Our objectives were to help teachers get started with 3D modeling and 3D printing with an easy guide for beginners. We also wanted to implement 3D printing in various forms in school and make enough learning materials available to encourage teachers and students to develop their skills. This should open a path to self-guided learning, allowing students to gain an interest in the makerspace movement. All partners also had the objective to grow their own experiences in bringing innovation to education and sharing highly relevant digital skills that they are passionate about.
The project idea originated at Primary School Trnsko where students developed a great interest in 3D-printed gaming miniatures and wanted to find out in art class how they were made. Teachers at the school, realizing that they didn’t have the skills to teach the skills that the students were interested in, reached out to art professionals of Ingenious Knowledge and ArtQuest who were willing to work with them. We decided to apply for this project because 3D modeling and using 3D printers to print out the results are skills that are in high demand and they are becoming increasingly valuable. Unfortunately there are very few teachers who have the right skills, which is the main reason why students can’t acquire these skills in school. Not only have we identified the need to learn 3D sculpting and 3D printing in schools, we have also seen an increasing interest and demand on the side of the students. We believe that modern school education needs to provide practical skills that are useful in the rapidly changing world in order for the students to be prepared for the work life of tomorrow. During the project we have seen exceptionally high motivation when we showed students our gaming miniatures, confirming this approach.