So You Got A 3D Printer. Now What?

The reason for this post was inspired by my library recently getting a 3D printer for students to use.  I knew what it did, but didn't know how or what kind of lesson would be good for students to learn the purpose of it.  I found an article that seemed to answer my questions by Zach Lichaa and Charlie Wapner.  3D printing helps to bring digitization to the economy of tangible things.  This article first talks about what it would cost to own a 3D printer.  It is pretty much all of your basics for owning a printer.  At first I was thinking that adding it to makerspace for the students to use, but I found out that most things take a long time to print.  Something very, very small would maybe be about 20 minutes and then something medium would take over an hour.  This wasn't working for me to use and have a lesson in a short amount of time.

The best information I found on 3D printers was from School Library Journal.  The article talks about different ways that these printers help people out in the world.  Then, perfect timing happened.  My co-librarian got a book in a Junior Library Guild shipment that talked about 3D printers.  I had my lesson!  The book is called, Beauty and the Beak:  How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued A Bald Eagle.  This book explains how scientists were able to recreate part of a injured Bald Eagle's beak with a 3D printer so that it could use it again.  I think finding types of technology that students can see and have an example for helps them to realize that the 3D printer is not just a toy.

Links to sites mentioned:
http://www.slj.com/2016/04/technology/my-lovehate-relationship-with-3-d-printers-in-libraries/#_

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/ALA_3D_Printing_Q__A_Final.pdf

KF