Networking and contributing to others.

Posted on by
1

Contributing to others learning experience is not locked to teaching them things, and EDTC 300 has given me an opportunity to learn that. Just by engaging others with enthusiasm and compassion you can contribute to others learning process by reinforcing them, and bolstering them with advice and compliments. This blog post will go over online interactions I have had with others throughout the semester that I think exemptlify this passive, positive approach.

Commenting on classmates blog posts.

It is extremely important to pass on helpful information, especially if it can make someone else’s life slightly easier!

Commenting on blog post to help someone memorize finger positions when learning guitars. I have seen this product help before!

Positive reinforcement is incredibly important. Even when people think they are failing, having their peers cheer them on often is enough to bolster morale.

Deepening the discussion of the blog posts original purpose. Expanding on the topic material, and engaging in conversations.

Tweeting

Tweeting was hit or miss throughout the semester. This was a completely new concept for me, and I had to learn the ins and outs on the fly. I was able to find a ton of resources that I shared with my classmates throughout the semester, and interaction was good as well.

I struggled tweeting everyday, but made an honest effort to try.

It seems like a good platform to network on, and participating in the SaskEdChat was a positive experience.

Responding to comments on my posts.

Reached out to other social media platforms outside of twitter.

This course gave me a chance to hone my 3D printing skills, and because I had the extra time to be creative I used that momentum to mesh my painting and the new models. Twitter wasn’t doing it for me, and I was always lurking on Reddit so I decided to take the plunge and post on there.

The reception of the 3D printed model was way more far-reaching on Reddit than it was on Twitter. Within three weeks of printing and painting the robot suits for the class I had recieved 5 thousand upvotes, and hundreds of comments to respond to.

Although it was not primarily focused on education, having positive reinforcement on the internet really boasted my morale and encouraged me to continue this side of my hobby life.

I also branched out to Youtube with less success, however the videos were intending to show my classmates that 3D printing is not as complicated as it is led on to be. I made two seperate videos breaking down the steps, from finding files to the completed, painted product.

Final thoughts.

Overall it was a positive experience. I learned a new skill, was taught how to make my own website/blog, and had a chance to network and better understand the importance of social media. It was a change of pace because I am not a tech savy person, and purposefully avoid social media. That being said, it is better to understand these things so I am more in-tune and up-to-date in any professional/casual setting.

3D printing is the future, the final blog post.

Posted on by
3

The end of the beginning..

The semester is coming to an end, and although it was stressful I have developed several useful skills I will be implimenting in the future. As part of the EDTC 300 course we were tasked with picking and developing a skill, and blog about our progress throughout the semester.

I have been eying up 3D printers for quite some time, so I figured this course was the perfect excuse to buy one. The skill I focused on throughout the semester was learning how to operate the machine, and let me tell you.. it was alot more work than I thought it was going to be.

I had, and continue to have, significant amounts of failures. However, that is part of the learning process and I am grateful I had the chance to crashcourse this technology. It was expensive, the health implications are dubious at best, and the failed prints were demoralizing.

Now that I have my whining out of the way, I can confidently say that I believe in this technology and whole-heartedly believe it will be a staple in many workplaces in the future. I also believe that teaching students how to use this while they are in high school will set them up for success. All of my pain and suffering was so I could have a greater understanding of this machine, and make the mistakes that my future students can learn from instead of making them themselves.

Learning project recap

Week 1 and 2: Introduction, inspiration, intention, and goals.

My start of my journey into the future..

Week one was an introduction to my topic, my learning goals, and the reason I chose this topic.

First assignment update, first 3D blunder.

Week 2 consisted of my first mistakes, and an overview of what went wrong and how it could be prevented in the future.

First Blunder Cont..

Week 3 I continued where I left off with week 2s blog. I gave a detailed explanation of what 3D supports are, their critical role, and showed what happens when models are supported.

First print, corrected and finished.

Week 4 consisted of another shot at the first model. This time it was a successful print.

Dabbling in videos.

I spent this week making a youtube video walking everyone through the process of using a 3D printer.

Project post #5,

I used week 5 making another, more detailed video to refine the video editing skills. Tutorials will be crucial for teaching this skill in the future.

Applications of 3D printing, and the future printing objects.

The sixth, and final blog post, was a short essay explaining why this technology is crucial to the future, how students will aplly this information, and applications of this skilll in several professional fields.

The learning process was slow, and required failures to hone my skills. It is hard to quantify the improvement other than anecdotal evidence.

The print failure rate has dropped to less than 10% (roughly 1 in ten still fail due to used error), but this is down from 60% (which also included the time I failed so hard I broke the printer and needed to return and get a new one).

Reflections on the process of learning online.

The 3D printing community is still incredibly small, and finding a tech focused community in central Saskatchewan is about as hard as it sounds. Luckily, I was able to access websites and videos that walked me through the process. It also allowed me to ask questions annonomously without feeling embarrassed.

I enjoyed creating models, printing them, painting them, and posting them to the internet all from the comfort of my own home. The feedback loop was a great motivater, and it allowed strangers to give me feedback which helped me fix problems I didn’t even know existed.

Example of a 3D printed model that I painted for a charity during June.
Fabulous Wardog from Warhammer40k
Another 3d Printed model I printed and painted for a charity during June.

The feedback on the social media sites helped keep me excited to 3D print and paint more models. It also embedded me into an online community that promoted the future applications of 3D printing.

Final thoughts

What started with infatuation after seeing a 3D printer in the library at the university and the new lab at one of the highschools, ended in me developing a new skill. When I eventually get a job teaching I would love to teach students how to use 3D printers, and with the evergroing field and access to this resource I predict I will have that opportunity. With greater access to the tech, students will require teachers that have the know-how and the proficiency to properly pass on that information to the students.

I am happy that this course gave me the opportunity to get better at something that has applications in the field I plan to work in. In addition to using this skill in a professional capacity, 3D printing is a hobby unto itself. I have come to enjoy finding models to print, and it has granted me access to an infinite well of potential models to paint. I have meshed two of my hobbies together, and I do not foresee myself ever being bored while at home again.

This is my summary of personal learning.

Cybersluething, available personal data, and the risk.

Posted on by
Reply

This blog is supposed to be focused on finding a colleague in the class and consolidating all the personal data that is on the internet into a single blog post. After two classes focused on how easy it is to find personal information on others, I figured I would take a different approach. I want to write a short essay on how companies, and individuals, can access your personal data, why they would want to, and the future implications of having a borderline privacy free internet.

The question of how is easily anwsered, and it often involves the unread conditions in the small print. I will use Facebook as an example, however most social media apps have similar terms and conditions. Facebook vehemently denies selling user data, and they are correct when they say that. What they do is significantly more sinister in an attempt to skirt those regulations. They create a consumer profile for you, which is a faceless avatar that represents you for the sake of targetting you with suggestions. This avatar is constructed by consolidating these factors together:

Personal data

This category is quite broad. It consists of any personal information you submit to the app, such as age, gender, sex, where you live, social security number, pictures of yourself, IP address of the devices you use, and cookies saved on your browser.

Engagement data

Engagement is measured by your activity on the site, what you spend the most time looking or interacting with, messanger activity (text or other methods), and how the person reacts to advertisements.

Behavioral data

If things were not sketchy before, this is where things cross the line. People data mining your available information will be able to quantify your spending habits (repeat purchases, where you shop), which products you prefer based on that information, and most frightening of all, qualitative data. Qualitative web data is how you use you mouse (or eyes/fingers on a smart phone), which means your entire experience on these free to use social media apps are tracked.

By tracking your behavior on the internet, collecting your personal information, and being able to establish what device you are wusing and where you are using it, data miners are able to predict future behaviors.

Why does this matter?

Well, outside of having no privacy while using the internet that data can be used against you. It has become common place for HR departments to use that data to determine if you should or should not be hired. Hiring/recruitment departments seek third party data collectors for this available information to screen out potential new hires. Although it is common, here is a brief article focusing on the implications of hiring departments using this information:

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2377-social-media-hiring.html

Another important aspect of having all of your information on the internet is that companies track your info and online habits in order to predict your future behaviors. This egregious abomination of an algorithim uses your own information against you by targetting you with ads specifically designed to put pressure on you when you are vulnerable. This article goes over how apps predict your future behaviors and then sell that information to companies that cater to the things you need/want:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanpettijohn/2019/09/03/of-course-your-phone-is-listening-to-you/?sh=594741316a3f

Society is addicted to free to use apps that track our information, and we have accepted that we pay for those free services with our privacy. We have become the prodcut sold to advertising agencies, and have opened ourselve up to social media audits before we get hired. There is no solution, and no that the genie is out of the bottle there is no going back to a private internet existence. I will let the Woz send this blog off:

Applications of 3D printing, and the future printing objects.

Posted on by
Reply

The last couple progress blogs have been videos outlining how to 3D print things, showing what you can print with low or no talant/skill in the field. I figured I would use this weeks post to explain WHY 3D printing is important to not only the future of tech, but fields such as construction, medicine, and future robotics engineering.

Accoring to Investopedia “Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an additive manufacturing process that creates a physical object from a digital design. The process works by laying down thin layers of material in the form of liquid or powdered plastic, metal or cement, and then fusing the layers together.”(Investopedia, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/1/3d-printing.asp).

When people think of 3D printing they invision little miniature, like the ones I was printing for the Youtube videos that last few weeks, and other knick knacks used for household decorations. The world is on the presipice of integrating that same technology used for menial printing for personal use into most professional fields, and students should have access to this tech earlier so they have a greater chance of taking advantage and advancing its applications in the future.

3D printing in Medicine

https://formlabs.com/blog/3d-printing-in-medicine-healthcare/

This article is slightly outdated (printing 2 years ago) and even it has revolutionary applications that will help patients recieve a greater degree of care while in hospitals.

Explaining procedure prior to surgery. (Photo from https://axial3d.com/latest/how-patient-specific-anatomical-models-are-transforming-pre-operative-planning)

1.) Patient-specific surgical models – Have you or any of your family members had to recieve a repairative surgery? Great, this example is for you. 3D printing allows doctors (once they are trained) to scan and print bones and organs into a resin so the patient can physically hold what they are going to have repaired. This allows for the doctor to easily explain the precedure, better explain recovery techniques, and take the patients imagination out of the equation to lower pre-surgery anxiety.

2.) New medical devices and instruments – The most notable aspects of having medical professionals be adept in 3D printing is that A.) It will allow medical offices easily create patient-specific medical prototypes in-house, and B.) It will significantly reduce the price of medical prototypes, as much as 70% according to Alex Drew (a mechanical project engineer at DJO Surgical, a global provider of medical devices.) (reference https://formlabs.com/blog/3d-printing-in-medicine-healthcare/).

3.) Affordable, envelope pushing prostheses – There is no reason for prosthetics to cost an arm or a leg. Here is a very short video of $50 prosthetic hand vs a $42,000 one..

There are many other current applications, such as 3D printing Biofilm to use as skin graphs or printing the perfect orthopedic insole, to speak about, however the potential future applications are what get me excited. Teaching students how to utilize this tool earlier could evolve the medical field.

3D printing in engineering and construction.

Would you believe me if I told you that in the future houses could be 3D printed with construction material? Well, I’ll save you the suspense. It is already happening, and has been happening for years.

Lets assume you already own a house, this might get you excited. Although there is no mass production yet, 3D printed fences are becoming more and more popular and readily accessible.

Teaching students about this tehnology earlier in their development will allow them to find and develop new applications for it, opening up new doorways for themselves and society in general. Outside of professional applications, the most exciting part of 3D printing is that it reduces barriers to entry for product development. Kids, adults, and hobbyists can all produce their own personal products from the comfort of their own home.

Project post #5,

Posted on by
Reply

Another week, another blog. It has been a super busy 2 weeks, and I haven’t spent much time in the lab. A group of nerds and myself went travelling around Canada to play a competitive boardgame, so I have been couch surfing and staying at AirBNBs. While on the road I was inspired for a few projects to try, and here is the updates.

Firstly, it is pride month so I 3D printed am alternative torso for a plastic model that I won at one of the tournaments so I could paint it as an entry for the next model contest.

Trans flag pup, doggy #10 from Warhammer40k

Now on to the meat of the blog. This part will only make sense if I share some exposition and context beforehand. My group of friends play a massive board game called Warhammer40K. The universe is massive, the lore is literally unending, and the hobby consists of endless possibilities. During the trip my friend and I got talking about a certain faction in the universe, and they are called the World Eaters. Needless to say, they are the bad guys.

https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/World_Eaters
Angron (hahah I know, real creative), Source: Games Workshop

I mentioned I was focusing on 3D printing for this course, and that it would be cool to make a fully custom set of miniatures with the printer. That was they would be unique, and more importantly save about $1000 to build and paint. I documented the printing of the test models so I could show you guys the process of using a printer, work on my phobia of my own voice on recordings, and gift the miniature to him as a tease of things to come!

10 minute tutorial of the printing of a test miniature

I will keep you posted, and give you an unneccissary update sometime during the week when I am done painting him!

Digital Citizenship and Curriculum

Posted on by
Reply

When looking throught the Sask curriculum I found it incredibly odd that there really are not any class that focus on computers, the internet, or technology until grade 10. What makes that strange is that children in general are getting their first cell phone and access to the internet long before grade ten. According to Statista a large “majority of children have their first phone by the age 10-12 option”(O’Dea, 2019).

Outside of the lacking curriculum, there seems to be an undertone of implementing tech into the classroom. An example of this is outcome CR8.4 in the grade 8 english language arts curriculum, with this indicator

(b)Demonstrate ability to navigate and process information when viewing websites, films, videos, and presentations.

Students begin learning how to browse the internet in elementry in grade 8, but their abiity to safely navigate through websites is a mere indicator in an english outcome.

Students may have digital access, via computers at school and cell phones (presumably), however there is no clear curriculum that teaches kids about the ramifications of the internet, how to avoid scams or <sexual predators>, and where the data they share on sites ends up.

In the future I plan on teaching in a highschool, but I have experience teaching in grade 5. I found the students I was working with relied on computers for almost every course in one way or another, and the teach had done an amazing job of introducing those kids to tech. I would plan on doing something similar.

In the grade 5 curriculum I would introduce digital citizenship as a part of the social studies curriculum, under the outcome Resources and Wealth. In indicator RW5.2

RW5.2 Hypothesize about economic changes that Canada may experience in the future.

This gives the class as a whole a chance to make predictions and have a more nuanced understanding of what the internet is, and what is cababilities are. The internet is here to stay, and teaching students about the potential of it earlier in their development will set them up for success.

Dabbling in videos.

Posted on by
5

This week I had a chance to create a short video, and boy howdy did it not go as smoothly as I wanted. It was interesting to make short clips to document the process of my recent 3D print, and even more interesting that I consciously remembered to take short clips.

I took short clips of the pre-print, mid-print, post-print and the assembly of the model. I used IMovie on my Mac to put put the video together. The software was fairly easy to navigate through, and after I figured out how to synergize my Google drive account to link my phone’s videos and my computer hard drive things were super easy.

iMovie allowed me to click and drive the MP4 files after I downloaded them off the Google drive. After adding a title and inserting transitions between the short clips the video came together by itself.

I kept things extremely simple, and doing this side project was insightful for me. I realized that I hate my voice, and how to change my approach in the future. I think I will continue to document my projects in the future because it’s really cool, and relatively quick, to make a video documenting the process and final product. Even if Noone ever watches them, I’d love to imagine one day I will want to look back and see the progress I’ve made.

First print, corrected and finished.

Posted on by
3

I wasn’t planning on updating everyone on the failed torso print, however I figured there was too much suspense for you guys to handle.

I went back, corrected the dimensions, fixed the supports, and gave the print another shot. This time it was a success, and the print came out perfect. I was able to splice it into other legitimate Games Workshop model bits and bobs.

Sidebar: The importance of using 3D printing for established boardgames is significant because it gets rid of the cost barrier, and allows more people to participate. The opensourced nature of 3D printing allows STL creators to get paid reasonably for their talent, and the overarching company (in this case Games Workshop) still makes a boat load of cash selling their textbooks, lore novels, and authentic models. Being able to print this torso allowed me to make two Hive Tyrants (name of the model in the board game) with a single $70 dollar kit.

This was the print with a 20 minute paint job. It will look great eventually!

The next project is to build a good guy in giant power armour so kids that join the TableTop gaming club can play as humans or space bugs! Stay tuned.

First Blunder Cont..

Posted on by
1

To pick up where I left off, we were just exploring the importance of supporting models.

Roughly 3 hours into this print I had this feeling of dread, and as I watched helplessly I noticed that there was an obvious part of the model I forgot to support. The printer was mezmorizing, however I knew at the end of the long awaited print I would be left with a useless piece of resin.

Resin printers seem like something out of the future, and this is a short video of a time lapse.

Instead of having a super nifty model at the end of my first print I was left with this.

Failed print number 1. Ignore the dirt nail, that is paint from another craft.

The model was inadequately supported near the bottom (top, because it prints upside down). This led to a total mess on the FEP (thin plastic layer that sits on the bottom of the resin vat), and a half printed model.

The goal for next week is to pre-support the model better. I will make a step by step of how I improve this. This will be my guide, if anyone wants to follow along with me!

https://ageofminiatures.com/guide-to-3d-printing-miniatures/

First assignment update, first 3D blunder.

Posted on by
1

Okay, let me preface this by saying I have been in the model hobby community for 2 years. It was my COVID hobby that replaced sports. I know my way around miniatures, and I have painted hundreds. That being said this is my first time branching out into making my own miniatures with resin.

To make a long story short, I am currently building and painting a bug themed army for a game called Warhammer 40,000. The barrier to entry for a game like this is the cost, so my goal is 3D print models to play with. (think Dungeons and Dragons, but on steroids)

I purchased a kit to start with, and noticed it had extra parts so you could build alternate stances/weapons. Instead of discarding those I figured I could print another body to use those parts on, so I did some internet sloothing. I found a STL file for $5 bucks, paid the creator, and downloaded it hoping it would be what I was looking for.

Files after downloading them from www.Thingiverse.com

After paying the creator and downloading the STL, it was time to turn this file into a 3 dimensional model. Most people in the 3D community pay for slicers (software used for breaking 3 dimensional objects into hundreds of layers that will print one at a time). I don’t have the money for those, so like the broke student I am I used the basic software that came with the printer.

File after being imported into the software.

The file immediately turns into the 3D object, however I had to add supports. Supports are those little strings you see in the photo. They serve one purpose, and that is to make sure the model itself prints without chunks falling off during the print. And this is where I made my first blunder.

I totally didn’t add enough supports so near the end of the print the model failed to print the last 10%. I will post a follow up as the results come out.