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3D Design Contest: Submit Your Lesson

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Want to equip students for the future, inspiring them to interact with curriculum that makes learning relevant? One approach involves blending Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) approaches into teaching and learning. And the easiest way to do this is by involving students in 3D design.

3D design is a great critical thinking and problem solving area, whether you have a printer or not. Free software to create the designs is available from TCEA. And there’s an upcoming contest you can enter to help get you started.

No matter what your education role, consider submitting a lesson plan (from any content area) with 3D printing or 3D design components. The contest winner will earn an Ultimaker 3D printer, a fabulous tool to help you grow your STEAM program. Read more about Pinshape.com’s Create to Educate Lesson Plan Contest.

Why a 3D Printing Contest?

“3D printers are quickly becoming a popular tool for teaching STEAM subjects and 3D design principles. By enhancing lesson plans with 3D printed objects, it allows students to interact with the curriculum in a personal way and makes the lesson more engaging,” says the Pinshape website.  “3D printers can absolutely be a conduit to providing students with high level, personal, and authentic learning experiences,” points out Thomas C. Murray.  Per Forbes’s report on The State of 3D Printing in 2017, 57 percent of all 3D printing work done is in the first phases of new product development, and 55 percent of businesses predict they will be spending more in 3D printing services and solutions in 2017.

More About the Contest

The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2017. Entries will be judged by experts in the field, including TCEA Champion Mark Simmons (Director of Technology, Sabine Pass ISD). Mark has effectively incorporated 3D printing and drones from elementary to high school, making every classroom a “hackerspace.” You can learn more about Mark’s efforts by reading and listening to these TCEA blog entries featuring his work with 3D printing and drones.

What Could a Lesson Look Like?

Lesson plans will be scored and assigned points depending on how well they answer these questions:

  • How well defined is the objective of the lesson plan and does the lesson achieve its objective?
  • Does the lesson plan include a relevant .stl file that enhances learning outcomes and (if applicable) instructions on how students can make their own?
  • How engaging and interesting is the lesson plan?
  • Does the lesson plan specify which state standards it is following and does it adhere to those standards?

Check out these sample lesson plans for inspiration:

  • Dodecahedron Lesson Plan: Visualizing 3D Objects: The Dodecahedron makes use of a 3D printed kit to introduce students to hands-on methods of translating three-dimensional objects into two-dimensional space. Students will journey from pre-Renaissance schools of thought through how da Vinci’s contributions have shaped how we depict our world to the innovations enabled by 3D modeling advancements.
  • The Three States of Matter Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students learn about molecules and the three states of matter they can exist in. They design a model that displays the different arrangements of the molecules in each state of matter.

Would you like some tips on how to create a lesson plan that involves 3D design? Visit Pinshape’s Education Page.

3d printing contest

What Are the Elements of a Contest Entry?

Interested in sharing what you are doing in the classroom with your students? Submissions must include a PDF of the lesson plan and at least one .stl file. You do not need to be a teacher to enter and you do not have to have a 3D printer. Guidelines include:

  • Designs must be original works and not remixes of someone else’s design or a pre-existing character.
  • Entries should be first-time submissions to a Pinshape contest.
  • Entries must comply with Pinshape’s content policy.
  • Entrants must be registered with Pinshape to enter.
  • There is no fee to enter the challenge.
  • Entrants can submit as many unique entries as they would like.
  • The contest is open worldwide.

What Am I Competing For?

Win the contest and you will get an Ultimaker 3 3D printer and prizes from MatterHackers. MatterHackers is the sponsor and prize provider.

 

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robotics contests
Announcements/Important DatesRobotics

Build Critical Student Skills at the Area Robotics Contests

by Susan Meyer
written by Susan Meyer

As autumn leaves and pumpkins turn into turkeys and holiday fanfare, it’s time to start making your plans for the upcoming TCEA Area Robotics Contests. This is the pivotal first step that every school robotics team must take in order to qualify for the State Robotics Contest held each spring. Twenty area contests are held around the Lone Star State and only the first and second place teams from each area, plus a few wildcards, will advance to the State Contest held in central Texas.

Why Robotics?

Robotics is a fantastic way for students to develop STEM skills with hands-on collaborative projects. TCEA’s robotics contests gives students in the 4th-8th grades (Intermediate competition) and 8th-12th grades (Advanced competition) the chance to design, plan, redesign, construct, assemble, invent, reinvent, write, present, and compete to see who can create the best robot!

There are actually two different contests in the competition. In the Inventions contest, students have to create a robot that will solve a real-world problem. This means they are diving deep into problem solving and coming up with manageable solutions, all while practicing their coding skills. Students in this contest also have to present their final product to the judges, demonstrating their ability to market and confidently talk about their creations.

The competition also offers the Arena contest where teams are given the same challenge to solve. On site at the contest, students will compete for points in the arena to see how many of the required tasks their robot can complete within the time limit.

What’s New This Year?

If this is your first time entering the TCEA Robotics Contest, then everything is new! You’ll want to read all of the games manuals very carefully to make sure your team adheres to all of the rules. You’ll also need to make sure you have the right equipment. The LEGO EV3 or NXT robotics kit is used for the TCEA Robotics Contests.

If you’re a seasoned TCEA Robotics veteran, you’ll still want to read the Challenge manual very carefully. This year’s challenge is called Mastering Mars. The robots will be tasked with preparing the Martian environment for human settlement. However, there are a few surprises in store! A secret task will be required to be completed on site after the first round. This task will need to be completed to compete in the second and third rounds of competition. You can find all the details here, so get ready for some excitement, unexpected twists, and lots of critical thinking and fun!

There are also a few general rule changes. Students in grades 6-8 may now choose to compete in the Advanced competition level. Students from grades 4-5 must still compete at the Intermediate level. For more info on the general rules and any changes, please see this website.

Where Do I Sign Up for the Robotics Contests?

If you’re ready to take your robotics skills to the next level and compete in an Area Contest, there are some important steps you must take.

  1. Determine what area you belong to. To determine your area, find out which Education Service Center you belong to. Your area number correlates with your ESC number.
  2. Become a member of TCEA. The sponsor for each competing robotics team must have an active TCEA membership for the duration of the contest season. Membership is $49 and comes with many benefits all year long.
  3. Determine the contest and division in which you will compete. Students have the choice of competing in the Arena Contest or the Inventions Contest. Read up on both and choose the one that is the right fit for your students.

Important Dates

Registration for the Area Robotics Contests is open from November 27 until December 8. The registration fee is $50 per team. The Area Contests will be held between January 6, 2018 – January 20, 2018 in your local area. Check here for the specific date and location of the contest in your region.

Is your team ready to compete and demonstrate the collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity it takes to be the best robotics team in the state? If so, start planning now and get ready to register on November 27!

 

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