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CertifiedEducation quality
03/2020
Makers Empire
Makers Empire
Design thinking and 3D-modelling
3D design and printing platform to engage students in Design Thinking and STEM learning.
Makers Empire provides teachers with the tools, skills, and resources they need to confidently use 3D design and printing to engage students in Design Thinking and STEM learning. The easy to use 3D modeling app has been designed specifically for grade K-8 students and is an engaging and powerful creation tool. With Makers Empire, students learn how to identify and solve real-world problems, and design and prototype 3D printed solutions.
Age groups
Elementary
Middle school
Platform
Desktop Windows
Desktop Mac
Mobile Android
Mobile iOS
Registration
Required
Offline play
Playable offline
A robust teacher training system that fully explains how the solution can be used to promote design thinking, as well as combining it with classroom activities to learn the whole design process.
Plenty of lesson plan ideas, and a lesson plan creator, for teaching across the curriculum (e.g. combining history with design).
The system of points, competition, and sharing one's work encourages the user to be original, create good work, and collaborate with others.
Makers Empire supports learning new things through creative tasks. The solution requires utilizing learned in open-ended problem-solving. These approaches are really well justified considering the solution's learning goals.
Social interaction is a part of the learning experience since it is possible to connect with other users through the solution and see the other people's designs and give them likes. This allows the user to act openly and show their own activity.
The solution follows non-linear, progressive, user progression, but in classroom projects and when using lesson plans the learning progress is directly comparable between users and progress can be scheduled accurately.
The pedagogical analysis covers how the product supports learning of the identified skills. The student’s role is assessed by four contrary pair parameters, which are selected to cover the most essential aspects on the use of the product.
The following are the high educational quality aspects in this product.
A robust teacher training system that fully explains how the solution can be used to promote design thinking, as well as combining it with classroom activities to learn the whole design process.
Plenty of lesson plan ideas, and a lesson plan creator, for teaching across the curriculum (e.g. combining history with design).
Makers empire is great way to teach and learn 3d-modelling, games and other elements supports learning well.
The system of points, competition, and sharing one's work encourages the user to be original, create good work, and collaborate with others.
The supported learning goals are identified by matching the product with several relevant curricula descriptions on this subject area. The soft skills are definitions of learning goals most relevant for the 21st century. They are formed by taking a reference from different definitions of 21st century skills and Finnish curriculum.
Subject based learning goals
Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
Design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria.
Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
Select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing].
Investigate and analyse a range of existing products.
Apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures.
Apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products.
Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences.
Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology.
Evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria.
Build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable.
Explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles], in their products.
Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.
Evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work.
Identify and solve their own design problems and understand how to reformulate problems given to them.
Develop specifications to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that respond to needs in a variety of situations.
Use a variety of approaches [for example, biomimicry and user-centred design], to generate creative ideas and avoid stereotypical responses.
Develop and communicate design ideas using annotated sketches, detailed plans, 3-D and mathematical modelling, oral and digital presentations and computer-based tools.
Select from and use specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment and machinery precisely, including computer-aided manufacture.
Test, evaluate and refine their ideas and products against a specification, taking into account the views of intended users and other interested groups.
To develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.
Soft skills learning goals
Practicing strategic thinking
Understanding technological system operations through making
Using technology as a part of explorative and creative process
Understanding and practicing safe and responsible uses of technology
Using technology for interaction and collaboration (also internationally)
Using technology as a part of explorative process
Practicing memorizing skills
Practicing fine motor skills
Practicing categorization and classification
Practising visual recognition
Learning to notice causal connections
Practicing persistent working
Practicing to find ways of working that are best for oneself
Learning to find the joy of learning and new challenges
Creating requirements for creative thinking
Practicing creative thinking
Practicing to improvise
Encouraging students to be innovative and express new ideas
Practicing to use imagination and to be innovative
Practicing to use imagination and to be innovative
Practicing to use arts as a way to express
Developing problem solving skills
Practicing to notice causal connections
Learning to face failures and disappointments
Encouraging the growth of positive self-image
Learning to build information on top of previously learned
Encouraging to build new information and visions
Learning to combine information to find new innovations
Learning to face respectfully people and follow the good manners
Practicing to work with others
Practicing to express own thoughts and feelings
Practicing to give, get and reflect feedback
Encouraging positive attitude towards working life
Learning consumer knowledge and smart economics
Learning to plan and organize work processes
Connecting subjects learned at school to skills needed at working life
Learning to acquire, modify and produce information in different forms
Practising to understand visual concepts and shapes and observe their qualities
Using technology resources for problem solving
Practicing to create questions and make justifiable arguments based on observations
Practicing to look things from different perspectives
Practicing to plan and execute studies, make observations and measurements
Practicing to notice links between subjects learned
Learning to listen other people’s opinions
Learning decision-making, influencing and accountability
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