Rosa Parks Librarian Receives Grant to Purchase Four 3D Printers

Seth Peterson, Miss Z, and Brian Cooper

Zhozeta (Zoey) Karapetyan received a $3,998 Public School Proud Grant to purchase four 3D printers for students at Rosa Parks Elementary. This is the fourth grant the Education Foundation has awarded for 3D printers. Lowell Elementary, R.F. Pettigrew, and Ben Reifel Middle School also have 3D printers.

In the application, Zoey wrote, “The printers will be used by students during STEAM lessons in the library but will also be available to other specials teachers and staff. The MakerBot printers will be used to enhance engagement, support curriculum and standards, as well as add another aspect of technology-enabled learning to the library. Some examples of topics that could be enhanced by the addition of 3D printers are architecture around the world, geometric robots, complex circuits, global music, art sculptures, engineering challenges, and cardboard construction.

Using the MakerBot printers, students will be able to take their ideas from conceptualization to a hand-held functioning model. They will engage in the engineering process of imagining, creating in digital modeling programs, testing and then improving their designs. Having a readily accessible representation or model of their creation will immerse students in content in a multimodal way. The 3D printers will be a tool for collaboration, experimentation, and a new concrete access point to a variety of concepts.

The MakerBot Printers provide interactive and tactile construction of students’ ideas in the real world, functioning as a highly beneficial tool for visualization. Material presented in 3D allows for a level of creative ownership and direct critical thinking that is a new way to process information. Students will be able to combine multiple disciplines, using this tool individually and collaboratively to utilize a unique perspective while tackling novel concepts within the curriculum. Library periods will often consist of books read aloud and STEAM projects pertaining to specific book topics or grade level standards. The possibilities for implementation and integration are extensive.”