Teachers Go In 3D: Creating And Sharing 3D Teaching Content
For centuries teaching materials were bound to be 2D. There was just no alternative because of the nature of information carriers (paper, classboard, etc.). Teachers, parents, students got used to the traditional way and don't even think that something can be different here. There is also a broad public opinion that 3D is complicated, software is expensive, and because of that it is an exclusive area of big studios and high-paid professionals. Well, it was true for quite a time in the past…
In fact, the picture is totally different now. Things have dramatically changed in recent years; computers evolved and became much more powerful. Free and open-source software like Blender developed to such a high level that even big studios use it in their film-production. A fast-growing community of professional and amateur 3D artists and fans provide friendly environment for any novice. There are places where you can always ask a question and have immediate help. There are tons of free and high-quality tutorials on YouTube. New and growing platforms for 3D artists like Sketchfab are open to anyone (and they give free accounts to teachers!). There are even places where you can have free Blender models to download, play around with, and use in your projects. By the way, speaking about Sketchfab, they have their own free mobile app. Your students can download this app, install into their mobile device, and have your educational models directly from your Sketchfab channel. Here you can read details, download, and play with it. I don't want to go into speaking about 3D printing; it is a huge and growing area by itself. You should just keep in mind that having your model built in Blender you can always have it printed in 3D.
Even this quick overview shows that we came into a new era of opportunities for teachers. All key resources for creating and sharing teaching content in 3D have become totally free. Almost all students have smartphones, tablets, PCs, and laptops. Does that ring any bell? Why not grab this opportunity? You only need some imagination and a desire to learn (and precious free time of course!).
Why Should An Ordinary School Teacher Go Into 3D teaching Content?
Why? Well, let's take a practical example. How about having some fun? How about learning special effects and applying it to your educational and community projects? Just have a look at this tutorial and you will see that it could be done by any ordinary school teacher having only a home computer or laptop. Imagine what you can do together with your students for your class and school using these skills? How much trust and respect you can win from your students just showing them the way to do it and involving them into this new area? Arrange a creative lab with your students? Make a school competition? Involve them into something that quite soon may become a career with bright perspectives? Opportunities are endless...
Speaking about my expereince with it, I am just an ordinary English language teacher. Like many of my colleagues I had troubles and headaches teaching verbal grammar to my students. All that numerous tense forms and verbals… About a year ago I started to learn Blender. I was just watching some YouTube tutorials from time to time and repeated basic tricks. Quite soon I caught that ''Blender bug'' and decided to apply my new skills to something useful. I decided to redo some of my teaching materials into 3D. I must admit that it took quite a time. However, look at the result and decide yourself if it was a right move:
As you might guess, my students don′t fall asleep from the word ''grammar'' anymore :-). They are totally engaged and truly interested in grammar lessons. They finally see English tenses alive!
So, why not have a look and give it a try? Who knows! You may discover a 3D artist in your inner self and open something new to your students. Just invest 2-3 months of your time on watching YouTube tutorials. Your entire life may take a different turn!
Imagine and it will start happening… Happy blending!
