Between the 22nd and 25th of November, partners met in Beaumont-de-Lomagne (France) for the 𝟑𝐃 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. Special thanks to our partner Asso Fermat-Science for their warm and excellent hospitality!
During the training, participants were introduced to basic functions and 3D Printing tips, while discussing ways to integrate them in kindergarten schools.
Day 1
On day one, all partners met at the Fermat science venue in Beaumont and were welcomed with an exquisite buffet. Participants from the four countries shortly introduced themselves and after that, the first working session started. Since the participant of the Institute for the Deaf of Turin is Deaf, an interpreter was provided to guarantee maximum inclusion and comprehension. A pre-work was done together with the partner from Cyprus and in general with all the partners, providing material in advance and ensuring that the material and the working session were accessible and user friendly, which is also one of the main strengths of the projects.
The first working session started by some presentations of the objectives and results of IO4, namely the creation kit of the exhibits, and an introduction to 3D Design and 3d printing in general were given by Konstantina Tsimpita, the organizer of the training and one of the project managers of the Cypriot partner. Specifically, the participants were invited to discuss about the 3d design and a short explanation of the basic functions of a 3d printer, its components and its peculiarities were provided. After that, available software and Introduction to TinkerCad were presented, giving basic knowledge and tips on how to use it. Moreover, the program Cura was introduced, which is a bridge program between the 3d modelling program and the 3d printer.
After an exquisite lunch break, the participants started Tinkering! Participants had the chance to go through a tutorial of basic functions and were invited to experiment with the tools within the program. And so, the fun part could start: Partners started to develop the Funky Array and the Colourful Lengths.
Last but not least, participants could test the IO3 Lesson Plans & Worksheets with an discussions ensuring a harmonized and coherent curriculum.
DAY 2
Having already gathered some knowledge and confidence with TinkerCad, day two was focused on gathering some more specific competences regarding this amazing tool. More specifically, participants tried to develop their first piece on their own, experimenting on the exhibits of C.I.P and Logopsycom. Especially, participants could try to merge objects on TinkerCad and create something more complex like a lego pieces within the exhibit MathCity. It was very interesting to notice how participants developed with different techniques the same object. Some preferred to use support systems to be sure about proportions, some tried to understand how the ruler worked. In general, participants gathered knowledge about dimensions, proportions and necessary thickness of the material in order not to break easily.
DAY 3
At the arrival at the venue, some delicious Swedish cookies were there to welcome us!
Being more confident and having in mind the previous days, it was time to confront with text on 3d modelling. It can be a challenge if you want to put some text on a 3d model. In fact, if the model has a plain surface without curvature, the task is easy. But as soon as the surface starts to be round, adding text becomes a challenge. Participants used different strategies to see which one was the most effective. It turns out, that some tutorials were necessary to implement this task. At the end of the day, everyone had an idea and solution of how to add text (or numbers) on their exhibits. It was a success!! At the end of the day, a very exquisite social dinner all together were organised in a local restaurant with typical food and wine.
DAY 4
On day four our experts of 3d printing proposed an even more complex activity. In fact, two new exhibits were proposed: A thermometer and the watermelon activity. In this case, all the previous knowledge, namely the merging, adding text, the proportioning and the tools and so on were essential to fulfill this task. In fact, one participant created probably the smallest 3d-printed-thermometer on earth due to a small mistake in proportions. Anyway, it was so cute and nice, that all decided to print it anyway and kept it in their heart as a very funny story to tell. In the evening, in the main city hall, participants could enjoy a play in French about Perseus and it was a great opportunity to meet the locals and to engage in local social life.
DAY 5
The last day of the meeting was dedicated to feedbacks and wrap ups. All participants gave their opinions about the project, the outcome of the training and the knew skills they gathered during the week. We can certainly state that the training was a fully success, giving everyone the opportunity to gain new skills in 3d printing, but also leaving space for creativity and innovative approaches to the same topic. A big thank you to the organizer of the event, to all participants and their contribution and to the recreaMATHS project for the great opportunity!