Weld County rural schools get ‘maximum student use’ with 3D printing technology – Greeley Tribune

As Aims Community College partners with Alquist 3D to scale up the 3D construction printing industry in Greeley, they’ll have a healthy pipeline of K-12 students who have already begun hands-on learning with 3D printing technology, even in rural parts of the county.

Johan van Nieuwenhuizen, Weld County RE-1 Superintendent, said that the district has been pursuing career and technical education opportunities (CTE) for its more than 1 990 students in Gilcrest LaSalle and Platteville during the past few decades. Mindy Kain is the innovation coach for Weld RE-1. She said that as part of this initiative, nine 3D printers were installed in each school.

CTE offers students enhanced educational opportunities to choose the career or education that they want after high school. Weld RE-1 has CTE electives, such as robotics, drones and videography.

Thanks to CTE funding, 3D printing technology has transformed learning in the district by providing a fun and engaging way to learn.

Platte Valley RE-7, which serves more than 1,000 students in the Kersey area, purchased its first 3D printer in 2008, upgrading in 2016 to a device that’s easier to maintain and produces better quality products, according to Darren Horn, a technology teacher at Platte Valley. The district’s students also have access to a plasma cutting table and two laser cutters.

According to Horn, these devices are student-driven and focus on three areas of technical interest for students: Engineering technology, Business Technology, and Agriculture Technology.

Van Nieuwenhuizen explained that a study shows that students retain more information when they use multiple senses.

“3D printing is really about projects that students can feel and touch,” he said. “We also know that students are more engaged in the learning process because it’s not just ‘sit and listen to a lecture.’ It’s learning and doing at the same time.

“I think it’s a win-win for our students.”

Kain says that students also gain valuable experience in critical thinking and problem solving with 3D printers. The 3D printers create “a huge list” of project-based learning opportunities, she added.

Students in agriculture created models of livestock production systems and then printed them 3D to get a sense of their design abilities. These projects encourage students to think about their future.

Kain said it’s not easy to go through the 3D-printing design process, yet these students persevered. Students learn to overcome mistakes through trial and mistake, while also developing important interpersonal skills for future careers.

Horn, a technician who helps with maintenance and technical support for each device, said that students in the agriculture department of Platte Valley High school use a table with a plasma cutter, which uses a torch to cut metal. The table had been purchased five years earlier. Students have made bumpers for trucks and benches at the elementary school. They also created hundreds of signs and brackets that were intricately cut.

Platte Valley High School’s technology classes, such as advanced systems and advanced welding, use 3D modeling software to create prototypes, Horn said. These include mounting brackets, scaled models of cars, solar cars and hundreds of other models — all tested for functionality or structural integrity.

The science departments in Weld Re-1 used the printers for creating 3D DNA models. Science students can also use a freeze dryer in the district, which is another cool device.

This opens the doors to project-based education through experiments with freeze drying food. Kain said that students used a freeze dryer and dehydrator in a science experiment to determine which process produces a better preserved food and which one tastes best.

Weld RE-1 teachers also use 3D technology for printing math manipulatives. Kain claims that this helps students learn concepts better by allowing them to interact with them.

Kain added that computer-aided designs can be used in the construction industry to create a printed model before creating a larger-scale model. Additionally, fourth graders use an “entrepreneurial mindset” while working with the 3D printers.

Kain believes that 3D technology is a powerful tool for growth and a shift in mindset. It helps students understand it’s OK to mess up and that they learn and grow with each mistake.

“The students show what they know in so many different ways,” she said. “It’s not just about testing. It’s about growth and opportunity and knowledge and background … those soft skill characteristics that we want our students to leave us having.”

The printers produce an array of items and goods in Weld RE-1 such as greenhouse flowerpots, customized woodshop projects, and fidget toy for students with special need and elementary school kids.

“All of those skills make it so much more easy and cost-effective than anything else we could do,” Kain said.

Platte Valley has also purchased two laser cutters for the BOSS Program, one in 2016 and another in 2019. The program is designed to give students a real-life experience in an office environment through a student run business. Students use this technology for creating plaques, wall decor and other products that are sold to customers or for personal projects.

Van Nieuwenhuizen says that Colorado’s underfunded school districts struggle to secure extra funding to fund pool projects. Fortunately, several outside groups have helped Weld Re-1 enhance project based learning and CTE to ensure students get the best education.

CTE funding helped add 3D printers to the collection thanks to partnerships formed with organizations like the Weld Trust and Boxlight.

Van Nieuwenhuizen stated that he would like to bring in additional devices, such as 3D printers, for the school district. He encouraged individuals or organizations in the community to donate money or devices to help support learning in Weld.

“We are just very appreciative and grateful for the good people and organizations that are supporting K-12 education,” van Nieuwenhuizen said. “Project-based learning seems to be a modality that engages students more, and we are privileged to have these devices that help us do exactly that.”