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Goal

This project has two goals.

The primary goal is to motivate 5th grade students to participate more in their learning, and reward them for doing so. The 3D printers will produce rewards for reading books of their choice and passing tests that prove they understood the book, as well as rewards for completing homework, participating in class, and having good behavior on a monthly basis.

The secondary goal is for students to learn how the 3D printer works, and practice the skills necessary to make such complicated machinery run effectively. 3D printing is proving to be a practical technology used by the military, the medical field, and even houses are now being 3D printed. These machines require technical savviness, material management, and the skill of troubleshooting.  

What will be done with my students

For the reading, the student must read a book and pass a test that earns them points depending on the difficulty of the book. A 3D printed item is earned after a certain number of points are collected each time. For behavior and homework completion, the items are earned through a behavior system that also tracks with points earned for every homework assignment completed, and subject the student participates in learning. The student must earn 90% of the points each month to earn the 3D printed item.

The 3D printers will also be used in a student leadership team (SLT). SLTs are groups that students meet in once a month to learn how they can contribute to society, while learning an enriching skill. In this SLT the students will learn how to operate the machines, both with the hardware and software, and learn how to manage mass production. They will need to calculate how much time it will take to produce the products, which order they should produce the products in, and how much material will be necessary to meet each quota. Once the students complete the production of material for the 5th grade, they will choose something to make for the school. This will most likely be a larger, single item that can be used by the school in a helpful, or enriching way.

 

Benefits to my students

These 3D printed items can benefit every student through motivating and rewarding effort. The minimum expectations to earn these 3D printed items are high, but obtainable by all. This is taking into consideration students that struggle with their academics. In order to have the majority of the most sought after collectable, all a student needs to do is behave, and complete their work. This also motivates the student that can do more than the minimum to push beyond and achieve their full potential. One element we are seeing in the new BEST standards set out by the Florida Department of Education, is the more a student reads, the more a student learns.

The items being used are quite adorable and fun. Nearly every item flexes and moves, and represents a dinosaur or animal. For the monthly items earned by behavior and work completion, they are all a tyrannosaurus rex, and each month the dinosaurs comes in a different color wearing a different type of hat. There is even one that wears a monocle and a top hat, however that one must be earned by the reading point system. The idea is that in order to have the complete collection, a student must meet the monthly requirements, and complete an amount of reading that is above the minimum requirement. The items with the reading system vary. One is a piggy bank, which requires the amount of points that a student completing the minimum requirement will earn by the end of the year, so a student can have the opportunity to learn the value of saving their money. There are also glow in the dark items, but those can only be earned by doing more than the minimum effort with the reading point system.

In addition for rewarding students, the students in the student leadership team will have a chance to learn an enriching skill. These students will take ownership of making these rewards available to their fellow classmates, and know the effort necessary to make those rewards possible. They will also obtain a knowledge base that will better prepare them for a future in which automated technology is increasingly growing, and be better prepared for the new jobs that will be replacing the old jobs.  

Budget Narrative

2 x Ender 3 3D Printers at 174 each, including tax.
24 x filament rolls at 24.37 each, including tax 

Items