Is 3D Printing a 21st Century Skill?

In an online community which I belong, someone raised an interesting question:

Is 3D Printing a 21st Century Skill?

I appreciate the question being asked.

I wonder why this question was asked. With my answer, I mean no offense, but 3D printing is no more a skill than printing documents.

There are sites where you can go and simply download designs, load them in the printer, and hit the print button. That is not displaying any kind of skill.

When I think about using the 3D printer, the biggest part of the learning is using the design cycle.

When you create a design to be 3D printed, it is rarely right the first time. Chances are that you will have to go back and tweak your design once or twice (or more!) before getting it right. When you add a client to what you are doing (as in MYP Design), you add empathy by having to consider someone else's needs.

The design cycle is something that we use regularly but rarely think about. Since I began teaching MYP design, I have caught myself thinking more about what I am doing. I have begun to realize when I am in the middle of a design cycle. But most importantly, I have become more reflective about what I do.

Reflection and empathy are two crucial components of the design cycle. These are not only 21st Century skills, but are life skills.

Using Find and Replace in Google Docs

In this animated GIF, you can see how to access the find and replace feature in Google Docs.

Use Command+F to access tbe find tool. Then click on the three dots (a symbol of more) to access the find and replace tool.

Effective Professional Learning-1

What professional learning is going to best prepare teachers to meet their students’ needs?
Part A: Typical Professional Development
Take a moment and jot down some notes on what typical professional development in your school looks like.

• Sit and get 
• Sometimes not needed -- could be unrelated to what I do, or I could already know it and be ready for the next step 
• Forced 

What is emphasized in this typical model?

• This model is a top-down approach. The choices come from the top with little or no input from teachers. What is emphasized? Whatever is determined as important is emphasized.
• From my own past experience, this can lead to disengagement or cynicism towards school-offered PD. 

Part B: Discuss Characteristics of Effective Professional Learning
Think of a time that you learned something from a professional development experience that changed your practice as a teacher.

A few PD days stand out to me:

1. Teacher workshop in Yokohama -- my first experience at a "real" PD event
2. Making the PYP Happen
3. Google Summit

What made the experience so effective?
In these PD experiences, I was able to take a few things back to school with me to use right away. I was given a "menu" of choices and decide which was best for me (except MTPYPH).


Take notes on the characteristics of this professional development experience.

• vibrant -- lots of energy
• community
• models what should be done in the classroom

People there wanted to be there, and were interested in learning and improving. 

Digital Citizenship is Everyone's Responsibility

The mantra of many international schools, and it should be, is that all teachers are English teachers. Students, especially non-native students, need to be receiving a constant, consistent message about how to communicate.

Grading some projects, I found some students taking liberties with material found on the internet and found some students copying code when writing HTML.

You can tell it's copied when the code has elements that are inconsistent:

I wonder if this student thought it was OK to copy and paste from a site without a citation. Surely this student knows this is a no-no in English or History class. But why try it in a blog post or when making a website?

I take responsibility for not being explicit enough, and/or not repeating the message enough in my class. But is this connection not being made with students? Is it a case of them thinking, "copying is wrong in this class, but not in another"?

How can I help the teachers at my school be consistent about the message we give?