Thursday, January 21, 2016

Total Collaboration

Over the last few weeks the DIF team has been working hard in several classrooms all over the county on a common project.  Lee Ann Holmes, the DIF at Pinecrest, had the idea to integrate 3D printing with elementary curriculum. Planning was underway and we decided to target fourth grade and their study of animal adaptations.  

Students in high school biology drafted imaginary biomes and shared those plans and drawings to our fourth graders at Vass-Lakeview, Carthage, and Robbins.  The high school students included everything the fourth graders would need to know like habitat of their animal, where the animal falls on the food chain, and other factors that might threaten the animal.  All of the details were shared within a folder in Google.  After the fourth graders had the opportunity to read the notes the Pinecrest students had in the folder, they were able to ask questions back and forth in a communication doc.  Students at the elementary level were charged with the task of creating an animal that would survive in the habitat created by PHS students.  The possibilities of these fictitious animals were endless.  Students were asked to scan their pictures and add them to the shared folder for their group and answer questions about the animal.  

The final steps are underway and we cannot wait to see what MCS students come up with.  PHS students are now planning and printing the animals these students created and the elementary students are making models of the habitats in shoeboxes.  The plan is to have the animals ‘live’ in their habitats when both parties are finished.  Stay tuned! I am sure this is not the last you will hear about this awesome project.

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