Igniting Innovation Challenge: 3Dexter Encourages Students and Teachers to Develop Creative 3D Printing Lesson Plans

When it comes to company missions, 3Dexter has one of the best. The Delhi-based service bureau wants to change the Indian education system by providing experiential learning and comprehensive technological education solutions – both of which 3Dexter says are lacking in the current educational sector – to classrooms. So far, the company has made a big impact through its development of 3D printing curriculum and in-school labs that give students the opportunity to learn important skills in an interactive, hands-on manner.

3Dexter is now encouraging further participation from teachers by launching the Igniting Innovation Challenge, which invites educators, with the help of their students, to come up with creative ways of using 3D printing in the classroom to further STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) education. It’s a push for both teachers and students to use their imaginations in developing curriculum that will excite and engage young people – and students know better than anyone what works best for them, which is why 3Dexter has included them in the challenge.

To participate in the challenge, educators must develop a lesson plan, in any subject, that incorporates 3D printing. Lesson plans should be submitted through the Igniting Innovation contest home page, and should include the following information:

• A project brief
• Learning objectives
• Concepts covered
• How 3D printing will be used

Lesson plans will be displayed on 3Dexter’s online portal, where students can vote for the plan they think is the best. Again, students know best what will keep them engaged and help them learn, says 3Dexter, so they’ll be the best judges. The winner will receive a free 3D printer, as well as a free 3D printing workshop from the 3Dexter founding team.

“In India, people are very resistant to change. For them it’s getting out of the comfort zone,” Raghav Sareen, Product Developer at 3Dexter, told 3DPrint.com. “Hence technologies like 3D Printing face resistance despite its massive applications. At 3Dexter we are trying to revolutionise the Indian classrooms through 3D Printing by integrating it with the school curriculum. And we believe that India hold enormous potential to make the best out of this technology, innovate and gift the society a lot with the help of 3D Printing. And as they say- Innovation is the change that unlocks new value.”

Plenty of teachers have great ideas and plans for imparting knowledge to their students in creative, interactive ways that will capture their attention and keep them interested in and excited about what they’re learning. However, many of those teachers don’t have the tools or equipment to implement their ideas, which is where the the award of a free 3D printer comes in. The commonly quoted prediction of one day having a 3D printer in every home may be unlikely and even unnecessary, but in a perfect world, there would be a 3D printer in every classroom. That’s easier said than done, obviously, but as more organizations like 3Dexter push to get the technology in schools – and help them by supplying equipment and training – we’re beginning to get closer to that possibility.

3Dexter will soon be launching another campaign that they’re calling #MissionInnovation, which will involve shortlisting 100 schools across India. Those schools will receive free workshops from the 3Dexter team, which is hoping to reach 20,000 students and inspire them to innovate through 3D printing. Discuss in the 3Dexter forum at 3DPB.com.

[Images: 3Dexter]