Classroom innovation through 3D printing
Abstract
Purpose
Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a growing field for many professionals, including those in education. The purpose of this paper is to briefly review various ways in which 3D printing is being used to enhance classroom learning in the K-12 environment and to highlight how one academic library is supporting that endeavor.
Design/methodology/approach
According to “3D Printing Market in Education”, which reports on the anticipated development of 3D printing in the educational market for 2015-2019, 3D printing is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 45 per cent (Business Wire).
Findings
In 2012, an article in The Economist declared 3D printing “the third industrial revolution”. The following year, President Obama, in his State of the Union address lauded 3D printing saying, “A once shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the-art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything” (Gross, 2013).
Originality/value
In China, 3D printer manufacturer Tiertime estimates that “90 per cent of its domestic market share comes from school laboratories, which need desktop 3D printers so students can learn, experience and design” (China taps 3D printing consumer market, 2015).
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The 3D printers were purchased through a Student Technology Free Grant and the hard work of the following individuals: Amy Buhler, Denise Bennett, Sara Gonzalez, Tara Cataldo, Michael Howell, Margeaux Johnson, Vernon Kisling, Michelle Leonard, Ann Lindell, Valrie Minson, Cliff Richmond, Melody Royster, Hannah Norton, Don David, Christine Yip, Christine Cogar, Josh Spurgin and Evan Wack.
Citation
Elrod, R.E. (2016), "Classroom innovation through 3D printing", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 5-7. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-12-2015-0085
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited