Sketchup for School- a personal experience
Tech Project made with SketchUp
Trimble SketchUp formally known as Google SketchUp is a 3D modeling program. There are two versions available to use, Free and Pro. The Free version of SketchUp has almost all the features as the Pro-version with the exception of an add on program call Layout and a few other minor options. The layout program helps getting your models to paper more efficiently. The free version is easy to install and fairly easy to learn vs Auto CAD, CAD CAM, and Inventor. YouTube is a great resource for help video if you cannot find what you need on Trimble's Website.
SketchUp (free version) is a great program for students to learn Computer Aided Drawing or CAD. It is sufficient enough to draw just about anything you can imagine, but thoughtfully limited so you don't get lost in a plethora of options.
I have been teaching SketchUp to 7th graders age range 11-13 for over four years now. When I first started teaching it I would give a short lesson that only had a few steps in it. Normally I would go over the material twice to try to cut down on the amount of questions that I would have to answer when the kids were working. Once the students were given permission to start working like clockwork two or three hands would go up. By the time I answered those questions just about the hole class was raising there hands. I questioned myself as a teacher wondering what I was doing wrong, and why did I have such little success with something that was so easy for me. It was extremely frustrating and exhausting trying to get my entire class to understand the fundamentals of SketchUp.
In an effort to help some of my special needs students who were completely lost with the program I created a help video for them. I told them to watch a couple of steps and pause the video then do what they had just seen. While they were doing that I taught my regular lesson to the remainder of the class. Just when I had finished my lesson with the group one of the students who was using the video rose their hand. Taking a big breath as I walked over to this student who needed constant help in the previous class I asked "how can I help you". In complete disbelief the student said "I'm done, now what" I couldn't belief it, a student who could't use the program to save their life if they had to just finished before the rest of the class. The next class I didn't even bother trying to explain my lesson. I simply directed them to the video and had them do what was in the video. The results were amazing. My classes went from chaos to structured in a matter of seconds. The students could complete the drawings in halve the time then they used to and I received about 5% percent of the questions I used to. I have since created at least twenty videos for my classes. Not that I use them all the time but I do when students are absent for whatever reason.
If seeing is beveling try these videos with one of your classes, you will be surprised at how well they work. Theses videos are non YouTube so your students should be able to watch them with out a problem.
SketchUp (free version) is a great program for students to learn Computer Aided Drawing or CAD. It is sufficient enough to draw just about anything you can imagine, but thoughtfully limited so you don't get lost in a plethora of options.
I have been teaching SketchUp to 7th graders age range 11-13 for over four years now. When I first started teaching it I would give a short lesson that only had a few steps in it. Normally I would go over the material twice to try to cut down on the amount of questions that I would have to answer when the kids were working. Once the students were given permission to start working like clockwork two or three hands would go up. By the time I answered those questions just about the hole class was raising there hands. I questioned myself as a teacher wondering what I was doing wrong, and why did I have such little success with something that was so easy for me. It was extremely frustrating and exhausting trying to get my entire class to understand the fundamentals of SketchUp.
In an effort to help some of my special needs students who were completely lost with the program I created a help video for them. I told them to watch a couple of steps and pause the video then do what they had just seen. While they were doing that I taught my regular lesson to the remainder of the class. Just when I had finished my lesson with the group one of the students who was using the video rose their hand. Taking a big breath as I walked over to this student who needed constant help in the previous class I asked "how can I help you". In complete disbelief the student said "I'm done, now what" I couldn't belief it, a student who could't use the program to save their life if they had to just finished before the rest of the class. The next class I didn't even bother trying to explain my lesson. I simply directed them to the video and had them do what was in the video. The results were amazing. My classes went from chaos to structured in a matter of seconds. The students could complete the drawings in halve the time then they used to and I received about 5% percent of the questions I used to. I have since created at least twenty videos for my classes. Not that I use them all the time but I do when students are absent for whatever reason.
If seeing is beveling try these videos with one of your classes, you will be surprised at how well they work. Theses videos are non YouTube so your students should be able to watch them with out a problem.
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In an effort to help some of my special needs students who were completely lost with the program I created a help video for them. I told them to watch a couple of steps and pause the video then do what they had just seen. While they were doing that I taught my regular lesson to the remainder of the class. Just when I had finished my lesson with the group one of the students who was using the video rose their hand. Taking a big breath as I walked over to this student who needed constant help in the previous class I asked "how can I help you". In complete disbelief the student said "I'm done, now what" I couldn't belief it, a student who could't use the program to save their life if they had to just finished before the rest of the class. The next class I didn't even bother trying to explain my lesson. I simply directed them to the video and had them do what was in the video. The results were amazing. My classes went from chaos to structured in a matter of seconds. The students could complete the drawings in halve the time then they used to and I received about 5% percent of the questions I used to. I have since created at least twenty videos for my classes. Not that I use them all the time but I do when students are absent for whatever reason.
If seeing is beveling try these videos with one of your classes, you will be surprised at how well they work. Theses videos are non YouTube so your students should be able to watch them with out a problem. |
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