You could say we’re kind of partial to school here at AET Labs.
The crisp autumn New England air, fresh school supplies, and that renewed optimism towards the year’s possibilities are contagious! To celebrate we’re sharing “a few of our favorite things” with STEM teachers. Not only do our manufacturers supply the best technology to support your STEM curriculum, they share engaging (and FREE!) STEM resources through their social media accounts, community portals for educators, and blog posts. Check out some of our favorite resources below!
History comes alive
We’ve been looking forward to TecQuipment’s spotlight series on influential physicists through the ages. Their blog posts are a great snapshot of background of each scientist, along with an easy to understand synopsis of the physics laws they discovered, and related theorems, accompanied by simple, helpful diagrams to visualize each law.
Recent spotlights include:
Robert Hooke’s Law: https://www.tecquipment.com/knowledge/2018/robert-hooke-hookes-law
Baron Siméon Denis Poisson: The Man Behind Poisson’s Ratio: https://www.tecquipment.com/knowledge/2018/baron-sim%C3%A9on-denis-poisson-the-man-behind-the-poissons-ratio
Thomas Young: Young’s Modulus: https://www.tecquipment.com/knowledge/2018/thomas-young-introducing-youngs-modulus-and-elastic-modulus
Christa McAuliffe’s STEM Lesson Plans
We’re big Christa fans here at AET Labs. As New England natives, we felt especially close to her story, and remember clearly the day of the Challenger’s fateful launch and the heartbreak that ensued nationwide. It’s inspiring that her lost lesson plans are now being circulated through the work of challenger.org so that Christa’s goal of inspiring the world’s children to explore STEM can be realized.
Check them out here! https://www.challenger.org/challenger_lessons/christas-lost-lessons/
MakerBot Thingiverse and Educators Guidebook
We believe teaching with 3D printing should feel simple, fast, and rewarding. That too, is the core belief of our friends at MakerBot. To support educators, they have provided over 100 free lesson plans and an entire network of other MakerBot educators you can connect with called Thingiverse Education. This rich resource for STEAM exploration has all the tools you’ll need to successfully integrate 3D printing in your lesson plans.
Explore Thingiverse Education here!
FESTO Bionics Book & Activities for Kids
The engineering world often uses the natural world as inspiration for design. The study of biomimicry has produced some of the most advanced, efficient, and enduring inventions used today. These include sonar and radar for navigation, prosthetics, water and pollution treatment processes, aeronautics, and marine vessels and so much more. What better way to capture student’s imagination and spark creativity and wonder than to teach STEM concepts through the study of biological design!
FESTO is a big proponent of introducing Bionics education from an early age to develop understanding of engineering concepts. Check out their complimentary picture book for elementary school kids. This fun, interactive book includes simple projects you can incorporate into your STEM program. (P.S. This is translated in U.K. English)
https://www.festo.com/net/SupportPortal/Files/527117/150508_Bionic_Kinderbuch_en_lo.pdf
Stratasys: 3D Printing Resources for Education
As pioneers in the 3D Printing industry, Stratasys provides an ever-growing treasury of free materials, technical guides and lesson ideas for educators. One of the coolest? A drone building lesson plan you can download here.
Explore this and some of the latest resources on the Stratasys site!
Free Software:
One of the best perks of being a student? Getting free access to the education versions of professional software! Below are some of our faves:
Meshmixer – Meshmixer is state-of-the-art software from AutoDesk for working with triangle meshes. And it’s free! Billed as the “Swiss Army Knife” for 3D meshes, this cool application can help you clean up a 3D scan, do some 3D printing or design an object that fits something else.
Sculptris – This free artistic modeling software is downloadable on the Pixologic website. Unlike traditional 3D modeling software, Sculptris begins with a predefined shape to which forms can be added, removed and (you guessed it) sculpted.
Onshape – Free for students and educators, this version of CAD is identical to the professional version! AET Labs is pleased to offer workshops and on-site training for educators interested in implementing this into their curriculum.
TinkerCAD: For the littles (or not so little!). This fun-to-use platform is a great way to introduce 3D design, electronics and coding to kids, allowing them to create some simple 3D printing-ready models. Check TinkerCAD out here!
