Unlike most middle school students, sixth-grader Ava Chopskie said she can't wait to get to math class.
[VIDEO: Middle school students learn life skills with 3D printer]
That's because Chopskie and fellow classmates at Ames Middle School are learning real-life skills by making innovative creations with a 3D printer.
"This made class a lot more fun because if you get your homework done, you get to work on it," Chopskie said. "It's kind of like opening a present."
"You can't beat that for getting kids inspired," Ames Middle School Technology Coach Jeremie Knutson said.
The real learning, though, comes from failure.
"Finding the right shapes, putting things together, it all comes down to math," Chopskie said.
She wanted to make a miniature xylophone, though it went awry after too much material was printed around the legs, prompting Chopskie to use her critical thinking skills.
"I went back into the program and flipped it upside down. That time, the legs were up, and there was a whole platform," she said.
The advanced sixth-grade math class uses an online program to design projects, export files to a computer and watch as their projects come to life.
"This is what companies and corporate America (are) using," Knutson said.
Sixth-grader Alexander Cook said, "I think it'll help us to advance toward (understanding) the technology that's growing around us."
There are five 3D printers in the Ames School District. Leaders said they plan to add three more printers at the middle school and one at each of the elementary schools.
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