I decided to create programs that our library could present for TTW 2018 for the entire month of March. One of the biggest roadblocks we see to face is getting to participate in Outreach Programs the school system. A lot of the challenge comes from time constraints that many of the teachers have to participate in events outside of the school.
We were happy to be able to present so many opportunities to teens here at the library for TTW. But, I wanted to accept the challenge of trying to present a program that would be of interest to teens in the community and at the same time gain the interest of the teachers with a program that covered Core Content. This is especially important for kids who are coming from a rural low-income community. the Kentucky Department of Education websites states that "Career and Technical Education is an essential component of the high school curriculum. For many students, it represents as much as a third of their high school experience. It is a critical component in meeting the needs of students in academic achievement, career exploration, career preparation and leadership development."
The 3D program was presented by a team from Somerset Community College who area leading the forefront in higher education in Digital Printing Technology within the state of KY.
Type: Active
Age: High school
Optimal size: 20+
Estimated cost: $1 - $25
Planning time: 2-5 hours
Frequency: One-time
Learning outcomes
By the end of the 3D Printing Presentation, the library and the community college expected that teens would:
* Understand that training in additive manufacturing/3D printing is what their future employers will need for the future.
* Give students knowledge of how 3D printing technology works.
* Students should have a knowledge of how 3D printing will give them an advantage in the workplace of the future.
* Understand that 3D printing technology is constantly changing. Teens leave with examples of how business and industry are finding ways to incorporate 3D printing, such as healthcare, art, education, and manufacturing.
* Provide information for students who are considering technology majors from a college that is leading the forefront as the first institution of higher education in state of KY to offer the state-wide certificate in additive manufacturing/3D Printing.
Instructions
Preparation:
I first contacted the digital Printing Program Coordinator at Somerset Community College after learning about their 3D laboratory on campus. I came across an article about the program through a Facebook post on Somerset Community College’s website that spoke about the movie Big Hero 6 and the exposure to kids with the use of a 3D printer in an animated film. I have included link to the article. (https://somerset.kctcs.edu/news/scc-students-have-access-to-3d-printing-technology-just-as-featured-in-disneys-big-hero-6.aspx). Surprisingly, I also found out that the Coordinator was the little brother of a high school friend of mine. I sent him a letter explaining the goal of Teen Tech Week and links so that he could research how public libraries participated in the program. I pitched my idea about an hour long 3D printing program that I wanted to propose to local teens in the community, as well as the school system. I received a call from the coordinator letting me know he was very interested in bringing his team and a 3D printer to do a program here at that library. He also explained that they had a Technology Grant that allows them to present programs free of charge. We set up dates to contact each other again about specific program dates and times.
I then contacted local Technology Center that provides training and classes to local high school students. I did this by preparing a letter of interest to the staff there. This letter outlined information about the program I wanted to present, basic information about the college that I wanted to collaborate with and ask the tech teachers to give me feedback about what they would like to see included in the program. I also ask them about the possibility of allowing their students to participate in the program if I offered it during school hours.
I received quite a few responses from the teachers at the Technology Center, as well as the principal. All the responses were positive and the principal approved transportation for students to attend if we proceeded with the program.
After such as good response, I then repeated the same process with the middle and high school in my county. I again received positive feedback from both schools from both teachers and the principals.
The college and I picked a specific date and time for the program. I then created colorful flyers using the TTW graphics and personally delivered them to the Technology Center staff and the staff at the middle school and high school.
The week before the program I was contacted by all of the schools to verify their participation and to give me an approximate head count.
I prepared information kits for the students that attended the program. The kits included flyers for all the programs that the library was offering throughout the month of March to celebrated TTW2018. It also included brochure about the Digital Printing Program offered at the college and a bookmark for Teen Tech Week and a brochure highlighting STEM Reads for Teens crated by YALSA.
The kids were very attentive to the information being presented. The Presenter allowed lots of questions and comments from the kids during his Powerpoint presentation and also during the 3D printing demonstration with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printer that he and his team brought from his Tech Lab. This type of 3D printer builds objects layer by layer from the very bottom up by heating and extruding thermoplastic filament. One of the very special moments during the program was the presenter had four tables arranged with a large number of various 3D printed items. He allowed all the kids participating to explore and be hands-on with the items. This really sparked their excitement. There were items such as broken bone casts with electrodes for nerve stimulation, Star Wars printed items, gaskets, 3D items with moveable parts, etc. He also presented each of the kids with their own personal 3D printed glow-in-the-dark keychain.
Evaluation
The impact and success of the program was measured by the number of participates and program evaluations after the program. We had a total of 93 students and 5 teachers attend the program. My program room holds a maximum of 130 people. I was very surprised at the number of attendants because each of the schools had to work out transportation for the students within the teaching day.
According to the surveys that the team had the kids fill out they expressed lots of enthusiasm about the program. Several students from the Technology Center stayed after the program to talk one-on-one to the tech Team about information concerning future jobs that will be impacted by 3D printing as well as asking specific questions about the colleges Digital Printing Program. I later received an email from the Program Coordinator that he had received emails from the teachers that had attended the program expressing their thanks. Also a couple of the staff from the Tech Center have arranged for their vocational students to attend a field trip to the Tech Lab on the college campus.