When we’re not making awesome Belts and Hex Bolt Covers, some of the brains at MakerBot are working with educators to refine the 3D printing curriculum in schools. Liz Arum has done an amazing job spreading the knowledge through our collaboration with NYU-Poly. Check out the video above to hear more about the GK-12 Fellows program.

Our GK-12 program is a signature science, technology, and engineering initiative here at NYU Poly. In that program we pair our graduate students in a variety of stem dis with K-12 teachers in Brooklyn public schools….

We share the MakerBots with them and they share the curriculum with us, which, in turn, we give to our community.

Another great chance to learn about 3D modeling for a MakerBot! Liz Arum and Jon Santiago will be teaching the course. This will take place at The Yard, a Brooklyn co-working space. Here’s what you can expect to learn:

During this day-long intensive workshop you’ll learn how to make and personalize 3D models with Blender and Makerware. You’ll learn how to use these tools, think about strategies to deal with interlocking parts and walk out with your very only glow in the dark or flickering LED holder. No prior modeling, computer or printing experience is necessary.

The details of the workshop are below, and you can check out the Eventbrite for more information and to sign up.

When: Sunday, October 28; 10:05 AM-4 PM

Where: The Yard; 33 Nassau Ave 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY

Who: The workshop is open to all ages and skill levels

How Much: $150 (plus $9.24 Eventbrite fee)

Jon Santiago works with schools, cultural institutions and community based organizations to create after school programs that are hands-on, engaging, and promote knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). As co-founder of the HTINK educational cooperative Jon has helped start Young Maker programs throughout the New York tri-state area that get middle school and high school students interested in electronics, computer programming, design, and the use of traditional hand tools. He has also worked with MakerBot Industries to develop 3-D printing curriculum and professional development workshops for teachers. Jon graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) where he worked with the FabLab program, a global initiative to bring digital fabrication laboratories to communities around the world.

Liz Arum has a BFA from Cooper Union and an MPS from NYU’s ITP. She currently teaches Physical Computing and Computer Science at Saint Ann’s in Brooklyn, and is responsible for Education Outreach and Curriculum Development at MakerBot Industries.

Last month our Curriculum page had a new idea for every school day in September, running the spectrum from MakerBot-made tweezers to a foldable fan.

This month, Liz Arum (@lizarum) has put together a brand new batch of daily tips, this time in tutorial form. Win!

Follow along this week for some excellent guidance on using Tinkercad, one of our favorite tools for getting novices started with 3D design. Today, Liz shows you how to upload STL files directly into Tinkercad, a relatively new feature. This is great for taking something you like from Thingiverse and using it as a starting point.

Personal note: I had forgotten all about this capability in Thingiverse, so this was a helpful reminder. Nice! Tomorrow, Liz will walk us through making mashups in Tinkercad.

There’s a lot more to come with the Daily Tutorials, so stay tuned. Same Bot time, same Bot channel.

You know what they say! Always make one thing a day after Labor Day.

No one says that, but let’s make it fashionable. Liz Arum of the MakerBot Education Team has crafted a great list of “Daily Prints” for every school day in September. This list is a great way for teachers to kick start the school year with interesting things from Thingiverse and some interesting education to go along with them.

Here’s today’s:

Be sure to read the “Why am I making one?” section, too.

This project is an example of gears and for demonstrating logarithmic spirals. You could teach a lesson on simple mechanisms or logarithmic equations, or the Golden ratio.

Background
A logarithmic spiral, equiangular spiral or growth spiral is a kind of spiral curve which often appears in nature. It is related to Fibonacci numbers, the golden ratio, and golden rectangles, and is sometimes called the golden spiral. The logarithmic spiral was first described by Descartes and later investigated by Jacob Bernoulli, who called it Spira mirabilis, “the marvelous spiral”.

Check back every school day this month for a great Daily Print idea, and if you know teachers who might enjoy these quick suggestions, pass along the link. You never know who it might inspire!

Anything they want.

There was a phenomenal event over the weekend hosted by DIYAbility which showed what a great tool The Replicator can be for people with disabilities that cause limited mobility and hand control. Especially now that we only sell fully assembled and tested machines, anyone can start making things almost right away.

The workshop’s goal was to expose some teens to personal creation technology using a MakerBot Replicator. John writes,

As more people with disabilities have access to computers through operating system accessibility features, joysticks, head mice and eye gaze, whatever the technology is used to gain access, 3D printing is also an option for them to explore their creativity, make custom devices and perhaps find interests that become sustainable careers.

So awesome. And we have to give a big shoutout to our friends at Tinkercad, whose design program is perfect for introducing people to the world of 3D design. DIYAbility led workshop participants through some of the Tinkercad lessons to give these kids their first 3D models. These are some rad teens with great patience, and we’re happy to read about their fun with MakerBot.

It’s also great to read that the hosts of the event found it easy to learn on The Replicator right along with the kids.

3D printing was new to the group, even to myself but it was simple to make small objects and learn about this process – one more cool trick that personal computers can perform.

There is still time to enroll your child in a very important learning opportunity, and good news: the price has dropped and the eligibility has expanded!

NYU Poly’s Center for K-12 STEM Education and MakerBot are combining powers to get kids introduced to 3D modeling and 3D printing. This is an excellent chance to give them a leg up with a set of skills that will become very advantageous in the near future.

Here are the details:

Where: NYU-Poly Campus
6 MetroTech Center
Brooklyn, NY
Room RH 214

When: July 9th-13th, 2012 from 9am to 3pm daily

Who: Ages 10-13

Cost:  $500 $400/student (includes a lunch voucher good in our cafeteria)

Email [email protected] to find out more.

Click here to sign up!

If you’re a parent in the New York City region, take a look at this great summer workshop being organized by NYU Poly. “On the Move” is a week-long program targeted to students entering 6th, 7th, and 8th grades in the fall, and it is focused on 3D modeling and 3D printing. These are the skills that will set the next generation of creative kids apart from their peers. Get them started now!

We’re especially proud to recommend this program, since the MakerBot Education Team, Liz Arum and Jon Santiago, will be leading the instruction. Here’s some info from the website.

This workshop will focus on 3D Printing, one of the most disruptive technologies around. 3D printers allow anyone at any skill level to become producers, inventors and artists, and they are changing the way we create and learn.  During this one-week intensive workshop students will learn how to make and personalize 3D models with free, readily available software like Tinkercad, OpenSCAD and Blender. Our theme will be “On the Move,” and we will be focusing on making gears, interlocking parts and other physical mechanisms to make our creations, walk, shake, dance and fly. No prior modeling, computer or printing experience is necessary.

Where: NYU-Poly Campus
6 MetroTech Center
Brooklyn, NY
Room RH 214

When: July 9th-13th, 2012 from 9am to 3pm daily

Cost:  $500.00/student (includes a lunch voucher good in our cafeteria)

Questions? Email Susan Hermon at [email protected]

“It’s important to take the time to color inside the lines.”

“12 x 12 = 144″

“The Treaties of Westphalia heralded the era of the nation state in Europe.”

“An adverb describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.”

“Do your best; nobody can ask for more than that.”

“The First Law of Thermodynamics is you do not talk about Thermodynamics.”

Think about it: there was a specific point in time when you learned each of these things. (I double checked all but the last one, but it sounds right.) We learned these things, and we did it through the persistence and patience of great teachers, at home or in the classroom.

Whether your formal education is ongoing — hey, young readers! — or ended 50 years ago, there is never a bad time to reflect on the people who chose teaching for their career. It is a demanding and often thankless job, and we at MakerBot want teachers to know they are always on our minds.

If you are a MakerBot owner, you have the chance to give the teachers in your life a special gift. It could be a customized nameplate, a desk organizer, or the old standby, an apple.

I made an apple yesterday on my Replicator and brought it around to some of the people here at MakerBot. These are people in our company who come from lots of different backgrounds, and I was personally curious to know which teachers inspired them and got them here. Here are their answers.

Adam, Co-Founder and CTO
Is there one teacher you remember fondly?
Mrs. Wolff, physics teacher.

What was one thing that person taught you that stuck?
That there’s no luminiferous ether.

What would you say to that teacher if you had a chance?
Why the hell wasn’t that part of the basic curriculum?

Read the rest of this entry »

There’s one week left to sign up for our third class in the “How to MakerBot” series at Tekserve in Manhattan. Liz Arum, our education specialist, will be leading the class.

This class is focused on the program modeling program Blender. In order to participate, those attending the class should take some time to download the following programs before class:

• ReplicatorG
• Blender
• MeshLab
• KinectToStl
• NetFabb

And then you should bring that computer, a 3-button mouse, and a desire to learn some awesome stuff about 3D modeling and MakerBotting!

RSVP now to reserve your spot! You can view the invitation here.

Tekserve – Seminar Room
119 W 23rd Street
NY, NY 10011
212-929-3645

Thursday, May 10; 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Got a couple things for you to mark down if you’re in Western Canada or New York City.

All aboard!

Tomorrow and Sunday, April 21-22, you can catch The Replicator at Supertrain 2012 in Calgary. The Supertrain conference is “Canada’s biggest and best annual train show”. The first time I thought about trains in the context of MakerBotting was Episode 6 of MakerBot TV Season 2 a couple weeks ago. Steve Conine printed some awesome model train tracks that you can see in the video.

The Supertrain event will be a really fun chance to see The Replicator in a creative but challenging hobby environment. Our distributor Greg Thorstad will be on hand to answer questions about the technology, and he’s super knowledgeable about 3D printing and our products. Go check this out, or let your friends in the area know about the cool opportunity.

MakerBot Education @ Tekserve

In case you missed our post about it on Tuesday, we have a series of classes going on at Tekserve in New York City, taught by one of our resident MakerBot Educators, Liz Arum. The first session happened yesterday, and we have two more left.

Those in attendance will get a good rundown of MakerBotting: how to incorporate 3D modelling and 3D printing into your lifestyle, regardless of your skill level.

Anyone who attended the class yesterday will have priority status for next week’s class. Follow the link below to reserve your spot!

Tekserve – Seminar Room
119 W 23rd Street
NY, NY 10011
212-929-3645

Thursday, April 26th, 6:30pm – 8pm
Tuesday, May 8th, 6:30pm – 8pm

Laptop and 3-button extra mouse required.

Click here to RSVP.