Pennsylvania Students Build 3D Printers
For the third year in a row, students in the Pennsylvania
Cyber Charter School STEM program attended week-long 3D printer
build
workshops.
During the workshops held in Allentown,
Harrisburg and the
Pittsburgh suburb of Wexford, students were able to build the new Printrbot
Play
printer that was released just this summer. Students paid a discounted
equipment fee of $200 and were able to take the kits home with them.
Joel Cilli, who runs the online school's science,
technology,
engineering and math (STEM) program, recorded videos in advance
describing all
the steps involved with assembly of the Printrbot.
"The videos play at the front of the room and the
students
follow the steps," Cilli said. "We walk around to each person's desk to
check
their work and offer assistance."
He has uploaded the videos to YouTube so that they
are
available to anybody interested in assembling their own 3D printers.
Likewise,
you can find a link to the videos on the manufacturer's site.
"The 'cause' for me came from grandparents I met at
science
events," Cilli said. "I would hear a grandfather say he wanted to do 3D
printing with his grandson, but didn't know where to start."
With the videos on YouTube, he said, that can happen
more
easily.
"When I was young, my dad and grandfather helped me
make
Pinewood Derby cars," Cilli said. "Those experiences are among my
strongest
childhood memories. I like to think that kids are out there watching my
YouTube
videos with someone who is a mentor to them, and they're going to build
their
first 3D printer together."
The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School is one of the
largest
online public schools in the United States, with around 10,000 students.
Those
who participate in its STEM program take advanced classes and
participate in
other programs like a Raspberry PI computer workshop and the Cyber
Patriot
computer security competition. With full participation in the program,
students
can receive an additional STEM certificate when they graduate.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.