It was very exciting to learn that an article I had written for SchoolArts magazine has been published in the February 2016 edition. The article is about the MiscoeMakerCrew, a group of twelve students who met weekly after school to learn about 3D printing and designing 3D models. Here is the link to the article: February 2016 SchoolArts Magazine

SchoolArts is a national magazine, which has been in print since 1901. It is a powerful vehicle for art educators to share ideas and find inspiration. Given that many art educators often lack authentic colleagues as they are the only art teacher in their school, SchoolArts is more than a magazine; it is also a community. Although I subscribe to digital issues at this time, I have a bookcase full of print copies of the magazine from years past. I am honored to have work published in SchoolArts.

I wrote the article nearly a year ago when all of my work with students and 3D printing took place outside of the art curriculum. Since then, I have written units and drafted lessons for designing for 3D printing. One such unit is the “Castle” unit here: Castle STEAM Unit

This school year my fifth students are working with 3D modeling apps on their iPads to design game pieces and “morphed”  animals (such as the SphinxCat) while my sixth grade students design bridges, cityscapes, and castles. These units are tied to the National Core Art Standards, but they can also be linked to standards in other areas including ISTE, NGSS, CCSS, and the Four C’s of the 21st Century Skills.

I have learned so much about 3D design and printing in the past year, primarily through trial and error while designing and building models, and also through Twitter and sharing with other art educators and makers. An important new development in app choices for 3D design is Morphi and their newly released Morphi Edu, which has a draw-to-3D capability not found anywhere else. Although my students will continue to use 123D Design app for some of their designing, they will also use Morphi. The next thing I would like to see is a way to combine models from both apps on the build board at the same time. I believe this will happen, the question is simply when.

Lastly, I am very proud of the MiscoeMakerCrew and thankful for the grant from MakerBot and Donors Choose. To see how this came to be for my school and my students, watch this video, which was also made about a year ago: MiscoeMakerCrew

“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Lao Tzu