Challenge Day 2: One piece of technology I'd like to use this year.......

The response to this is an absolute "no brainer" because (as mentioned in yesterday's post) we will be taking delivery of our very own Ultimaker 3D printer courtesy of Tim Carr at Mindkits at 10.00 am tomorrow morning. This is one piece of technology I can't wait to get my hands on. Will I REALLY have to share it with the students??????? The arrival of our 3D printer has come about through a student Impact Project (more on ASHS Impact Projects in a future post) led by Sam, a Year 11 student. He came to me at the beginning of this Impact Project semester saying he'd like to use a 3D printer for his project. I told his that this was a great idea but........we didn't have one at school. So...how about he research 3D printers, costs, availability, compatibility with our school systems, on-going support and so on. His project will come into fruition tomorrow and I'm anticipating that there will be at least one very excited student (and teacher) at school tomorrow..........

As the Ultimaker is arriving at the very end of the year when our Product Design students are already well into prototyping their outcomes they may not gain maximum benefit from it this year. However, I am already envisaging a number of last minute changes or additions to their prototypes given that they will have access to a 3D printer. I'm picturing Banksy inspired graffiti buttons for Ella's bag, An oriental head-dress to go with Maddi's repurposed Cheong Sam, an elephant necklace to compliment Tina's dress,  a 60's-inspired daisy corsage.......and that's just me. What will the students dream up?

So what does this mean for the students?
Engagement? owning their learning? coding? creativity? risk-taking? intelligent failure? problem-solving? collaborating with each other and the global "Ultimaker" community - all necessary skills needed to lead a successful life in the rapidly changing world our students will be immersed in when they leave school.

For 2015....where will this take us? Only our imagination will limit us - Will it fit in with NCEA criteria? You bet your life it will...........