3D pen art: Book cake with bookmark and pond design

Teacher Spotlight: Achieving the A in STEAM with Susanne Firestone

Do you love bringing art and design into your curriculum? We have just the educator to show you how to achieve that A in STEAM!

For this Teacher Spotlight, we had the opportunity to connect with Susanne Firestone from Presentation Academy in Louisville, KY. Her students create amazing 3D pen sculptures in her Design Studies and 3D Art classes, and we just had to get the inside scoop from her.

  • 3d pens in the STEAM classroom 3d doodles
  • 3d pens in the STEAM classroom 3d doodles
  • 3d pens in the STEAM classroom 3d doodles
  • 3d pens in the STEAM classroom 3d doodles
  • 3d pens in the STEAM classroom 3d doodles
Can you please introduce yourself, the school you work at, and your goals as an educator?

My name is Susanne Firestone and this is my 13th year teaching at Presentation Academy. I teach 2D Drawing and Painting, 3D Art (Ceramics and Sculpture), Intro to Art, Digital Photo, and Design Studies. I am also the moderator for the National Art Honor Society. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education and Art History, with a concentration in Painting, and my Master’s degree is in Gifted and Talented Education.

Presentation Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory school for young women seeking the confidence and skills to become 21st-century leaders. Exclusively for young women in grades 9-12, Presentation Academy accepts students of all racial, ethnic, socio-economic and religious backgrounds. My school enjoys a truly diverse population, attracting bright and unique girls from over 50 zip codes throughout Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt, and Shelby counties, southern Indiana, and the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

My goals as a teacher revolve around the students not only learning from myself, but from each other. I encourage my students to challenge each other, and to experiment with new processes and techniques in order to develop different results. At the same time, I expect them to teach me so that I can learn different methods of creating and thinking.


What subjects have you utilized 3Doodler pens in?
"In my art and design classes, the 3D pens allow my students to turn their ideas into tangible works of art that they can touch and view from all sides. It makes them feel like they actually created something from nothing." Share
I’ve used the 3Doodler pens in 3D Art and Design Studies, as well as in collaboration with our Spanish class. In my art and design classes, the 3D pens allow my students to turn their ideas into tangible works of art that they can touch and view from all sides. It makes them feel like they actually created something from nothing.

When we celebrated Day of the Dead, I taught the Spanish students how to use the 3D pens during a few classes and gave them 3D printed skulls that were printed off our 3D printer. The students then took the 3D pens and decorated the skulls like they were sugar skulls, and the filament from the 3Doodler pens was the frosting. They had a great time doing this as a form of exploring social studies through art and design, and of course they were able to keep the skulls. With 3D printed skulls, they will last and not deteriorate like actual sugar skulls!

  • 3d pens in the STEAM classroom 3d doodle dinosaur
  • 3d pens in the STEAM classroom 3d doodle dinosaur
  • 3d pens in the STEAM classroom 3d doodle dinosaur
  • 3d pens in the STEAM classroom 3d doodle dinosaur

How have 3Doodler pens and other EdTech enhanced learning in your classroom?

3Doodler pens have allowed my students to create in ways they haven’t been able to develop in any other capacity. The pens have permitted my students to add onto current projects, providing details they couldn’t get otherwise. The pens have enabled me to share specific topics with my students that they can explore and investigate further on their own, leaving more time for them to work in the studio on their actual artwork, but still allowing them to learn beyond the area of art-making.

"3Doodler pens have allowed my students to create in ways they haven’t been able to develop in any other capacity. The pens have permitted my students to add onto current projects, providing details they couldn’t get otherwise." Share


Do you have any thoughts on how Educational Technologies are influencing your students preparation for the jobs of tomorrow?

I think educational technologies provide my students with alternative tools for learning and creating. Educational technologies give my students opportunities to explore learning on their own. For the jobs of tomorrow, students will have to show initiative and responsibility for their work, and will have to take it upon themselves to figure out how to manage in their relationships and environments. Knowing where to look and how to find the tools necessary to communicate and create in their jobs will only bring about success.

Are you inspired by Susanne’s classroom?

Share your thoughts with us on social media, and be sure to follow Susanne on Instagram.

Inspired by Susanne and her students? Post your classroom Doodles on Twitter and connect with the 3Doodler EDU community!
@3Doodler #3Doodler #3DoodlerEDU

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