Picture Mexico City, 1907.

A baby girl was born with the name of Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón, or Frida Kahlo for short.

This child would go on to be one of the most influential female artists of all time, and her endurance would be an inspiration to the world for ages to come.

Frida Kahlo’s paintings largely draw on Mexican culture and the unfiltered human experience. Art historians often describe her work as being influenced by surrealism, or sometimes magical realism. Her life is a testament to creativity, and how art is a powerful tool of catharsis through the journey of life.

Frida faced unique challenges from a very young age, being diagnosed with polio as a child, and then having the misfortune of being in a bus accident at the age of 18. These events caused her a whirlwind of physical and emotional pain, in addition to medical challenges and dozens of operations throughout her life. During her recovery process she took up her childhood pastime of painting, even though she was in a body cast.

Frida found freedom through art, channeling the challenges of human experience into pure creativity. She spent the majority of her life painting, drawing, and sketching. She is most well known for her self-portraits, which comprise 55 of her 143 paintings.

Frida Kahlo has become one of the most renowned painters in human history, being the first Mexican artist to have a painting sell past the million dollar mark. Her self-portrait titled Roots was sold for over 5.5 million dollars at Sotheby’s in 2006, and another titled Two Nudes in the Forest (The Earth Itself) sold for 8 million dollars in 2016.

Are you inspired by Frida Kahlo? Let us know how she has influenced your life on Twitter!
@3Doodler #3Doodler

Hugo, born in France in 1802, is considered to be one of the foremost French authors, and his most famous works include The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables. Les Misérables was adapted to a musical and went on to be the 9th most profitable Broadway musical of all time.

And in the spirit of his own words, Victor Hugo Doodled his dreams onto paper and influenced the future of art. In fact, the co-founder of Surrealism, André Breton, declared Hugo as a forerunner of the Surrealist movement because of his Doodles. It is even said that Pablo Picasso himself owned some of Hugo’s drawings.

Despite the thousands of Doodles that were drafted in his lifetime, few know that Hugo was an artist at all. His unique creations were made with different techniques, and he often used the nib and feather of his quill for his Doodles.

Victor Hugo’s achievements are recognized around the world today, and his portrait has even been featured on French currency. In addition to this, a mosaic at the Library of Congress was crafted in Hugo’s memory, and there is a statue in his honor across the road from Museo Carlo Bilotti in Rome.

Inspired by Victor Hugo’s literary achievements and Doodles?

Share your thoughts with us on social media! @3Doodler #3Doodler

 
"“Notre-Dame de Paris is, in particular, a curious specimen of this variety. Each face, each stone of the venerable monument, is a page not only of the history of the country, but of the history of science and art as well.”"-Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame Share

How do educational technologies shape the leaders of tomorrow?

Brittany Ballou, elementary school educator, knows she is helping students prepare for jobs that don’t even exist yet. She believes it is her job as a teacher to set her students up for success in their futures, and bringing technology into her curriculum plays a significant role in that.

In this Teacher Spotlight, Brittany gives us the inside scoop on her experience with techy tools in the classroom, and how these tools are having a positive impact on learning amongst her students.

Thanks so much for taking the time to meet with us, Brittany. Can you please tell us about yourself, your school, and some of your goals as an educator?

I am a K-5 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) teacher at Grange Hall Elementary School of Chesterfield County Public Schools. I had the privilege of helping establish the STEAM program in the fall of 2017, and prior to that I taught 5th grade as well as 4th and 5th grade gifted math and science.

I believe in ditching the worksheets and focusing on inquiry learning as students explore through project based education. Students are tasked with a problem in which they develop a solution by going through the engineering design cycle.

Students work collaboratively to create plans, build prototypes, test, improve, and present their findings, as well as reflect on the whole project. This approach to learning also gives students an opportunity to see how their knowledge and skills can be applied to a multitude of careers in STEAM fields.

What notable benefits have you found using the 3Doodler Start pens with your students?

I have found numerous benefits through adding 3Doodler pens into my classroom, most notably being that it bridges the gap between all ability levels. Students are highly engaged when using the technology, no matter if they have no prior experience with 3D printing, nor if they have used a variety of 3D printing tools. The easy-to-use pen allows me to differentiate lessons for my gifted students, students with Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs), and multiple learning types.

In fact, the first time I used 3Doodler pens I was blown away at how quiet my room was. To me, quietness in a classroom is a bad thing because it means students are probably not engaged, collaborating, or they are laboring over a test of some sort. However, in this situation it was quite the opposite. Students were so engaged with their 3D pens that they didn’t have time to be bothered to talk with their teammates! It was such an eye-opening moment in my classroom as I saw them grow as learners who could work hard both individually and as a group.

What subjects have you used the 3Doodler Start pens in?

I strongly believe that 3Doodler pens can be used across all subject areas! Personally, being a STEAM teacher, I tend to focus my lessons in math and science. The 3Doodler pens provide an avenue for me to seamlessly integrate the arts in with them.

Can you give some examples of lessons you have administered that integrate 3Doodler pens?

My favorite lesson that used 3Doodler pens was my Food Chain Project. In 4th grade we reviewed all the parts of a food chain before students got into groups and began researching food chains of their own. They were given the following problem.

“The kindergarten teachers want you to teach their students about different food chains. Can you make 3D animals that will attach to pencils that you can use like puppets to teach the students about the flow of energy?”

As a group they conducted research and determined what food chain they wanted to make. Each student was responsible for a different animal in the food chain. They drew their animal and traced it with the 3Doodler pen. Once they finished Doodling their animal, we turned it into a pencil topper by hot gluing the animal to a pipe-cleaner, which wrapped around their pencil. Students wrote scripts to record videos in FlipGrid, so the kindergarten teachers could show their students.

I have had 2nd grade students Doodle snowflakes and turn them into jewelry, I’ve had 3rd graders make and test bubble wands, and my 5th graders built dream catchers. I love how 3Doodler pens are so versatile and provide students of all grade levels with an opportunity to learn the basics of 3D printing!

What other EdTech do you use in the classroom?

I’m constantly trying to look for the newest EdTech to enhance my students’ learning experiences. I currently have the following technologies incorporated in my classroom lessons: 3Doodler pens, Wonder Dash robots, Sphero SPRK+, Lego WeDo 2.0, iPads, Osmos, green screen materials, Ozobots, WowWee Coji robots, 3D printers, Botley robots, Code and Go Mice, and Breakout EDU kits.

How have other educational technologies enhanced learning amongst your students?

Beyond 3Doodler pens, I created 2nd grade lesson plan reviewing the concept of digital and analog clocks. To get students moving beyond a worksheet, they received multiple clocks that needed to have their times matched. Afterwards they used Code and Go Mice to code the mouse to “pick up” the times at the end of the maze. This easy lesson combined a multitude of curriculum standards, including elapsed time, coding, collaborating with others, and problem solving. This type of lesson occurs all of the time in my classroom with the EdTech we available.

How do you feel that EdTech is impacting the students of today for the jobs of tomorrow?

We are fortunate enough to teach in a time period where technology is abundant. I constantly tell my parents that we are helping students prepare for jobs that don’t even exist yet, so it is our job as teachers to lay the groundwork to prepare them. For example, while I am by no means a coder, I fully feel that it is my responsibility to teach my students how to code. I feel lucky enough that the EdTech exists that will teach my students and me at the same time!

Before I received 3Doodler pens, I had no previous experience with 3D printing. 3Doodler pens taught my students the basics of 3D printing through a hands-on experience that I would never have been able to teach otherwise.

I now have students who want to seek careers that use 3D printing, which would not have been the case without these experiences.

Would you like to share any successes from your classroom?

Brittany Ballou

Since my instruction is guided through the engineering design process, students always create plans before they build. Oftentimes students feel confident in either the planning or building stage because they see themselves as either more artistic or more hands-on. The 3Doodler pens allowed me to transform this singular thought process for many of my students. For example, students who classified themselves as “bad artists” saw their plans transform into 3D masterpieces. The students no longer looked at themselves as unable to draw, but rather saw themselves as being capable of creating a plan and build.

I also teach some students who have limited vocabulary and tactile skills. The ergonomic design of the 3Doodler Start pen gives them an easy grip to be able to print on their own. Even though they are not able to describe their plans in detail, they are able to print exactly what they plan. The details are clearly shown in their final product!

Please be sure to follow Brittany Ballou on Twitter to keep up with her classroom happenings!

@ImagineerSTEAM

Dr. Erin Harmon, Ph.D., is a professor of Biology at Sage College in Albany, NY. In her Anatomy and Physiology lab, she instructs students to explore the human body through innovative hands-on learning – and her primary tool for doing so is the 3Doodler Create+ pen!

We had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Erin about her teaching modality, and here is what she had to say.

What prompted you to start using 3Doodler Create+ pens in your college laboratory activities?

The first time I heard about 3Doodler pens, I was fascinated by the technology. It was only a little while before I came up with a way to incorporate it into my classroom. I quickly realized that it was ideal for teaching students in my Anatomy and Physiology lab how skeletal muscle attaches bone.

Can you please describe, in detail, the technique that you’re using with students in the Anatomy and Physiology lab?

In my classes I ask students to work together in pairs to draw a series of muscles on a plastic skeleton. The details of this lab were recently featured in Course Hero’s Best Lesson Series.

Each group of students is given a 3Doodler Create+ pen, a Wellden half-size skeleton, and approximately 1 strand of PLA plastic per muscle they are creating. Along with these materials, students are given a list of muscles and their origin and insertion points. With the skeleton as a base, students use the Create+ pens to draw muscles on the skeleton. Deeper muscles are drawn first, while more superficial muscles are drawn later. The PLA plastic adheres nicely to the Wellden skeleton, but can be easily removed at the end of lab, and re-used by other students.

We found that it takes approximately 2 hours for students to Doodle 12-15 muscles.

What advantages has this modality provided, as opposed to other methods you have used in the past?

The 3Doodler Create+ pens bring skeletal muscle anatomy to life for students. Students taking Anatomy and Physiology at The Sage Colleges are expected to learn the origin and insertion sites for 40-50 muscles. A given muscle will attach to a set of bones in at least 2 places, and many muscles attach in multiple sites. Historically, the hardest part of this lab for students is learning all these sites of attachment.

In the past, we have had students research and give presentations on subsets of muscles. We also had labs in which students drew muscles on 2D paper skeletons. While this engaged students somewhat, we were limited by the 2-dimensional nature of paper, as many muscles and their bony connections are best appreciated in 3D. I’ve heard of teachers having students build muscles on 3D skeletons using colored tape or clay. While I have not tried these methods myself, I imagine that each of these materials have their drawbacks.

With the 3Doodler Create+ pens, it was very easy for students to draw muscles on skeletons in 3D. The technology allowed students to appreciate how muscles overlap with each other. Additionally, by drawing out the muscles, students are able to better visualize the consequence of individual muscle contraction on skeletal movement to the rest of the system.

What are the impacts it has had on your students’ learning experiences?

Using the Create+ pens makes for engaging and memorable lab time.

Students are excited to use this new technology to draw muscles in 3D. Many students have said that they will “never forget” some of the muscles they Doodled. That was my exact hope – that by visually and mechanically engaging students during their learning process, it would solidify the memories of the muscles.

What was the feedback from the students on learning in this new way?

I had a lot of positive feedback on this lab.

At first, some students were apprehensive when I told them they were going to be drawing muscles (particularly science minded individuals, those that do not consider themselves very artistic). However, the pens are very easy to use, and students caught on quickly.

The first year we tried this lab, we bought just a few pens, and students worked in groups of 4. The main feedback I got that year was that students wanted more pens! The following year we did just that. We added more pens and skeletons to the lab to allow students to work in smaller groups.

Students found this muscle lab to be very engaging. One student wrote that “this method helped my classmates and me visualize the muscles and their locations more easily.” Another student called it “the most memorable lab [of the year].” That sounds like success to me!

How can you see other teachers benefiting from using this technique?

This is a great lab, and it was very affordable. After our purchase of the pens and skeletons the first year, the only subsequent yearly costs are the inexpensive plastics.

Could you recommend some tips and tricks to other educators on how to get started in the classroom using a technique like yours?

The detailed step-by-step instructions of this lab (including muscles to draw and their recommended order) are available on Course Hero. In combination with the Create+ pens, we recommend the Welden half size skeletons for their size and anatomical detail.

We’re seeing exciting advancements with 3D printing in the field of medicine. Do you feel like what you’re doing helps prepare students to enter into an ever-evolving medical setting?

I see benefit from this skeletal muscle lab for my all my students, especially those in physical education, exercise science, or those entering programs for advanced degrees in physical or occupational therapy and medicine.

I believe this is a great foundational lab for these students because it prepares them to better understand what is happening inside their bodies and muscle systems. It is also invaluable for their advanced study of human muscle and how skeletal attachment relates to movement.

We’ve gone down the rabbit hole…

And what did we find?

The secret Doodles of Lewis Carroll.

It turns out that the Alice in Wonderland author was an artist in more ways than one.

Lewis Carroll, born as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was indeed an avid Doodler. In fact, his original handwritten manuscript of Alice in Wonderland (1864) was riddled with Doodles of the story’s iconic characters.

When Lewis Carroll decided to publish his tale of Alice’s adventures, he brought on Punch magazine’s John Tenniel to illustrate the final publication. Carroll was quite invested in the specifics of how Wonderland was portrayed, so he played an influential role in Tenniel’s creative process.

Though it was Tenniel’s illustrations that made the final cut, Carroll’s original Doodles set the unique tone for the whimsical world of Wonderland.

We want to see your fairytale Doodles.

Share your creations with us on social media!

@3Doodler #3Doodler #WhatWillYouCreate?

Ekaterina Vladimirovna is a self taught artist who hails from Moscow, Russia. Her 3D pen sculptures are breathtaking, featuring webs of textures that create forms evocative of classical sculpture.

In addition to her accomplishments with the 3D pen for art, Ekaterina also integrates the 3Doodler pen into her homeschooling curriculum. In this interview, we discuss Ekaterina’s journey with the 3Doodler pen, the artists that influence her, and her experiences with 3D pens in at-home education.

Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Ekaterina. Can you please introduce yourself?

Thank you for featuring me! I’m a stay-at-home mom with four children, and I am an at-home educator of mathematics and physics. My only artistic background is in interior design. At home, when I’m not homeschooling, I devote all of my free time to creativity. The 3Doodler pen is a much loved tool in our household.

Truly, you are a testament to the achievements someone can make in a short time just by reviewing our tutorials. Can you share more about your artistic process, as well as your inspirations?

I recently took up sculpture and learned how to Doodle with a 3D pen in about 6 months. I studied all of the 3Doodler tutorials and videos available on the 3Doodler website and YouTube, even before I got my 3D pen. By the time I picked up the 3Doodler pen, I already knew how to use it! My technique is to study first, then create. When I first held the 3Doodler in my hands, I immediately fell in love with the metal body, interchangeable nozzles, and also the foot pedal. 3D pens are powerful creative tools, and for me they are ideal for creating sculptures.

My inspiration is fueled by many wonderful 3Doodler masters, such as Heather Baharally, Grace DuPrez, Connie Doodles, Marc Buhren, Rachel Goldsmith, Kalpten Donmez, and Eden Saadon.

Do you have any suggestions for people new to Doodling?

For new users, I would recommend reviewing the Getting Started videos, and exploring the Hot Tips, which have great techniques for your projects. I personally studied all of the tutorials I could before I got my 3D pen, and reviewed them again once I was using the pen in real time. Practice Doodling with stencils to get used to the pen as an art medium.

For those who have an idea for a specific project, I suggest you imagine in detail how your Doodle will look once completed, then Doodle your dream into being. Create a custom stencil for your project, then build it up in 3D. Most importantly, look at the works of art that inspire you and learn from those pieces. Analyze the colors, shapes, and proportions.

Can you share some details about your experience using 3Doodler for at-home education?

For many reasons, my family chose homeschooling. I have been teaching my younger sons for 3 years. We are very pleased that this has become popular in Russia.

We have to meet various regulations for homeschooling, and the educational institution we homeschool through provides us with the necessary textbooks and online tests. I have the opportunity to regulate the pace of learning, which is fantastic.

We began using the 3Doodler pens about 7 months ago in our mathematics activities. Recently we studied area and perimeter, and used the 3Doodler lesson plan on that topic. We’ve also used the Doodle Place Value lesson, as well as the Comparing Numbers with Doodle Gator lesson.

Now the gator is hanging on our study board!

The artist Ekaterina Vladimirovna

I highly recommend using 3Doodler pens in at-home education because they are great tools for keeping students engaged with the subject matter. 3D pens really make learning fun!

Does Ekaterina’s art and homeschooling inspire you? If so, you can find more of her creations on her website and Instagram.