those skills is incredibly frustrating when they present themselves. More from Weekend Watch Weekend Watch: This Hydraulic Press Channel Is Crushing It Weekend Watch: "Ron's Stuff" Is a Collection of Kinetic Wooden Sculptures Weekend Watch: "Geek Builders" Blends Geeky and Practical in Videos Noe Ruiz over at Adafruit has an ongoing educational series called "Layer by Layer". If you skim back through the playlist, there are over 40 videos about designing for 3D printing."

"So this is pretty cool: Autodesk, the maker of the popular 3D design software AutoCAD, has just released a new app for the iPad called 123D Catch. The software enables you to capture 3D images of things using your tablet's camera."

"A few weeks ago, I introduced some of our 2nd grade elementary students to some iPad apps that let you work in 3D! Sometimes it is difficult to do 3D art projects in the art room because you need so much room to store projects from week to week. Working on the iPad lets students have some interesting virtual art experiences without the need for storage, mess, and in some cases dangerous tools."

"3D printing has brought the world some pretty awesome products, but Modio could be one of the coolest we've seen. Modio is an iOS app that lets you design your own "monster robot" from scratch, using a selection of different modules and colors. Once you've finished your amazing design, you can send it to a 3D printer and your toy comes to life, right before your eyes. "

"Tiki-Toki is an excellent web tool for creating beautiful timelines to use in your class. We have already featured this tool in several posts in the past but today we are revisiting it again as it has a very good feature added to it which allow you to view your timelines in 3D. With this new update, teachers will be able to create timelines that can be viewed in 3D format."

"On any given day at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, visitors to the Lower School library might be surprised to find it bears little resemblance to the school libraries of years past. Several 5th graders sit at computers, developing 3D luggage tags using Tinkercad to be printed on the nearby Makerbot 3D printer. On the central library tables, students are creating Rube Goldberg machines using physical manipulatives or the RubeWorks iPad app. The library is a buzz of activity and student engagement, punctuated with squeals of excitement. And overseeing the makerspace is librarian Judy Houser, a veteran educator who took the visionary step of transforming this once quiet library into a space where students not only learn to love reading, but learn to explore, create and innovate using a variety of tools"

"Given the prevalence of Chromebooks in schools, and the momentum with 3D Printing as a school science activity, it seems logical that people would ask "How can we do 3D Printing with just Chromebooks?". Here's some ideas for tools that will all work on the web - on your Chromebook (or in your other computer's browser with no downloaded software)."

"The City X Project toolkit is the most educationally relevant introductory 3D printing and design thinking curriculum available for 8 to 12 year-olds. It is a detailed guide to facilitating the City X Project workshop with your own students. Though it is best run with a 3D printer, the City X Project still works great using just free 3D modeling software recommended in our instructor's guide."

"MakerBot has officially launched its MakerBot PrintShop app, a free iOS-only tool that's designed to assist those of you looking to 3D print your own little trinkets and doodads. That is, of course, assuming that you have one of the company's somewhat-pricey 3D printers. If not, a virtual designer will you forever be."

"It's a beautiful thing when students can use digital tools to build real world creations. While 3D printing is still a little on the expensive side, the Foldify app does an amazing job allowing students to create their own three dimensional paper masterpieces. Using the app, students can choose different paper templates, paint them digitally, model them in 3D, then print for assembly in the real world. It really is a delightfully fun, creative and rewarding experience."

"Making can take a number of fascinating and educationally valuable forms. From arts and crafts to coding and design, just about any interest can be used to spark a passion in creation and making. One form of making that has become increasingly simple, cheap and more and more popular in schools is that of 3D modelling. SketchUp is the most popular 3D modelling tool available, and with a featureful and free version (SketchUp Make) available to educators, it's most certainly a great place for any class to start reimagining the world in 3D."

"In our three gr. 8 classrooms, students have learned the process of 3D printing using dual extrusion (printing with 2 colours) using a Makerbot Replicator 2X. Last year, due to the large number of students we had using the printer, we needed another to keep up, but this time we chose an AirWolf 3D HDR printer for a few reasons: cloud based slicing via Astroprint, larger print size, and the ability to print with a wider range of materials. Added bonus - the tech support help from AirWolf3D is excellent. While I've posted some examples of how our students design and print using dual extrusion with the Makerbot, my teaching partner, Marc Westra, and I quickly learned the process was quite different using an AW3D HDR - like taking the elevator instead of the stairs. Here's what I learned over the Christmas break, and what we'll be teaching our students…"

"A makerspace is a collaborative work space inside a school, library or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools.  These spaces are open to kids, adults, and entrepreneurs and have a variety of maker equipment including 3D printers, laser cutters, cnc machines, soldering irons and even sewing machines.  A makerspace however doesn't need to include all of these machines or even any of them to be considered a makerspace.  If you have cardboard, legos and art supplies you're in business.  It's more of the maker mindset of creating something out of nothing and exploring your own interests that's at the core of a makerspace.  These spaces are also helping to prepare those who need the critical 21st century skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  They provide hands on learning, help with critical thinking skills and even boost self-confidence.  Some of the skills that are learned in a makerspace pertain to electronics, 3d printing, 3D modeling, coding, robotics and even woodworking,   Makerspaces are also fostering entrepreneurship and are being utilized as incubators and accelerators for business startups.  There have already been some amazing success stories that have come out of makerspaces to date. "

"The use of 3D printers is becoming increasingly prevalent across the workforce, from medicine to confectionary, aerospace to sportswear. The mere concept of them can seem daunting, and it is therefore easy for school leaders to overlook the benefits a 3D printer can have for their pupils. We've put together a list of strong arguments in favour of this fantastic investment in a bid to help you put forward a winning pitch to your school decision makers!"

"3D Pens have popped up everywhere. Ok, not everywhere - like there are none in my sock drawer - but certainly in stores and online where, just a year ago, you would not have seen them. If you have already tried a 3D Pen or bought one or generally know about them, you can stop reading now. If you wanted to understand the basics of what they are, this short post should help you."

"You thought that by now your kid would just be popping out toys, books, and maybe the occasional missing LEGO piece from a personal 3D printer. Patience. While these devices not as ubiquitous as your old HP Deskjet, they are finding their way to a makerspace, public library, and science center near you. And, because of that fact, Sarah O'Rourke, the product marketing manager at Autodesk, is trying to take your kid's interests and figure out how to make cool stuff they'll love IRL (like a Pokemon Go aimer). Here are few ways she gets her young design students to transition from fabricating in Play-Doh to constructing in plastic."

"It could be very soon that every child amputee can don a bionic arm in their favorite Disney character's colors for a fraction of the current price. This result will be thanks to Open Bionics and 3D printing. This week, a clinical trial of 3D printed bionic hands for children starts in Bristol. The trial is the world's first and could result in children receiving bionic hands at a fraction of the regular cost of £60,000. Funding from the Small Business Research Initiatives scheme made the trial a reality. 3D printing plays a large part in the price decrease from £60,000 to a projected £5,000. This is thanks to the technology's ability to offer amputees a custom fit at the same time as speeding production. If the trial is successful, bionic hands for kids could soon be available on the NHS (the national healthcare system for the UK). The hands would also feature kids' favorite Disney characters."

"Our Dual-Nozzle Scribbler 3D Pen takes it to another level! With multiple new functions to help take your creativity to the moon."

"8-year-old Kaori Misue was born without fingers. Usually, creating specialized prosthetics costs upwards of $15,000. However, thanks to a 21-year-old inventor, Misue received a prosthetic hand which has changed her life. Gino Tubaro is offering kids born without limbs the chance to receive a cheap 3D printed prosthetic. Misue's mother, Karina Misue, adds: "It was magical… The confidence it gives kids is tremendous. They're using it with pride." Tubaro's 3D printed prosthetic designs are part of the "Alternative Limbs Project", which began in his home of Argentina. The prints come in a range of designs, offering users the chance to decide what they need the prosthetic for most, whether it's playing an instrument or ping-pong. The prosthetics for kids can even be superhero themed (and shoot rubber bands)."