Background: Additive manufacturing or 3-dimensional (3D) printing is an emerging technology with increasing prevalence in non-industrial settings such as university and school settings. However, printers are often located in spaces not designed for this purpose. Methods: 3D-printer use in 11 university and K-12 schools was evaluated by identifying…

Tinkering learning is a pedagogical strategy that emphasizes hands-on exploration, experimentation, and learning from mistakes in STEM education. It involves using personal fabrication tools, such as a 3D printer, to develop and improve ideas through interactive play. Design-based making activities have gained popularity in K-12 classrooms as they…

Educational communities have expanded 3D printing in education, emphasizing the educational value of "creation" to develop the competencies required in the future. This study was conducted for the purpose of identifying the effect size by synthesizing prior studies on the effect of 3D printing in education. To achieve the goal, 26…

As part of the maker movement, 3D printing technology has received considerable attention in education. Although this technology has become increasingly available in schools, K-12 teachers often struggle with integrating 3D technology into classroom teaching and learning. Professional development support is needed to help teachers develop the…

This article incorporates a multidisciplinary approach by reviewing the use of 3D printing and 3D printing in art. It contains a brief background about the 3D printing process and a description of how 3D printing is being used in schools. Examples of how artists are currently using this new technology are provided to encourage art education…

The Arduino microcontroller enables ordinary people to perform professional tasks that only traditional engineering professionals could perform. Recently, several educational cases have been applied to primary and secondary schools, which is a desirable attempt to popularize engineering education. This study meta-analyzed the effects of…

Opportunities to utilize 3D printing in the K-12 classroom are growing every day. This paper describes the process of implementing a 3D printing service in the Education Library of The University of Florida, Gainesville, a large, doctoral-degree granting, research university. Included are examples of lesson plans featuring 3D printing, creation of…

The emergence of 3D printing has raised hopes and concerns about how it can be used effectively as an educational technology in school classrooms. This paper presents the results of a survey asking teachers from multiple grade levels and subject fields about the impact of 3D projects on student learning. Teachers were asked about the kinds of 3D…

How does Skype, as an online communication tool, contribute to school and district administrators' reported level of self-efficacy? A sample of n = 39 participants of which 22 were school administrators and 17 were district administrators was purposefully selected to use Skype in their offices with a webcam and microphone to communicate with other…

This study examined the effects of an intervention in writing with digital interactive books. To improve the writing skills of seventh- and eighth-grade students with a learning disability in reading, we conducted a quasi-experimental study in which the students read interactive digital books (i-books), took notes, wrote summaries, and acted as…

This article describes how the new generation of multifunction printers (MFP) couple diverse software with powerful hardware, bringing a multitude of options to educators. All of the major printer-scanner-copier makers have the education market in their crosshairs, but Lexmark's new Education Station targets K-12 with a unique combination of…

Offers guidelines for schools selecting or upgrading their computers. Highlights include type of user; computer capability; capacity and compatibility; printing; extra features such as zip drives; upgrade capabilities; technical support; and a list of eight vendors with descriptions of the computer hardware they offer for schools. (LRW)

Discusses hardware requirements, functions, and applications of five information processing and desktop publishing software packages for the Macintosh: HyperCard, PageMaker, Cricket Presents, Power Point, and Adobe illustrator. Benefits of these programs for schools are considered. (MES)

Desktop scanners can be used with a software technology called optical character recognition (OCR) to convert the text on virtually any paper document into an electronic form. OCR offers educators new flexibility in incorporating text into tests, lesson plans, and other materials. (MLF)

Interactive whiteboards have made quite a splash in classrooms in recent years. When a computer image is projected on the whiteboard using an LCD projector, users can directly control the computer from the whiteboard. In some systems such as Smart and Mimio, the finger is used in place of a mouse to open and run programs or move windows around. In…