3-D printing has taken off in the last few years as the technology has become more affordable and widely available. And as often is the case with emerging technologies, it’s landed at UMW. Today a Simpson Library classroom – dubbed the Think Lab – is home to 3-D MakerBot printers and a first-year seminar called Mashups and MakerBots. Instructional Technology Specialist Tim Owens and Professor of Education George Meadows team up there to teach printing, electronics, and robotics. This fall, 16 first-year students from across disciplines are learning the basics of circuitry and automation while designing 3-D objects, from the simple – think key rings and iPad covers – to intricate works of art. Seven of Meadows’ master of science in education students are using the lab to get to know the technologies, too. Meadows hopes the graduate students’ time in the Think Lab will make them more confident and willing to try new things in the classroom when they are teachers. And they … [Read more...]