The district’s hands-on approach starts early, with students learning computer design to 3D print their own creations in the first years of their education. Students gain hands-on knowledge using the MakerBot Digitizer to scan their sculpted designs and print 3D models for various subjects including geography and human anatomy.
“Even in kindergarten and first grade, as they learn how to write, they 3D print letters and other new shapes and take them home to share with their family,” said Ryan Erickson, coordinator of Cedar Park’s Makerspace.
“The Stratasys platform is easy to learn, so our printers are busy throughout the day and long into the evening,” said Jim Lynch, E3 STEM program manager at Apple Valley High School. “Now we are teaching STEM not in a silo but on a pathway that runs all the way from kindergarten to 12th grade. When our students go from elementary to middle to high school, they continue to work with the same products and interfaces.”