KyEdRPG Spotlight: Librarian Laura Mann and TTRPGs for Literacy

 

Librarians -- and the library -- are often the heartbeat and hub of a school.  Since extracurricular game clubs are frequently held in such learning spaces and therefore led by a librarian, it shouldn't be a surprise when such educators also use an innovative approach like tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) as part of their instructional time too.  They recognize it as an engaging way to enrich student literacy (and a little numeracy as well).

When librarian Laura Mann told me about the TTRPG she had created around a book her middle school students were reading, I was eager to see it in action.  Last month, I visited Laura at Bernheim Middle School (Bullitt County), a beautiful and recently renovated building.   

Walking around the nooks and tables, I was impressed with the sixth graders' eagerness to play the game.   I took pictures and conducted an interview with Mann to share the details (and her resources!).  As an aside, I am also proud for Laura to be our first Kentucky librarian to be featured on the Kentucky Educators for Role Playing Games website!

Laura, welcome to Edtech Elixirs!  Please share your educational journey. 

My teaching and library careers have been a dynamic journey, to say the least.

I first stepped into the classroom in January 2011 as a substitute teacher in Bullitt County, fresh off graduating from Campbellsville University the previous month with my BS in Elementary Education. I quickly gained a host of diverse experience, moving into specialized roles such as Reading Interventionist at Vine Grove Elementary (Hardin County, 2011-2012) and Math Interventionist at Old Mill Elementary (Bullitt County, 2012-2013). This period of focused, one-on-one teaching truly helped me get my foot in the door and it was during this time that the library truly began calling to me. 

While working as a Math Interventionist, I took on a part-time role as a Library Page at the Louisville Free Public Library and began work on my Master of Science in Library and Information Science. This paved the way for my first full-time role as a Library Media Specialist (LMS) at Nichols Elementary (2013-2014). After a brief return to the classroom to teach second grade in 2014-2015, I took a sabbatical to complete my MSLIS. The question was, where would I take my skills? Back to the public schools or into the public library?

I decided, at this point, I would try the public library again and took on a position at Spencer County Public Library in 2016, where I continued until 2018. I loved the job, but discovered my true love was students. I was offered a position as the LMS at Bloomfield Middle School in Nelson County Schools (2018-2019) before moving into a District LMS for the next 5 years. All of this rich experience has led me to where I am today: the Library Media Specialist (LMS) at Bernheim Middle School, back in Bullitt County. This is a role I absolutely love, and I can't wait to continue it for the foreseeable future.

What is your personal experience with playing TTRPGs?

My experience with actually playing TTRPGs is limited, but my interest is not! I've always loved playing board games, and hearing a good story. TTRPGs combine the best of both worlds into one.

I watch streams and videos of others playing on various platforms, and it always looks like such a great time. I was struggling to find friends to play with, but I'm hoping to join the TTRPG group that meets at my local Bullitt County Public Library branch—as soon as I can clear my schedule for their next play night!

Some people outside of education may be surprised that school librarians “teach classes.”  Can you briefly describe your related arts schedule with your middle school students?

One of the great perks of my current role is the flexibility it offers. School librarian schedules often fall into three main categories, depending on the school's needs:

• Fixed: While not exclusive to elementary schools, this is very common in such settings, where the librarian is part of the Related Arts rotation teaching classes for most of the day.
• Responsive: This is the ideal scenario—the librarian is free to schedule their time as needed to serve students and staffulty (staff + faculty).
• Partially Responsive: This is the schedule our school uses. 

I'm very lucky to only teach two classes per day, which rotate every nine weeks. This partial teaching schedule is a huge benefit because it frees me up for the rest of the day to focus on critical library operations. With the help of my fantastic library aides, we manage the constant flow of activity: fixing Chromebooks, checking out books, and making sure the library runs smoothly all day long.

What inspired you to bring TTRPGs into your learning space?

I wanted to add TTRPGs to include a little more fun to our learning, but also to deepen the learning with Kentucky Academic Standards for Library Media—especially in the Collaborate domain. I'm thinking specifically focusing on pushing past basic "group work" (like dividing up a poster project) and moving toward the high-level collaboration detailed in standards like M.CL.T3.A “Learners identify collaborative opportunities by: Deciding to solve problems informed by group interaction.”

I love how you wrapped your TTRPG adventure around a text the students are reading.  Tell us about your game!

The official title is “The Bernheim Riddle”, a play on the book we are reading The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin.  The game mechanics are based on a simplified version of Dungeons & Dragons.

The first step in setting up the game was making sure the students had a grasp on Character Sheets and how to use them. At the start of the term, students made Character Sheets for themselves. This was to help them understand the sheets for later game play, but also to help me get to know them better. We played a brief game using where students had to follow the Community Agreements (being respectful, responsible, safe, kind, courageous, and using excellent work ethic) while finding a lost library book. 

 A copy of the Filling Out You Character Sheet (Google Slides).

Then, we began reading our book. I wanted to create a strong connection to the historical world of Bletchley Park. We started with some light research on the people who actually worked there. We would play our game as these people.

Students used the official Bletchley Park website, using its "The Roll of Honour" page to find their historical figure. Their research was focused on discovering key information such as who the person was, what their specific job was at Bletchley Park, and any other available biographical details.

A copy of the Bletchley Park Research Sheet (Canva).

Then, we completed Character Sheets for their historical figures. This was a challenge for them as strengths were not listed on the Bletchley Park website. We had to think about what specific job they had and what skills the person doing that job may have. I used a base character sheet I found from a member of the Dungeons and Dragons Aotearoa NZ Facebook Group (posted by Abigail Ea) and edited it to ensure the skills and strengths perfectly matched the historical context we were working with.

A copy of Laura's adapted Character Sheet (Canva).

The original Kids Character Sheet by Abigail Ea.  (Please support the creator!)

Copy of Filling Out Your Historical Figure Character Sheet (Google Slides).

Once students had their historical figure’s sheet completed, we could begin our game!

Each student has taken on a role within their group. There is a leader, an ambassador, a dice tamer, an adventure tracker, and a writer. Each person has specific roles/jobs they are responsible for.  For example, the ambassador is the only person who can come ask me questions!

The narrative centers on a mysterious person named "Enoch" who has been causing problems at the famous code-breaking facility, Bletchley Park. Throughout the game, students take on the roles of their Bletchley Park workers and must figure out Enoch's plan by breaking codes and ciphers, making decisions as a team, and dealing with the repercussions of their choices.

To make the game manageable, I split the entire story into four weekly sections, each with a clear stopping point: "Part One: The Whispering Witness," "Part Two: The Missing Machine," "Part Three: The Double Agent’s Diary," and "Part Four: The Evacuee’s Enigma."

Since I have so many groups and can't possibly be a Game Master for all of them, I built a self-guided system that requires minimal involvement from me after set-up. This allows groups to move at their own pace and collaborate without interruption.

The two main components are the Canva Slide Decks which function as the narrative and clue delivery system,  and a Google Form which acts as a sort of Game Master.

For example, if students are required to interpret a Morse code message, they submit their answer into the Google Form. If they put in an incorrect answer, the Form simply tells them, "That is not the right code." If they get it right, the Form validates the answer, links them to the next section of the Form, and provides the link for the next Canva slide deck.  

[Editor's note: you can learn how to create "Response Validation" rules for how a person answers on a Google Form from this help site, to replicate what you might see in a Breakout EDU game.]  

If students choose to talk to a certain non-player character, the slide deck will take them on that path. They'll get information that is either helpful or sends them right back to their choices—simulating the consequences of real TTRPG interaction. While this system does limit the range of options, it allows groups to work through the game on their own, making decisions without the need for constant intervention from the teacher.

As an example, here are the "Part Three: The Double Agent’s Diary” Canva Slides which were what the students were playing on the day you visited:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

How have the students reacted?  

Some students are excited to play and ready to take on the challenges. Others are not sure where to begin and don’t participate as much with their groups. I'm thinking of revisions for next time to keep everyone involved.  Students do regularly ask when we are going to play the game again, since we only play on the last day of the week.

What feedback have you gotten from the staff at Bernheim Middle about using a TTRPG for instruction?

Our band/music teacher is very much into RPGs of all kinds and was a bit jealous of my class. He mentioned skipping his classes to come play with mine! My principal Chase Goff came into the class to see my students playing.  He later shared with me, “I really enjoyed talking to the students about the tabletop games.  Honestly, I have never played these or engaged with them so it was really cool to see it.  I also thought it was great to see the students productively struggling, having to back up and try again.” 

What’s next for TTRPGs in your library?

I plan to incorporate TTRPG with my classes the rest of this year. I will, however, use different books for each grade level just so I don’t have to read the same book twice a term for the entire year! I will choose from Kentucky Bluegrass Award books in an attempt to drum up excitement for those selections. I know we will not finish our current read and I already have students clamoring to be the first on the list to check it out! It shows me that the students are in love with the book, regardless of how they feel about TTRPGs.

This has been awesome, Laura!  Thank you for sharing your story.  Last question:  What advice would you give to a school librarian who wants to start using TTRPGs in their library?

Just try it! Even if it is with one class or coordinating with another teacher. Was there a big learning curve? Yes. Is there a lot of prep before you can even start? Absolutely. Has it been a fun adventure and a good opportunity to try something new? For sure. 

Special thanks to Ms. Mann for taking the time to answer my questions, and inviting me to visit!

New Vodcast Series for Educator Reflection During NTI

First, we must honor the date of this entry!  Not only is today Star Wars Day, but it is the start of Teacher Appreciation Week.  Has there ever been a school year where all teachers have not easily earned the rank of Jedi Knight?  I can't imagine one.  Thanks to all of the compassionate teachers out there who strive to innovate in these challenging non-traditional instructional (NTI) times...and that includes a nod toward the parents and guardians who are co-teaching these lessons at home.

It was an awareness of our Shelby educators who are innovating during NTI that inspired Lora Shields, our district Staff Developer.   Knowing that some hard-won professional learning was happening out there, she proposed a vodcast that could both capture this moment in time as well as share the learning with others.   As we teamed together to make this happen, we shaped the focus of the vodcast series to be guided by two questions:  what new tool or strategy are you currently learning to use during NTI, and in what ways will that transform your teaching when you return to the brick and mortar of your school buildings in the future?

Thus, the vodcast series "Shelby Speaks: Looking Forward" was launched, sharing our facilitated interviews with the creative educators of our district.  As of today, over half of our recorded episodes have been published (see the playlist on SCPS's YouTube channel), and we have already earned acclaim from other education leaders and even local television news:

Love these! “There’s a difference between a project and PBL...” Well-done, @shelbycountysch team! @loratshields @watsonedtech @DugleSusan @rltmartin @JamesNeihof https://t.co/QeXN3zsBfb

— Jonathan Vander Els (@jvanderels) April 26, 2020

Loving these Shelby Speaks series led by @watsonedtech ... this one is on how PBL & exhibitions are still happening for 8th grade, just digital now! Nice work Casey, LaPorsha, & Sarah!! Awesome creativity and innovation with digital tools. Well done. #KyEdNext https://t.co/AWgmjvCLqx

— Dr. Justin Bathon (@justinbathon) April 28, 2020

Teachers @shelbycountysch share how online learning lessons will transform their classrooms: https://t.co/iKki6dsMKf | @SaraSideryWDRB pic.twitter.com/pEwGw1ne0H

— WDRB News (@WDRBNews) April 24, 2020

In particular, I'd like to highlight three episodes that address a few of my favorite educational topics: project based learning and libraries.

In Episode 3, Martha Layne Collins art teacher Lukas Allison talks about how important cross-content PBL and design thinking is to his lesson planning (9:43):

In Episode 5, West Middle School teachers Casey Robinson, Sarah Buchanan, and LaPorsha Jackson talk about the process of moving PBL exhibitions to an online space (12:26):

Lastly, in Episode 10, Julie Webb (Shelby County High School) and Emily Northcutt (Marnel C. Moorman, our K-8 school) discuss how librarians and libraries play an essential role in NTI (18:20):

Thanks to all of the educators worldwide who are attempting the Herculean task of continuing student learning at home, even when our students face substantial inequities of Internet access, food insecurities, and understandable anxieties about our unprecedented present.

KySTE 2019

Every March, I make my edtech pilgrimage to the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky to attend the KySTE Spring Conference.  It was a record attendance this year (nearly 2000 registered!).    It's been a few days since the close of the conference, and I wanted to share several highlights.

1.  I did presentations on Shelby County's Digital Citizenship curriculum as well as some recommended digital equity tools to help personalize learning.   I was pleased to get attendees for both, but in particular, I hope to continue conversations with several people on how we can collaborate on digital citizenship for Kentucky students in the future.

2. Much like I missed TodaysMeet and was thankful to find YoTeach, I have missed Storify since it shuttered, as it was an easy and useful curation tool...but now I think I have a replacement!  From Stella Pollard, I learned of a new tool, Wakelet.   It allows you to make "collections" that can consist of images, PDFs, texts, Tweets, YouTube videos, and of course hyperlinks.  Wakelet is very user friendly, and even allows the ability to search tweets and YouTube videos from within the tool much like Storify did.  A social aspect of Wakelet is that you can have followers, and there is a beta feature where you can collaborate on the same collection.  I created a profile page here.

3.  URL shorteners like Bit.ly and Tinyurl.com have three main issues: a) your audience has to type a complicated URL where upper and lower case letters make a difference, b) you can personalize the URL to make it more straight-forward, but the more simple it is the more likely it's already taken, and c) both A and B may seem like a lot of effort for what often amounts to just a one time hour-long presentation.   That's why Yellkey is fantastic!  Simply give the URL to shorten and choose the duration you need it, anytime from 5 minutes to 24 hours.  You will get a shortened URL in simple language, such as yellkey.com/computer. Note these are both disposable and reused; a few days or even a few minutes from now, yellkey.com/computer will point to something else. (Thanks Leslie Fisher!)

4.  As a former high school English teacher, it is easier for me to imagine a librarian to help collaborate with staff on literacy and not numeracy needs.  Obviously, I am short sighted!  One of the best KySTE sessions I attended involved Sarah Zender (math teacher) and Amanda Hurley (librarian) from Henry Clay High School (Fayette County).  They talked about their work together, and it was impressive: scavenger hunts, geometry animated STEM projects, Math Inquiries that connected personal interests (such as guitar playing, MMA fighting, and fantasy football), and involving students in library renovations.

5.  Last but not least, it was a highlight of not just the conference but of my career to receive the KySTE Outstanding Leader of the Year award for 2018-2019.

As I've already said in various social media posts, in a life there are hundreds of people who give you wisdom, teach you a lesson, or model by example.  Whoever I may be or accomplish is the accumulation of all of those people and moments.  Thank you to all of my friends, family and colleagues who I have had the privilege of sharing a part of my educational journey.  And of course, thank you to KySTE for the award!  I'll always treasure it.

I'll end this entry with a video of my acceptance speech.  Special thanks to Cyndi Skellie for recording it!

Makerspaces

Before discussing today's topic, a special announcement!  Our 1:1 deployment of Chromebooks has already been accomplished for our high school students.  The next group of middle schoolers were going to get their devices this summer . . . but thanks to the generous support of our Board, the timetable has been moved up!  Chromebooks for our 6th to 8th graders have been purchased, and we hope to deploy them next month in January.   So I now will be spending a majority of my time floating between our two middle schools for support.

And now, to the topic of the day: makerspaces!

Makerspaces are "free play" areas often, but not exclusively, found in libraries.  (For some schools that enthusiastically embrace the concept, the makerspace is the library.)  The materials to inspire creativity and critical thinking are varied, but the key thing is that students have choice and freedom.  There is nothing to prevent teachers from creating lesson plans or project-based learning around these areas and materials, of course.

Here in Shelby County, several of our librarians are well on their way to populating our school libraries with makerspaces.  In order to build and collaborate on makerspace ideas, we have created a Google Doc.   Feel free to view and share with others!

One of our most active and prominent Kentucky educators is Heidi Neltner.  She was kind enough to respond to an interview request to share her knowledge of makerspaces and how she transformed her school library.

Welcome to Edtech Elixirs!  Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! This is my 15^th year in education. My undergraduate work was in Psychology, English and Secondary Education.  I completed my Master’s in Library Science at the University of Kentucky and a Rank I in Instructional Leadership from Northern Kentucky University. Currently I am the teacher librarian at Robert D. Johnson Elementary in Fort Thomas, Kentucky.  In my previous education life I taught high school English for 10 years, with six of those years being at Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky.  In 2015 I was awarded a Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching  and the A.D. Albright Outstanding Teacher in Northern Kentucky.

You identify yourself as a “teacher librarian,” as opposed to a LMS or something else.  Why is the title “teacher librarian” important to you?

 I identify myself as a “Teacher Librarian” as opposed to a Library Media Specialist because I think teacher librarian more fully describes what I do.  I am always a teacher first – whether I am working one on one with students, acting as a guide on the side with a large group, or working with a group of teachers on incorporating technology or research methods into their classwork.  Of course, I also function as the librarian in very traditional and nontraditional ways at my school where I work endlessly to encourage reading, maintain a library collection and connect stakeholders with the most current resources to support the learning community.  These resources can be anything from print and ebooks to apps for the iPads to green screening tools to circuit kits – whatever we need to inspire creativity and learning.

When do you remember starting to significantly integrate technology into student learning?

During my student teaching in spring of 2000, when I sat down with three versions of Romeo and Juliet and two VCRs and spliced together short clips of the same scene so students could compare and contrast how different directors might envision the scene and to see how different interpretations could change the tone or mood of a work.  It was pretty fascinating to see the students making complex connections.  Through the next few years I worked to encourage high school students to find ways to use tools such as PowerPoint and video clips in presentations to demonstrate connections.  Thanks to many incredible advancements, even my elementary students can do this seamlessly today.

The term “makerspace” has become popular these last few years.  How would you define what a makerspace is?

A makerspace is a physical or digital environment where learners (no matter the age) can come together to make.  In an educational capacity, a makerspace functions as a common area for students to access the tools, materials, or programming they need to learn from doing or demonstrate what they know.

What are some examples of makerspace activities and materials you currently have in your library? 

My school’s makerspace is evolving to meet the needs of my school community.  We have access to computers, iPads, art materials, circuit building kits (Snap Circuits, littleBits) a Makey-Makey, Raspberry Pi, green screen, Legos and a Lego table I converted from a donation.  I also have an online access point for students to access websites like DIY.org, and coding sites like Code.org, Scratch, Tynker and Made with Code, and we have MinecraftEDU. 

I encourage the use of the makerspace weekly in “Maker Recess” where students in 3-5^th grades can come in and “make”.  They build on the Lego table, work in Minecraft, build circuits, make rainbow loom or LoopdeDoo bracelets and experiment with different apps on iPads that they ordinarily might not get a chance to try out.  We having Minecraft mornings each Monday and I have 3 coding clubs that meet once a month. I also use a Maker Center approach to expose students to different ideas and processes.  Last year we had our first maker centers right before winter break, and I wrote about it in a post “Maker Centers – a Learning Experience for all of Us”, I plan to do that again, and used a similar format already this year with kindergarten and first grade using the guiding question “How can we show what we know about Digital Citizenship?"

I find the most value in the  makerspace comes through project based learning.  Last year, for example, my first graders did an author study and when it came time for them to do their project, I asked them what they could do to show what they know?  They brainstormed things they had done and seen in makerspaces and came up with many excellent ideas.  I wrote about that experience in my blog post “Using the Super 3 Research and Our Makerspace to Inspire 1^st Grade PBL.”  I used a similar approach with 3^rd and 5^th graders who did Genius Hour research last year. I had 5^th graders making how-to videos, building websites, models, and so much more. Currently, students in 3^rd and 5^th grades are researching Digital Citizenship issues and designing projects using makerspace materials in the same capacity.  While many students are making videos and posters, they are also making use of apps such as Aurasma and QR codes to make things more interactive. 

A few more projects that we have happening are just not beginning with 4^th grade, and will likely expand to full school participation.  Students in 4^th grade are being given the choice to work on a number of projects here at school that will benefit everyone including: building a butterfly garden, putting together an aquaponics garden, writing a program to turn our Raspberry Pi into a book tweeting station, and learning about and looking for ways to improve Google Cardboard. Thanks to the hard work of Julie Dashley, one of our Spanish teachers, we have been awarded a grant to build a butterfly garden.  With the help of the Campbell County Cooperative Extension, kids are going to have a real opportunity to build the garden.

What are some activities or materials you would like to include in the near future?

For the future I’m working on grants to purchase a variety of different kinds of robots – everything from Bee Bots to Sphero to Arduino based robots so that students can see in a more hands-on way how computer coding can work to affect something in the real world.  I would also love to have a 3D printer that we can use to prototype and possibly use with MinecraftEDU, a poster printer so kids can better apply principals of graphic design, a Dye Cutter and a variety of LEDs and more littleBits.  I would also like to plan more after school activities, designed around particular themes or showcasing different skills and teachers.

Why do makerspaces matter?

A makerspace matters because it provides learners with a common area where resources are shared in a way that allows for students to be inspired to learn or show what they know.  It can be an area where students can tap into skills they don’t often get to practice or learn about in a traditional classroom, but it is most importantly a place where everyone is a learner and can safely practice 21^st century skills like collaboration, problem solving, creativity and innovation.  Many of the ways students can engage in the use of a makerspace will directly connect to standards students are working within the classroom environment – CCSS, NGSS and Program of Studies. For example, last year during our Maker Centers, students were exposed to a Raspberry Pi and when they learned about circuits in class they were able to identify what a circuit board was and make connections to other things in their class before their teacher could do it for them.  Students use the writing process to create, edit and revise video, they use math to make calculations in Minecraft when crafting things, and they use Engineering standards when they are creating models and making improvements.  In a makerspace you truly have a cross curricular experience where students are at the center of their learning.

I know you and James Allen founded KyGoPlay.  What inspired you to do so?  What is the purpose of KyGoPlay?  

James Allen and I were inspired to create a #KyGoPlay movement during a #KyEdChat side discussion with Marty Park and Chris Walsh.  We were talking about how teachers really need to be encouraged to “Play to Learn.”  One thing James and I noticed is that when people ask us how we learned something technology based, our response is typically “I played around with it."  Many teachers find that they simply don’t have the time to play around to learn things – but if you make that time, it can be really rewarding for you and your students.

The purpose of #KyGoPlay is to bring an awareness to the benefits of playing to learn as an adult and to encourage teachers to take an hour of their time during one week and "just try it."  We put together a video that included some research and explained the premise here. 

We also are encouraging people to host #KyGoPlay events at their school to bring colleagues together for Play Dates so they can learn together, increase collegiality and get a good laugh hopefully. 

We would love for you to take the “Pledge to Play” on Kygoplay.com!  Last year was our first year launching the challenge, and we’d love to see more participation.  We shared out ideas through the #KyGoPlay hashtag and we have a Twitter account @KyGoPlay.  You can get ideas there.

What advice or first steps would you give to librarians hoping to transform their library into a makerspace?

If you want to create a makerspace in your library – the first thing you need to do is assess the needs of your stakeholders.  Look at resources like your CSIP, your school mission and vision to identify priorities, ask your administrators, teachers and students what they’re missing and design materials and events that will help fulfill real needs in your school community.  You also have to consider budget and a sustaining budget so that you have a plan for maintaining expensive items and replacing consumables.  Making is an attitude and you can encourage a maker movement in your school with not much more than some makers and paper, so don’t feel pressured to have all those high dollar things right away. You can check out my more complete answer to that on “Makerspaces – Getting Started” and see some more resources on KyMakes, which will hopefully turn into a place for people in Kentucky schools to share maker ideas.  You can also tweet with the hashtag #KyMakes to share what you’re doing.

Thank you, Heidi, for your generosity and time!

What are your thoughts on makerspaces?  What materials or use of space currently happen in your library or classroom?  Please share your thoughts in the Comments below.

The First Steps of 3D Printing

When I ran into Loretta Shake, the LMS of North Oldham Middle School, at EdcampKY a few weeks ago, I was happy to catch up with a former colleague.  But when she revealed that her library recently acquired a 3D printer, I was all ears.

Loretta is an educator with 27 years of experience.   She has been at NOMS for the last 16 years, 15 of those as their library media specialist.  Ms. Shake was kind enough to take a picture for this entry, shoot a video of the 3D printer in action, and last but not least participate in the interview below.  If you are considering getting one of these in the near future, her information and advice will be extremely helpful!

Hello!  Let's start with telling us the process of getting the 3D printer in the first place.

I had knowledge of the MakerBot 3D printer; however, while attending ISTE this summer I found out about Afinia. In talking with their reps I learned they sell refurbished models for $500 which I felt was a great price since I wasn’t sure how I was going to integrate it into instruction. I think most of the small models like I have generally start at $1,299.  I used technology funds that we had from fundraisers. I had to get approval from our DTC [District Technology Coordinator] prior to purchasing.

Once you get past the initial price, what is the maintenance of the printer like?  How much does the filament cost?

So far maintenance has been easy. The filament does come on a spool. Each spool averages about $40. I have been allowing students to sign up to have things printed. Afinia suggests the cost be figured by the weight of the object times .06 per gram.   However, I upped the price to .15 per gram. I have received great support from Afinia when I couldn’t figure out something.

How long does it take to print an object?  Is it loud while it prints?

Several factors determine the amount of time it takes to print. The size of the object and how you “fill” it. You can fill it solid, hollow, or loose. [A large solid object could take a few hours or longer.] It is not loud while printing until the end when it beeps to let you know the print job is complete.

Here is a video, taken by Loretta, of her printer in action:

How have students and teachers reacted to it? 

Most have been amazed. It has become a focal point for the library. Students will stand and watch it print, others ask how they can print something. Most think it’s cool our school has a 3D printer.  

 I imagine you are getting a lot of "whoa!"

It has been a “whoa” factor for the most part. I have had students print things for a project. I have asked 7^th grade and art teachers to collaborate with me when they do their geometry unit. There is a free program called TurtleArt that allows students to create geometric shapes. We would then print them 3D so they can take them to art class to press in clay and paint.

What websites or online resources for the 3D printer would you recommend?

We use www.thingiverse.com to search for most of our models. MakerBot offers some great tutorial type videos. www.tinkercad.com has a free online program to create your own 3D objects.

Any advice for other LMS's wanting to get a 3D printer for their own library?

I would suggest you spring for a refurbished model like I did to gain support and once you can find ways to integrate into instruction then you can invest in a larger model. I plan on creating a MakerSpace in my library and teaching students how to print all on their own.

The finished product.

Ms. Shake, I can't thank you enough for your time!

Questions about 3D printers?  Do you have expertise or experiences with 3D printing you want to share?  Comment below!