The Future of EDU

Education has always been a key focus for 3Doodler. With a new Head of Education for 3Doodler EDU, and with another successful year at ISTE 2017, we’re looking to the future of education and tactile technology.

With a commitment to learning and classroom integration, we’re continually learning how we can improve accessibility and usability, to get more 3Doodlers into more classrooms and into the hands of more students.

A Focus on Education

As 3Doodler EDU grows and learns, we’ve expanded our education department with aerospace engineer and logistics and supply chain specialist Leah Wyman as our new Head of Education.

“We know the appointment of an aerospace and project engineer with supply chain experience to lead our education efforts may look unusual on paper,” admits 3Doodler Co-founder and CEO Maxwell Bogue. “But Leah’s engineering background, experience in data-driven strategy, and her lifelong love of learning make her the perfect fit for 3Doodler EDU.”

“Leah, as well as having an education background, also has a strong background in operations and management, and for us, in a way personifies STEM,” agrees 3Doodler Co-founder Daniel Cowen.

As a life-long leader in the push for gender equality in STEM subjects, Leah brings the experience and knowledge vital to helping 3Doodler’s own efforts in closing the gender gap.

“Having done engineering at school, and part of the minority of women in that field, Leah gives us an insight that allows us to help level that playing field even further,” explains Daniel.

Leah’s current focus is a close examination of the end-to-end experience of 3Doodler EDU. From first discovery to integration in the classroom and returning feedback to the company, Leah’s primary concern is providing the resources and accessibility that helps educators get the most out of their EDU bundles. But more than anything, she wants to be able to help teachers and students discover the joy of learning.

"Learning should be fun, and this is a way to help teachers achieve that." Share

“One of my goals is to really illustrate how learning is fun,” Leah explains. “Learning should be fun, and this is a way to help teachers achieve that. Teachers want that, and so do the kids.”

Leah says that having fun and engaging in the learning process is key. “I was lucky that I enjoyed learning when I was growing up, and that helped shape who I am today,” she says. “All kids deserve that opportunity, and 3Doodler can really help bring lessons to life in a fun way.”

Building Creative Classrooms

Integrating 3Doodler into education has always been a part of our mission.

“From the very early days of 3Doodler there was a keen interest within the education sector in what we were doing,” recalls Daniel. “And we saw this coming from a lot of different groups—special needs groups as well as just educators generally.”

While one of our initial concepts for how the 3Doodler could be applied in an educational setting was for STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, Math—subjects, it soon became clear that there were no limits for how the 3Doodler could help students learn.

We’ve seen creative teachers use the 3Doodler to teach any combination of subjects, like creating a model town to help students engage with history and English. Educators across the country have found that the 3Doodler is the perfect tool for integrating art into the typical STEM subjects, to create STEAM for a well-rounded curriculum.

Other teachers have found that a tactile learning tool like 3Doodler helps students with learning disabilities engage better in the classroom.

For Leah, that hands-on learning opportunity is what makes 3Doodler so special. “I think every student can benefit from having that hands-on experience with learning,” she explains, “but there are other students who don’t learn in a traditional way who can really benefit from this. They might think they’re a bad student, but when you put something like the 3Doodler in their hands, then they realise they can do it, but just in a different way.”

“If we can help students who are more visually or tactile oriented progress quicker than they would have otherwise, then that’s a great thing,” Daniel agrees. “It levels the playing field. And every study we’ve done has shown that students that otherwise might have been at a disadvantage because they’re not textbook oriented have thrived with a tactile tool like the 3Doodler.”

"If we can help students who are more visually or tactile oriented progress quicker than they would have otherwise, then that’s a great thing." Share

With EDU bundles for both the 3Doodler Start and Create, we’re looking to a future of integrated tech in classrooms all over the world. And as we continue to seek new ways to design our products, website, and materials to be more classroom friendly, we’re also looking at ways to make the 3Doodler accessible for any teacher or student.

Initiatives like our partnership with DonorsChoose.org opened up creative possibilities for students across the country.

“The dream is to have this in every school, whether private or public, and to have 3Doodler accessible to every student, no matter their income level or where they are in the world,” says Daniel.

Read about how teachers Connie and Blair and Patricia and Christy funded their DonorChoose.org projects and integrated 3Doodler into their classrooms.

3Doodler at ISTE 2017

ISTE 2017 marks 3Doodler’s third year of participating in the education conference that brings thousands of teachers together to share and celebrate their ideas for STEM innovation and tech.

“For us, ISTE is as much showing off our wares as it is about absorbing the thoughts from thousands to tens of thousands of teachers on what we can be doing to improve the classroom experience and to take 3Doodler and adapt it and our materials so the students can gain even more from it,” explains Daniel.

Leah agrees. “It was great to be able to interface with the teachers and also some students that were there to really understand their ideas for the product,” she says. “Especially the teachers who already had 3Doodler EDU bundles and could explain some of their lesson plans. I’m so impressed with how teachers have been able to integrate the pens into their classrooms already.”

One teacher explained how she had used the 3Doodler to give her health students a clearer concept of disease and how different sicknesses affect the body. In pairs, one student would use the 3Doodler to create a model of a healthy organ, while the other was tasked with Doodling the same organ but with a specific illness.

In other cases, teachers and students discovering the 3Doodler for the first time discovered new applications that hadn’t considered before. “We have a fully articulated Doodled hand that we bring to every show and it sits on the front table,” says Daniel. “This year, a deaf student and teacher with their sign translator came by the booth, and saw the hand. Mid-conversation, the sign translator started using the articulated hand to make sign gestures.”

It was something the team had never seen before, and were immediately struck with how something like a Doodled hand could be used to teach sign language in a tactile way.

"ISTE is as much showing off our wares as it is about absorbing the thoughts from thousands to tens of thousands of teachers." Share

Other discoveries for the team came from concerns from teachers who were able to picture exactly how their kids might use—or try to misuse—the pens in the classroom.

This year, 3Doodler was proud to feature EDU bundles for the 3Doodler Start and showcase how younger learners could benefit from tactile technology in the classroom. One teacher was concerned about whether the 3Doodler Start plastic would come out of carpet.

“The teacher said they could just picture the students sitting on the floor of the classroom and Doodling into the carpet,” Daniel says. “So we decided to find out!”

He immediately sat down with a 3Doodler Start on the carpeted floor of the ISTE convention hall and brazenly Doodled as an elementary student might.

Fortunately for everyone involved, the Start plastic came right off, and ISTE 2017 was able to continue with more teachable moments.back to top image

5 Pieces of Real Life Star Trek Tech

It’s been over half a century since Star Trek first aired and amazed fans with a look into the possible future of technology.

And while Star Trek tech was only science fiction at the time, a huge range of the items used aboard the Enterprise are now commonplace today. Cellphones, bluetooth headsets, and tablet computers were all predicted by the futuristic series.

But while we’re still several hundred years away from James T. Kirk’s famous five-year mission of 2265, recent breakthroughs in technology have gotten us closer to a Star Trek reality than ever before, and in surprising ways:

1. Replicators

The replicators on Star Trek: The Next Generation synthesized foods for meals on demand, produced medications, or manufactured spare mechanical parts.

Today’s 3D printing technologies have made this Next Generation tech a current generation reality. Our own 3Doodler is a hand-held version that prints not only in plastic, but also metal, nylon, polycarbonate, and wood.

And current technology is working toward making real life even stranger than fiction. While the replicators of Star Trek could not produce living organisms, advancements in medical 3D printing are leading us in that direction. It is already possible to 3D-print bone, cartilage, tissue with blood vessels, and even heart valves, and scientists are even honing in on the process for printing human skin.

2. Hypospray

Medical tech is often where the sci-fi future envisioned by Star Trek meets reality.

When the medical officers of Starfleet’s science division needed to administer liquid medicines, they were able to do so without needles, blood, pain, or injection sites by using the hypospray.

Now, researchers at MIT have developed a similar method of jet injection which mimics the sterile, needle-free technology of the hypospray. Jet injection shoots a very thin and fast jet of medicine straight through the skin and into muscle. The jet is so fine that it won’t cause any pain, and the mechanics are precise enough to administer the correct doses for different patients.

3. Universal Translator

With a mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before, the crew of the starship Enterprise made frequent use of various universal translator technologies, allowing them to freely interact and converse with aliens from all reaches of space.

In our current digital age, communication is key. Which is why companies all over the world, from Japan to The Netherlands, are creating tech that lets us talk across languages.

Other more accessible tech takes translation to the page, with apps like Google Translate becoming more sophisticated all the time, allowing you to read foreign languages through instant scan-and-translate functions on your phone.

4. Bionic Eyes

Born blind, Geordi La Forge got his first VISOR—Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement—for his fifth birthday.

The Next Generation VISOR technology in Star Trek was worn like a pair of glasses, and detected and transmitted electromagnetic signals to the brain through neural implants in the temples, letting the user “see” in infrared and ultraviolet.

Now, advancements in medical tech have made impressive strides in visual prosthesis—more commonly referred to as bionic eyes. These surgical implants connect a digital camera mounted on glasses (a similar concept to the VISOR) which are then sent through a wireless processor and implant in the retina. The implant—an array of 60 electrodes—emits pulses of electricity which bypass the damaged photoreceptors to stimulate remaining cells within the retina and transmit visual information to the optic nerve and brain.

5. Impulse and Warp Drives

“Set engines to Warp Factor 9! Engage!” When it came to going faster than light, the Enterprise relied on its Warp drive to send it further and faster.

While FTL travel hasn’t quite been reached yet, new electromagnetic drives being developed in both China and by NASA are getting us one step closer. These EmDrives are propelled by electromagnetic radiation held within a microwave cavity, and therefore use electricity instead of fuel to generate movement—unlike traditional engines that expel mass to generate thrust. EmDrives are still undergoing testing, but are now making the Star Trek Warp drive look more like reality than sci-fi.

And when it comes to less interstellar and more interplanetary travel, scientist are catching up to the Enterprise even faster.

The impulse drive was the main form of propulsion for the Enterprise and other Star Trek starships when travelling below the speed of light, using fusion reactors to drive the ship forward efficiently.

The Neumann Drive is an ion engine that promises to transport a spaceship from Earth to Mars and back on a single tank of fuel. While the previous record for specific impulse was held by NASA’s High Power Electric Propulsion with 9,600 seconds, the Neumann Drive nearly doubles this efficiency with recordings of 11,300 seconds.

While the Neumann Drive certainly operates at slower speeds than the EmDrive (a trip to Mars and back would take an estimated three to five years, but only use 20kg of fuel), it takes us one step closer to the interplanetary exploration of the Enterprise.back to top image

Looking to get your hands on your own piece of Star Trek tech? Go to Kickstarter to get your own limited edition Star Trek “Crew Edition” 3Doodler Create!

6 New Themed Kits for 3Doodler Create

Decorate your home, cater a party, or recreate architectural masterpieces in meticulous detail.

Introducing six new project kits for 3Doodler Create. With a wide range of activities to choose from, these kits have everything you need to create, including detailed stencils, step-by-step instructions, and specially selected plastic.

Doodled Designs: Tiffany Candle Holders

Colorful 3D pen art: Tiffanycandleholder Life Squared with 3 small vases.

Louis Comfort Tiffany first pioneered his Art Nouveau Tiffany Lamp glass designs in 1878, taking inspiration from Roman and Syrian medieval glass techniques to create a new type of glass known for its brilliant colors.

Now you can recreate the detail and magic of Tiffany’s glass with a kit inspired by his designs.

The Tiffany Candle Holder brings the Art Nouveau style to three original nature scenes. The square Hummingbird Field, the round Koi Pond, and the Fall Butterfly with a multi-level edge and 3D butterfly attachment.

Lifelike Doodling: Flower Bouquet

Colorful flower bouquet in vase - 3D pen art.

Bring the fine art of flower arrangement into your home with a bouquet that will never wilt.

Create endless array of possibilities by balancing large blooms like Gerbera Daisies, Roses, and Sunflowers with the delicate accents of Baby’s Breath, Queen Anne’s Lace, and Ferns.

An entire garden is at your fingertips to create a unique arrangement for every room.

Festive Functions: Party Decor

Looking to throw a picture-perfect party that shows off your creative side?

Whether you’re hosting a fun birthday bash, cozy holiday celebration, or upscale dinner party, this collection of party accessories lets you customize your decor to suit your event.

With baubles, napkin rings, place cards, cupcake toppers and more, you can be sure to throw a party to remember.

Cultural Icons: Tuk Tuk

Recreate a staple of Southeast Asian street life, and take on the Tuk Tuk.

Imagine yourself barreling down the streets of Bangkok or ambling through the ruins of Angkor Wat in the back of these iconic motorized vehicles.

Moving parts and minute details in the project kit stencils let you bring a piece of modern history to life.

Amazing Architecture: Fallingwater

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater

Celebrate Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday with a carefully crafted recreation of one of his most famous buildings.

Fallingwater showcases Wright’s ideals of creating harmony between architecture and nature.

In collaboration with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Licensed Project Kit includes detailed stencils created from the original Fallingwater floor plans, so anyone can create Wright’s masterpiece in miniature scale.

Modernist Masterpieces: Farnsworth House

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House

Apply your modeling skills to the modernist movement, with this recreation of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s most iconic structure.

The simple geometric construction of The Farnsworth House makes modeling it an exercise in precision, as the smallest details and lines can affect the end result.

Honor this National Historic Landmark with this Licenced Project Kit, created in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

All six of these new 3Doodler Create Project Kits are available now, exclusively from our online store. What will you create?back to top image

A Model for Modernism

At a dinner party in 1945, famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was approached with an offer.

Prominent Chicago nephrologist Dr. Edith Farnsworth wanted Mies to create a weekend getaway along the Fox River in Plano, Illinois. The offer was for Mies to design the house as if it were for himself.

The result was the culmination of the unique take on modernist architecture for which Mies became an icon. With the launch of a new 3Doodler Create themed kit for the Farnsworth House, we take a look at the inspiration and architectural movement behind this stunning example of modernism.

A Higher Unity

While many modernist architects believed architecture should be used to socially engineer human behavior and guide occupants to higher ideals, Mies used his buildings differently.

Farnsworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

His architecture still represented his ideals and aspirations, but instead of constructing in a way to carefully engineer a result, Mies instead focused on freedom of movement and use. With a minimal framework and expressed structural columns, his buildings offered and open space in which inhabitants could express their own spirit—something he saw as crucial to elevating the harmony between architecture and humanity.

"In its simplest form architecture is rooted in entirely functional considerations, but it can reach up through all degrees of value to the highest sphere of spiritual existence into the realm of pure art."-Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Share

Mies often reflects the industrial culture he saw as growing in the United States within his own architectural aesthetic, and uses this to offer occupants a flexible and unobstructed space.

His ultimate purpose was to join together natural elements with culture and construction. “We should attempt to bring nature, houses, and the human being to a higher unity,” Mies once said, and he reflected this ideal through designs featuring glass walls and few solid exterior walls.

Part of a Larger Whole

Constructed in a pastoral setting, the Farnsworth House is a clear culmination of the modernist ideals Mies sought to bring together in his designs.

"If you view nature through the glass walls of the Farnsworth House, it gains a more profound significance than if viewed from the outside. That way more is said about nature—it becomes part of a larger whole."-Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Share

The singular geometric form of the house is simple in the extreme, constructed of steel and glass with a minimal form. The one-room rectangular structure sits parallel to the Fox River, with a perpendicular cross axis directly facing the river and nature.

Elevated 5 feet and 3 inches above the ground, and with floor-to-ceiling glass as the outer walls, the Farnsworth House appears to be floating within the natural landscape around it.

The glass walls encircle an open floor plan with a core wooden block containing the toilet and kitchen—a wooden room nesting inside the larger glass rectangle. Each area of the living space—areas for sleeping, eating, sitting, and cooking—is suggested by the arrangement, but ultimately the inhabitant is free to decide the use of space as they desire.

  • 3D pen art: Glass-roofed, covered porch Farnssslider arafed house
  • White house with large tree in yard—3D pen art
  • Farnsslider creates room with abundant windows and chair using 3D pen.

An Icon of Modernism

To honor this National Historic Landmark and icon of modernist architecture, 3Doodler is pleased to present a unique Farnsworth House theme kit for 3Doodler Create.

The 3Doodler Farnsworth House Kit The 3Doodler Farnsworth House Kit

In collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Licensed Project Kit includes detailed stencils created from the original Farnsworth floor plans, so anyone can create this modernist masterpiece in miniature scale. The kit also includes a visual step-by-step guide and four packs of ABS plastic to replicate the original structure. Learn more about the the making of this kit here.

The Farnsworth House Kit will be available alongside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater Kit. Sign up for notifications on the release of these new kits:

A Power Up for the 3Doodler Community

We began with a Kickstarter. Four years later, we’ve grown into an international community.

When we first launched 3Doodler, there was no way we could have anticipated the creative passion our backers would have. Before we knew it, Doodlers from all over were sharing their creations, experimenting with the pens in ways we had never thought of, and pushing the innovation to new heights with projects that left us inspired and awestruck.

Launching the way we did, directly to our users, community became an inevitable part of our DNA from Day 1. We’ve kept our ear as close to the ground as we could since then. Four years later, that community stretches across the globe, and continues to find new ways of reminding us how limitless creativity can be with the right tool. Some members of the community have even become full-time members of the 3Doodler team!

As Doodlers took on bigger and more ambitions projects—like complete basilicas, full-size cars, and high-end fashion—we wanted there to be a way for artists to share their expertise and help each other improve and innovate, while also helping the wider community.

And so we established the Power Doodlers. This group of creative thinkers are as passionate about Doodling as we are, and have shown they have the innovation and skill to bring their ideas and creations to life.

Our Power Doodlers are dedicated to art and creativity, and see Doodling as the perfect outlet—whether as a hobby, an educational tool, or even at a professional level. And they want to share their skills with the world through tutorials, workshops, and exhibitions to help bolster and expand the 3Doodler community.

Here’s a closer introduction to four of our amazing Power Doodlers, each with their own unique vision for creativity:

Grace Du Prez

Grace is a veteran Doodler based in London who hosts regular workshops for beginner Doodlers.

3d Pen artist Grace DuPrez

“The first thing I ever Doodled was a hat. A company called Maplin commissioned me to make something for Ladies Day at Royal Ascot in 2014. Designing it was a challenge as I wasn’t sure how strong or flexible the plastic would be, but it was also exciting to be trying something new.

"Doodling allows you to work in a very experimental and organic way. You can have an idea and then immediately try it out." Share

I think I have improved since then by exploring different techniques and trying to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

I like that Doodling combines modern technology with something hand made. My background is in textile design and I have always enjoyed the making process as well as designing. Doodling allows you to work in a very experimental and organic way. You can have an idea and then immediately try it out.

I’ve been described as a ‘Marathon Doodler’ which I think sums me up quite well. My projects often take a long time to make and can involve lots of preparation.”

See more of Grace’s incredible work by following her on Instagram.

  • 3d pen home decor by Grace Du Prez
  • 3d pen home decor by Grace Du Prez
  • 3d pen fashion by Grace Du Prez
  • 3d pen fashion by Grace Du Prez

Judith Tarrés

Hailing from Barcelona, Judith won the 2016 3Doodler Micro Award with a trio of adorable Doodled squirrels.

“As an artist, Doodling in 3D has changed my perspective of creating. Everything is possible with a 3Doodler in your hands—whatever you can think of, it can be made.

"As an artist, Doodling in 3D has changed my perspective of creating." Share

My first Doodle was so easy to do because I started with some basic projects that 3Doodler offers on their site, and with a few steps I learned a lot. Later on, when I knew how to use the 3Doodler better, I let my creativity fly and now I’m finally able to Doodle everything my mind is capable to create.

This tool has given me lots of opportunities to create, and I love how quickly you can shift your art from 2D to 3D. It’s also really easy to learn to use, and I am very happy with all the possibilities it has.”

Follow Judith on Instagram to see more of her projects.

  • 3d pen artist Judith Tarrés 3d pen design
  • 3d pen artist Judith Tarrés 3d pen design
  • 3d pen artist Judith Tarrés 3d pen design

Heather Baharally

Based in Canada, Heather’s masks and her unique Doodling style certainly turned heads.

“After receiving my first 3Doodler from the Kickstarter campaign, I was delighted by the immediacy of the plastic extruding pen. I can think of something and minutes later create a model of it. The variety of materials has such possibilities for wearable art, cosplay, sculpture and adds incredible dimensions to my 2D artwork.

"The 3Doodler has opened up so many options to express my ideas." Share

I have a connection with the great Rocky Mountains and nature, as seen in my work which largely consists of animals made with variety of techniques.

I’ve been studying different materials for use in my artwork. It has been an amazing experience to use the 3Doodler to enhance my existing style of work and it opened up so many options to express my ideas.

I fell in love with the medium and I am excited to see where this artistic journey takes me next.

Follow Heather on Instagram to see more of her incredible masks and nature-inspired artwork.

  • 3d pen costume art by Heather Baharally
  • 3d pen costume art by Heather Baharally
  • 3d pen costume art by Heather Baharally

Sydnee Davidson

Californian Syd impressed us with her entries in our regular Doodle-Offs where she combined Doodling with other design skills.

“I am a graphic designer by day, and mixed media artist by night.

"The biggest struggle I encounter is having the perfect plan built inside my head, but then having to improvise and let the pen tell you how it should be built." Share

I’ve been using the 3Doodler since the day it was shipped after its first Kickstarter campaign in 2014. Once I saw what it could do I knew I had to have one.

Ever since then, I’ve made several figurines based on my favorite animals and pop-culture characters. It’s a great tool to experiment with, and recently I have been incorporating Doodles into my mixed-media art pieces, which have also included use of LED lights.

My light-up beehive is a good example of how Doodled additions fit in with other media. It features 13 Doodled bees (including a queen), 96 3D printed honeycombs (some filled with Doodled honey), and 100 LED lights.

The biggest struggle I encounter is having the perfect plan built inside my head, but then having to improvise and let the pen tell you how it should be built. The results still surprise me!”

Follow Syd on Instagram to see more of her mixed-media creations.

  • 3d Pen insect art by Sydnee Davidson
  • 3d Pen insect art by Sydnee Davidson
  • 3d Pen insect art by Sydnee Davidson

Do you have what it takes to be a Power Doodler? If you’re interested in joining our team of dedicated Doodlers, contact us for more details. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our mailing list for regular updates!back to top image

Close-up: 3D pen art cake with sticks design

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