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View Full Version : Looking for ideas for a middle school laser engraving curriculum!!! Help Needed!!



Mike Berndt
03-28-2011, 8:46 PM
Hi All,
I am looking forward to your comments to see what you all recommend and stress in teaching laser engraving and it's potential to middle school student in the grade 8 range??? Looking forward to you replies :)!!

Mike Null
03-29-2011, 7:38 AM
I'll probably regret this but teach them to be thankful their district has enough money to pay a teacher and buy frivolous equipment. My DIL is a masters degree art teacher who'll probably lose her job for the next school year due to lack of funds.

David Fairfield
03-29-2011, 8:02 AM
Uhh Mike...

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?157205-Newbie-learning-to-use-laser-engraving-machine!!&

Anyway, I'd avoid anything nick nacky... sends the wrong consumer culture message. I'd go at it from science and engineering standpoint, the trick is to make sure the end product is cool by kid standards. Look up spaghetti bridge on the forum, you could design arches or structural components and have a contest for strongest design.

Dave

greg lindsey
03-29-2011, 9:27 AM
I'll probably regret this but teach them to be thankful their district has enough money to pay a teacher and buy frivolous equipment. My DIL is a masters degree art teacher who'll probably lose her job for the next school year due to lack of funds.

No regrets here...well said Mike.

pete hagan
03-29-2011, 9:28 AM
Why don't you teach entrepreneurship to these young students centered around craftsmanship? Try looking at http://www.nfte.com/ for an idea and use the laser as a tool instead of the means. Teaching kids how to use the computer and interfacing with the machine will be rather easy I think. Teaching them how to fish is far more of a life long learning lesson and you'll be amazed how many different ideas the kids come up with. Look for lesson plans online dealing with teaching kids business and you'll find a bunch.

Bruce Boone
03-29-2011, 9:50 AM
That's a great idea. Maybe the students could come up with something that could raise money for the school for a related piece of technology like a robot arm or scanner or something. They could be earrings with the school logo or picture frames or on coffee mugs or whatever. The items could be sold at school functions such as football games or fundraisers. The theme of the class could be "how can I use this piece of technology to create something unique enough that someone would be willing to buy the item?" What a great introduction to business as well as a creative outlet for kids wanting to expand their horizons.

Here's an example of that sort of thing.

188879

Martin Boekers
03-29-2011, 10:14 AM
When I was young there was a company called Junior Achievement that basically each
year started a business, developed and produced and item that they sold. A great
program!

developing a fundraising program, that can offset some of the costs of yearbooks, proms
etc would be good.

Maybe check with some local engraving shops and see if you can get one or two to
come in and do a small presentation. (if nothing else this may turn them on track to
higher education!:D)

Check with the schools administration and see if they need anything done. I'm sure
there are a ton of signs at the school that are old, damaged or just don't exist anymore
that there is no funding to replace. This would be a win win for both students and the
school as well as develop a sense of pride seeing their work displayed everyday.

Are you allowed to sell work to students and faculty? If so you may want to set up a
small display in a prominent spot and take orders. This to would show the students a
process of running a business, from marketing, taking orders, producing and distributing.

Do some searching for scroll project, the outcomes are the same just a different
process.

Check Epilogs sample club on their website.

Run through testing processes to optimize settings. Stress and restress safety issues
and fire hazards.

Most of the things that benefited me most from school wasn't memorizing answers, but
the logical steps to get from point A to point B. How to resolve issues and problem
solving. Start with a problem and challenge them to find a procedure to resolve it.
This can be fun as well as challenging.

Marty

Dan Hintz
03-29-2011, 10:52 AM
Ha ha, I remember Junior Achievement :) I also remember it as mostly a joke that didn't teach much other than how to paint Chinese-sourced wood ornaments and adjustable bookends.

Dee Gallo
03-29-2011, 10:54 AM
As an art teacher myself, I found that science and art go together well. This is a great opportunity for your students to learn about substrate properties, such as different wood, stone, plastic, paper/cardboard, cloth and metal reactions and requirements for engraving/cutting. They can create many types of projects for the school from practical (signs, nameplates, plaques, trophies) to supportive (play props, classroom displays, office accessories) to fundraisers (book markers, key chains, water bottles, patches) to competition (bridge building, furniture design, model making) to fun (jewelry, phone hangers, zipper pulls, sun catchers, holiday items) - the list is endless.

Your task is to focus the program to steer them in a direction. Decide on the priorities whether it's production, computer skills, design, business organization or marketing. These are all important skills and all lessons/projects should be aimed at teaching one of these skills at a time until they can all be integrated into one. At the same time, you have safety, machine maintenance and shop control to worry about too. The biggest mistake you can make is to allow them to make too many decisions too soon. Make them all start at the same place with a simple job, so that later you have something to compare future students to and they will all be able to say, yeah that's where I started and look what I can do now. My best success is from designing projects which look impressive but guarantee success IF they follow instructions correctly.

Good luck and come back often for inspiration!

cheers, dee

edit: another thing that would be a great project would be inventing/designing toys for the very youngest grades, such as 3-D animal models, puzzles, building blocks and board games. This type of work gives the middle students a unique way to help younger ones and gives your future students something to aspire to while donating to the school system which is short on money for extras.

David Fairfield
03-29-2011, 11:03 AM
some cool replies. I'd withdraw my objection to knick nack junk, if its used to teach skills as Dee outlined. But not if its push-the-button-watch-the-machine-take-your-thingy ... next!

Martin Boekers
03-29-2011, 11:04 AM
Ha ha, I remember Junior Achievement :) I also remember it as mostly a joke that didn't teach much other than how to paint Chinese-sourced wood ornaments and adjustable bookends.

Actually ours was pretty cool, I guess it just depends upon who leads it. We actually made everything we sold. We had to
develop a product, come up with marketing plan, worked on financing to actual sales. I guess we were lucky in that aspect!

Not even sure if anything exist like that today.

Ed Mihalack
03-29-2011, 11:26 AM
Technical problem solving Mike... thats something we all do everyday.
Examples
Design and cut out of inexpensive materials like foam core or cardboard.
1. Structures
...Buildings...build a city with each student assigned a different one I think the free Google Sketch-up is still out there. There is a Future City Contest in our town sponsored by the local engineering association.
...Bridges and towers as expressed by the previous poster. Then test them. West Point Bridge Designer may still be there. Google it.

2. Vehicles
...Gliders out out of balsa..Test for longest/furthermost flight
...Automotive design. Who has the "purdiest"? Rubber band or sail powered cars.
...Boat design...Plastic rain gutter and a fan to propel the sail boats


3. Dee will like this one....Design a unique family crest and cut it into a Christmas ornament with acrylic or birch ply.

Most importantly get your program out in the hallway so the public, staff and administrators can see it. There is more to education than standardized testing.
Ed

Dee Gallo
03-29-2011, 11:28 AM
Technical problem solving Mike... thats something we all do everyday.

Most importantly get your program out in the hallway so the public, staff and administrators can see it. There is more to education than standardized testing.
Ed

Right on, Ed!

Josh Richard
03-29-2011, 12:03 PM
Most importantly get your program out in the hallway so the public, staff and administrators can see it. There is more to education than standardized testing.
Ed

This CAN'T be stressed enough. having the administration AND school board see the value of your program can save a program. Every year my students make a "Board Gift" as a way of saying thank you (and so they remember us come budget time

Robert Walters
03-29-2011, 12:07 PM
In this digital age, with a laser you can create tangible things,
be it a sign (artistic), or a ice cream cone holder (functional).

Maybe some are gamers that want a cool game themed computer case, or someone is into model RC planes and wants to make their own, or just a nice engraved photo frame of their yearbook photo for Mom.

IMNSHO... Avoid anything that "Competes with China" (pet peeve).

A laser already holds a "coolness" factor on it's own,
so it's a matter of "What can I do with it?"

In no particular order:


Samples (peak their interest)
Safety
Features and functionality
Concepts
Materials
Design
Time / Resource Management
Innovative / Creative use for the laser
Community Involvement
Automation / Internals (advance class?)
Careers in Lasers
Caveats


Final Project - Make something amazing using only $5 in materials (total cost including shipping). The $5 limit makes them think and be creative with their resources (no combining funds with other students either).

If you have a rotary attachment, maybe a simple project in designing a bird feeder using 2-Liter soda bottles to start. They're cheap/free, the students can be creative with the design artistically, and has a practical use.

Chris DeGerolamo
03-29-2011, 12:14 PM
Ha ha, I remember Junior Achievement :) I also remember it as mostly a joke that didn't teach much other than how to paint Chinese-sourced wood ornaments and adjustable bookends.

To expand on a point that Dan touched on, be careful/mindful of what you decide to use as a teaching exercise since most of the stuff you will be making can be undercut by at least half from "foreign" sources...

You may want to consider personalizing or otherwise marking on an existing product, rather than paying for raw materials and creating something themselves. I understand the lesson(s) you want to teach, but it is fairly practical that someone walks through the door unexpectedly and asks "how much to engrave on this?". Being able to go from point A to point B as mentioned elsewhere is more important than 'how much can I sell this for?'. Teaching them to problem solve (i.e. creating a jig and/or checking aligment, focus etc.) and creating a means to an end will go farther in life IMHO.

Dan Hintz
03-29-2011, 1:43 PM
Final Project - Make something amazing using only $5 in materials (total cost including shipping). The $5 limit makes them think and be creative with their resources (no combining funds with other students either).
But allow them to create items that, when combined with another student's item, makes something even better... for example, one makes an iPod holder, the next makes an headphone earbud wrap, etc.

Dee Gallo
03-30-2011, 9:34 PM
I just realized what Dave was referring to... Mike's request for similar info in January. So, that makes me wonder if he is asking for specific projects this time? My answer to that is look at your students - what do they like? Most of the folks here do not teach middle school, so they might not have a good handle on the latest and greatest desires of 14 year olds. But, I do think you'd be surprised at the simple need for them to "learn to learn" and not just produce something (a la Dan's experience).

Still there, Mike? If so, there are tons of projects posted here, just do some reading and researching and you will be inspired. Talk to Josh, he's been doing this for a little while and has some good experience to share.

Jim Coffee
03-31-2011, 10:38 AM
Consider teaching them how to engrave on their cell phones, note pads...names...art...etc. I would think that there would be natural interest. Jigs and things would need to be created. Research/familiarization with the case materials would need to be done...and in the end after they become proficient it could be a source of revenue.

Michael Kowalczyk
03-31-2011, 1:09 PM
I think you will have 2 different types of students (well there are a lot more than 2 but I'll focus on these) artistic and mechanical. The artistic will focus on things to look at and the mechanical will want things they can assemble and or ones that have movement in them.

I am working on a prototype for upper elementary and middle school. I had a customer, interior designer, bring her son in yesterday that I am coaching to be able to make the designs, with Corel Draw, for her and then send them to me so I don't have to mess with them and they should be laser ready. He wasn't in my showroom more than a few minutes and had already picked up my prototype and was playing with it for several minutes. He barely looked at the engraved pics on marble or the intricate cut outs of hummingbirds, bass leaping out of water or the deer in the woods but was fascinated with the prototype.

I have had similar responses at Bible studies. After we are done studying we have open time to talk and play games. Chicken foot is the big one now. I even made a special hub just for it with my name on it on one side and Mikes' Mexican Train on the other side. To have fun I used the train font for the letters. Sorry got side tracked... So I put the prototype on the table and let some play with it and it is amazing that they can twiddle with it over and over for up to 10 to 15 minutes at a time and any of you that have youth or are involved with them know it takes a lot to keep their attention.

So sometimes simple things that are "Outside the Box" thinking can make them think, be very creative and keep their attention.