If you walk into Tom Norris’ technology classroom at Old Rochester Regional High School these days, you’ll likely see a student or two hovered over an 8x8x8-inch gray cube lit from within making some random, non-rhythmic robotic noises. What you would see before you is the future of technology at ORR in the form of a long-anticipated 3D printer.
Drew Robert was determined to bring the 3D printer to ORR before the school year was through. So, with the support of Norris, Robert’s technology teacher, the ORR junior started a fundraising effort to raise the money to purchase a 3D printer for the school back in December, shooting for a total of $1,250 in donations by April.
On Monday, June 1, the 3D printer arrived at ORR to the delight of Robert and a number of other enthusiastic students. And since that day, during school hours, it’s been running pretty much non-stop printing out three-dimensional, brightly colored pieces of plastic shaped in the form of whatever the students want it to be.
The students have been printing out ORR-themed key chains, robots, a bottle opener, and a bulldog or two. What was the first thing the students programmed the printer to create? What else, but a batarang like Batman’s?
On Monday, June 8, one week after the box was delivered and opened, Robert and sophomore Adam Perkins were in the middle of the technology lab classroom watching the 3D printer making a model of a rocket – green filament strand by filament strand.
“We’ve been messing around with different designs,” said Perkins. Perkins, who recently began to show interest in the 3D printer, has joined Robert as two of the most enthusiastic technology students at ORR. They now spend every minute of study and free time in Norris’ room, programming the printer to churn out different prototypes of items they intend to sell at the school store, and anything else they want to try out.
The students can even print remotely using an app on a smart phone, which Perkins had open in his hand scrolling through all the different buttons and options featured in the app.
Perkins said as soon as he heard the 3D printer was coming to ORR, he leapt at the chance to be one of the pioneers at the school to learn how to use it and watch it work.
“And ever since then I’ve been so excited to use it,” said Perkins. Robert said Perkins was one of the first students to show excitement that matched his own.
Robert had raised about $400 from donations, and then turned to the ORR Student Council and pitched the idea of purchasing the 3D printer. The council thought it was a great idea and contributed another $700 toward the endeavor. The price of the 3D printer was less than anticipated because the specific model they hoped to buy was not in stock at the time. Robert settled for a slightly less expensive model for $999 and was able to buy $200 worth of the colored plastic filament to go with it.
Now it seems the possibilities for what the students can make with it are endless.
“If you can think it, you can build it,” said Perkins.
Norris said he is thrilled with the enthusiasm Robert had shown towards raising the funds and now shows with his dedication to learning how to master the technology.
“We tried last year to get one,” said Norris, but he and Robert were unsuccessful in getting the financial support they needed. “We figured we’d give it another shot this year. And the Student Council came through for us.”
Norris said he watches Robert and Perkins as they use their laptops to connect to the school’s Wi-Fi, download designs, upload them to the cloud, and send them to the printer to make.
“It amazes me how interested they are in making it work,” said Norris. “It also amazes me the technology they use to make it work.”
Norris admitted, as a technology teacher, he is not up to speed with the 3D printer and how to operate it, but he is inspired by the students’ perseverance. Even when they fail to get the printer to do exactly what they want it to do, Norris said the two never give up.
“If I had my way,” said Norris, “I’d have about 20 of them. I’d make it more of an entire class.”
That’s likely not going to happen in the near future, but for now Norris is happy to watch the unfolding of a new era in the technology department at the school with Robert and Perkins leading the way.
“They make it look so easy,” said Norris.” I’m absolutely impressed.”
By Jean Perry
