MakerBot Adds 3D Printable curriculum content to Thingiverse for Teachers

MakerBot is often known for its futuristic 3D printing technology that unleashes creativity. But today, MakerBot is taking a step back in time to the period of 2470 BC and is providing students a glimpse of ancient civilization through a unique 3D model of the Great Pyramid of Giza through its MakerBot Academy M educational initiative.

The MakerBot Pyramid of Giza 3D model is a free download from the MakerBot Academy curriculum page on Thingiverse® and is the second addition of curriculum-based models that MakerBot has created to support its initiative to put MakerBot Replicator® Desktop 3D Printers in every school in the United States. Through the MakerBot Academy program, MakerBot is developing core 3D printable curriculum that teachers can use immediately in the classroom.

“We want teachers to be able to get their MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer in the classroom and immediately be able to 3D print something useful that ties into what they are teaching”

MakerBot Academy 3D printing bundles are available to teachers via the crowd funding site DonorsChoose.org and in conjunction with America Makes and supported by the White House. MakerBot Academy has helped teachers in close to 1,000 schools obtain a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer in the classroom that helps provide more opportunities to learn about 3D printing to close to 300,000 students throughout the United States.

Creating 3D printed curriculum that can be used in the classroom is a goal of MakerBot and its MakerBot Academy educational initiative. The MakerBot Academy curriculum is housed onThingiverse.com, one of the largest global destinations for viewing, 3D printing and sharing 3D designs. Thingiverse has more than 200,000 downloadable digital designs, but the MakerBot Academy 3D models on the Thingiverse.com/curriculum page are specifically curated with teachers and core curriculum needs in mind.

“We want teachers to be able to get their MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer in the classroom and immediately be able to 3D print something useful that ties into what they are teaching,” noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. Pettis, a former schoolteacher himself, realizes the importance of historically accurate 3D models and how they can stimulate the learning process in the classroom. “When students have the ability to hold a model or, in this case, a piece of history in the form of the Great Pyramid of Giza in their hands, it allows them to see the object differently. This particular model slides apart to show the interior of the pyramid and the chambers inside. Students can get up close and personal to the Great Pyramid of Giza without traveling to Egypt to see it in person. To me, this is a transformative method of teaching; using a MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer in the classroom is almost like having access to a time machine.”

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza in Egypt. It is also one of the most studied monuments and the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as well as the only one to remain largely intact.

The MakerBot Academy 3D model of the Great Pyramid of Giza prints in two parts that slide together. When apart, they show the three chambers of the pyramid: the queen’s and king’s chambers and the lower chamber. A content pack includes a two-part print of the pyramid and a lesson plan that explores the engineering, design and construction process behind this legendary structure. Many schools throughout the United States incorporate the study of the Great Pyramid of Giza during social studies classes in grades six through eight.

The MakerBot Academy Great Pyramid of Giza is free to download and 3D print from Thingiverse.com/curriculum. To learn more about MakerBot Academy, visit makerbot.com/academy or donorschoose.org/makerbot.