MakerBot introduces SKETCH Classroom solution.
MakerBot is launching a new education-focused 3D printing package today which aims to give students better access to 3D tools in the classroom.
The desktop 3D printing leader's MakerBot SKETCH Classroom brings together a new line of SKETCH printers with resources, lesson plans, and cloud features designed to make it easier for teachers and students to get hands-on and integrate 3D printing into the curriculum.
“We not only giving teachers the box and letting them figure things out, we're also investing in certification, in content, in lesson plans, and everything that a teacher might need to incorporate 3D printing into the classroom,” MakerBot CEO, Nadav Goshen, told TCT. “[MakerBot SKETCH Classroom] is a new solution from us to the education market, which consists of a new printer but also a new workflow. We're changing the way 3D printing is being used in classrooms."
Similar to the early days of a single computer to every class, MakerBot says it wants to address the challenging printer-to-student ratio. To do that, SKETCH Classroom includes two MakerBot SKETCH printers, which MakerBot believes is the ideal number for effective deployment in a typical classroom setup. These desktop extrusion-based printers have been designed with safety and ease-of-use in mind with a fully-enclosed build chamber, heated and flexible build plate, filtration system, touchscreen, on-board camera and WiFi connectivity. Each machine is compatible with MakerBot PLA and Tough materials and comes equipped with an extra build plate. SKETCH printers are also UL-Certified and said to have undergone more than 46,000 hours of testing.
In addition to hardware, SKETCH Classroom offers certification programmes which train teachers to on how to use the printer and curriculum creation, and give students an understanding of 3D printing, design thinking and problem-solving skills. MakerBot is believed to offer the only ISTE-Certified 3D printer training programs with interactive content and applicable professional development credits for teachers. To get started, teachers can also access more than 600 3D printing lesson plans for a variety of different subjects in grades K-12 via Thingiverse Education.
“It's a dual approach,” Goshen explained. “One is to educate and certify the teachers and the second is to give [an] “out of the box” classroom course that teaches students about design thinking."
MakerBot believes the optimum setup is two printers per class, connected by cloud software.
MakerBot already has a large user base in the education sector with over 7,000 of its machines installed in schools across North America. Speaking about working with teachers on the pressing need to equip students with the necessary skills for a rapidly changing job market, Goshen, told TCT:
“We have what we call MakerBot Educators, they are a very close group of teachers that we work with, and we have a continuously ongoing relationship with many schools, districts and teachers. So we are well versed in the challenges the education system has in general and we talk about STEM education and problem solving. That's not specifically tied to 3D printing but it's also about the actual challenges that the education system has when trying to teach students for future jobs. We take all of that and we verify our ideas with that peer group.”
Natively connected to MakerBot Cloud with integration for CAD programmes likes TinkerCad, Autodesk Fusion 360, and Onshape, the SKETCH Classroom software suite provides all the necessary tools for design and print preparation, while allowing teachers to easily manage and queue up multiple student projects from any browser.
“We have 20 to 30 students in a classroom, one teacher and one tool. So, by definition, there are limits to how much you can experience with that technology," Goshen added. "It's not only the actual physical ratio, it's also how do you manage it because a teacher has to become some kind of administrator and if there is no tool to support them, it becomes another task they have to deal with. We took both problems and solved them by setting the SKETCH Classroom as a two printer setup but also connecting it with our MakerBot Cloud solution that will enable teachers to queue up, manage and monitor the project on one hand, but also give students the flexibility and ability to submit a project by themselves.
"I think that definitely will improve the accessibility to the technology. Schools are kind of expanding now from one dedicated, exclusive 3D printer for a group of kids to something which is much more widespread within the school. [So, yes] that trend is happening.”
SKETCH Classroom will begin shipping in North America from 17th February priced at 1,799 USD, while other locations will follow later this year.
