Afinia 3D Printer

3D Printer for Home, Education and Rapid Prototyping

Getting Real and Opening Doors: 3D Printing and Hands-On Experience at Grants Pass High School

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David Brannen is the Woodshop and Manufacturing teacher at Grants Pass High School, in Grants Pass, Oregon. Brannen has 11 years of teaching experience and over 25 years of experience in furniture and cabinetry creation.

Diving Into 3D

A vase printed by one of Brannen's students.
A vase printed by one of Brannen’s students.

“I had absolutely no experience with 3D printers before getting one in my classroom. Honestly, I didn’t even know what it was or what it did when I found out I was receiving one through the Perkins Grant Program. I went to a mandatory workshop thinking it would just be a neat toy.

By the end of the day, I was going crazy and couldn’t wait to give it to the students. Once it was in the classroom we were using it constantly so they gave us another. We just kept printing and printing, and are now lucky enough to have four 3D printers in our room.” [Read more…]

Gateway Technical College’s Fab Lab Creates Opportunities with 3D Printing

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Greg Herker is the Fab Lab Program Coordinator for Gateway Technical CollegeGateway Technical College. He designs and coordinates the programs and is in charge of Fab Lab operations. Herker describes the Fab Lab as “A movement. A place where ideas and innovations happen.”

The Lab is open to students, businesses, and the entire community. [Read more…]

Dr. Williams is Bringing Education Back to Life with 3D Printing

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Dr. Keith Williams is a visiting professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Virginia and a program manager for a research division of Leidos, based at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C. Leidos is a company that assists the US in combating threats to national security. Dr. Williams tweets about his UVa Introduction to Engineering class using the Twitter handle @engr1620.

The Technological Cloud

If you stumble upon Dr. Williams’ blog, it appears that he is opposed to using technology in the classroom, terming it a “technological cloud” hanging over education. But dig deeper and it becomes clear that his complaint is [Read more…]

Constructing Knowledge and Connecting Curricula with Dr. Thornburg and 3D Printing

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Dr. Thornburg is the founder and Director of Global Operations for the Thornburg Center and an award-winning Futurist, author, and consultant. He recently authored “The Invent to Learn Guide to 3D Printing in the Classroom: Recipes for Success” with Norma Thornburg and Sara Armstrong.

Learning In Style

Studies have shown that students have different learning styles. Some may learn visually, some aurally, and some kinetically. Dr. Thornburg realizes that students all learn differently, also recognizing that “students learn best when they are constructors of their own knowledge.” For this reason, Dr. Thornburg has focused on creating materials that assist educators in encouraging their students to construct knowledge and “become comfortable with learning to become makers.” [Read more…]

3D Printing the Imagination: Educating for the Future

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Ebelt is a pilot, participated in NASA’s Zero Gravity flight, and enjoys gliding on the weekends.

 

Kaye Ebelt is an inspired educator and life-long learner who has a BA in Elementary Education, ME in Computer technology, and MS in Science Education. She is currently an Albert Einstein Fellow, serving as the Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation. Ebelt also participated in NASA’s MicroGX and Reduced Gravity Flight in 2011.

The Power of Passion

It is clear from Kaye Ebelt’s background that she has a passion for learning. During her interview, we learned how she is passing that passion on to other teachers and students. As the Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation, Ebelt provides her expertise forming STEM education programs. When we asked how Ebelt was awarded the Directorate position, she admitted, “It started with me wanting to know what a 3D printer was. A fellow teacher connected me with John Westrum from Afinia, and he set me up with a printer. When I got it, it was the only thing my students and I focused on for two months. They would skip lunch and recess to print!”

Ebelt recognizes the impact that teaching has on students. “When you have a teacher who is so passionate about what they are dong, you get excited about it. A teacher is supposed to share their experiences. When a teacher shares their passion for STEM, their students are more likely to go into a STEM career.” [Read more…]