3D printing technology encourages students to explore ideas and make them a reality.
By Andrea Herrera
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
A group of aspiring teachers from the EDUC 2301, Special Populations, class were assigned to do a presentation Oct. 28 about 3D printing and the benefits and impact it has in the classroom.
The team included education sophomores Zuleima Landaverde, and Elizabeth Guerra, who aspire to be kindergarten teachers, as well as Alexis Marquez who wants to teach second grade in the future.
Having a 3D printing studio at the MegaLab in Room 502 of Moody Learning Center, helped the team create a video which showed the process of forming various shapes, such as squares, triangles and rectangles.
“3D printer can inspire students to play at design and discover by the action of building,” Marquez said during the presentation.
“It is a learning tool for kinesthetic and visual learners,” Landaverde said.
“They need to be able to touch it, hands on,” Guerra said.
Landaverde showed her niece, who is in kindergarten and her nephew who is in elementary school, the process of creating shapes and objects.
She showed them a tiny frog that was printed at the MegaLab.
“My niece and nephew loved them, that they can see them being built and use them. To have the little actual animal, to show them these are the legs, this is the body. It’s a great learning visual tool,” she said.
Students and staff can create their own products that can benefit them with their personal or academic needs and get them printed at the MegaLab.
“The possibilities are endless,” Landaverde said.