Making Great Futures with Makerbot!

Funded Dec 9, 2013

I have good news for you all! The MakerBot entered my department at a smallish Iowa high school (620 students 9-12) and created a lot of excitement and a million awed smiles. We fired up the Replicator 2 and the science and math teachers brought their classes in to admire the working 3-D printer. We must have printed two dozen bracelets that day! One student told his Dad who is an engineer at a local zinc-casting plant, Deco, and the Dad brought his other two engineering colleagues to our school to inspect the printer. The engineers then spoke to one of my classes for 40 minutes, all thanks to your generous gift. By the way, The engineers then purchased a couple of 3-D printers for their company. Viewing this printer creates BUZZ.

The Replicator 2 entered my world at the beginning of second semester, and I had a very large group of seniors in a welding and fabrication class. A few students had taken my Introduction to Autocad class so I had planned on using them to design our metal cutting projects using CAD. I pulled one senior out of the normal curriculum to work exclusively on the MakerBot, and he rocked it all semester long, often coming in my MakerBot room (my office was given over to the MakerBot) during his lunch time, and many other study hall periods. Ben is shown in the photos demoing the unit at a science fair at a local community college, where we printed customized guitar picks and gave them away. He made parts almost every day. He designed the back plate on the Iowa guitar that we built this spring. He made small tools for the greenhouse, as well as a customized tablet stylus for a handicapped student. I required that he write down all of the instructions for using the MakerBot so his knowledge can be passed on to me and the other students who will follow. His paper was 6 pages long and is a brilliant example of accessible yet technical writing, with a little humor as well. He is shown holding the paper as well as a hollow cube that he designed and printed, and I stood on many times as a demonstration as to the strength of the plastic. Ben is not an advantaged person, and I give you my most sincere thanks for giving him a tool where he could SHINE.

The Makerbot is a very bright light in a rather difficult teaching year. I have wholeheartedly recommended this tool to my Industrial Technology peers. From a student point of view, the machine is compelling, cool, and student-programmable!

It's a little touchy, but that's OK too. These machines are part of the future for sure, and because of you my students have observed, programmed, repaired, discussed, designed, gasped is awe, collaborated, and have truly grown at school! Thanks for sparking imagination and talent!”

With gratitude,

Mr. Condon