Oct 16, 2015 | By Kira
In yet another major step towards breaking the barriers of access to 3D printing technology, 3D printer manufacturer XYZprinting, maker of the award-winning da Vinci Junior 1.0, has partnered with leading book and media retailer Barnes & Noble to showcase their 3D printers in almost 650 stores nationwide during Educator Appreciation Week. The display is the largest-ever in the 3D printing industry, and aims to introduce classroom educators to the benefits and potentials of 3D printing education, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs.
As part of the lead up to the upcoming Barnes & Noble Mini Maker Faire, Educator Appreciation Days began Saturday, October 10 and will run until this Sunday, October 18 at Barnes & Noble stores across America. According to a press release issued today, in the selected stores, XYZprinting will be present to demonstrate how to “engage students in practical, real-life applications of 3D printing, and the collaborative learning environment 3D printing initiates in the classroom.”
Taiwan-based XYZprinting, a member of the New Kinpo Group company, is an ideal fit for this educational-outreach program. Their da Vinci Junior 1.0 requires no assembly, is easy to operate, and produces minimal noice—all ideal characteristics for a classroom 3D printer. Built with safety in mind, it is also CE certified and has a completely enclosed area, ensuring that tiny curious fingers can’t find their way towards burning hot plastic extruders or any other dangerous pieces. Priced at just $349, it recently received Tech & Learning magazine’s Best of ISTE 2015 award and was awarded PC Mag’s Best of CES award, among others.
“This is an exciting and affordable product to offer schools and libraries that are building their Maker Spaces,” said Kaori Suzuki Fischer, Community Business Development Manager at Barnes & Noble in West Melbourne, Florida. Barnes & Noble is widely known across the nation as a Fortune 500 company and a leading retailer of books, content, digital media and educational products.
As the excitement builds in the lead-up to the Mini Maker Faire, the XYZprinting display will obviously garner a lot of attention amongst educators. However, much more than just a publicity stunt, the high-profile collaboration is about opening up the doors to 3D printing technology, opening up young minds and giving them the tools, knowledge and confidence to enter science, engineering, or even creative fields. “We have diligently worked to lower the barriers for educators to access 3D printing hardware, and will continue to find solutions for teachers to incorporate 3D printing into their classes and curricula,” said Simon Shen, CEO of XYZprinting.
Recently we have seen many similar initiatives with the goal of breaking down the barriers of access, and putting 3D printers in educative environments, such as Zortax’s project to equip 180 public benefit institutions in Poland with 3D printers, and 3D printable robots designed to teach kids to code. Obviously, the more access children, educators, and the general public have to these technologies, the more innovation there will be, as unexpected ideas are brought the table, and a wider variety of problems and social issues are addressed. Besides, what better excuse to convince kids to go to school than to tell them they get to play with 3D printers all day?
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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The Barnes & Noble Mini Maker Faire is November 6-8. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/h/makerfaire?sourceId=L000018333&st=EML
Mike wrote at 10/17/2015 8:05:03 PM:
Teach kids engineering by having them fix XYZPrinting's garbage mechanical design!
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