Some people really love 3D printing, and we can call the folks at Vancouver startup Tinkerine among this group. Tinkerine today announced that it wants to bring 3D printing education to every school in north america.
It’s an ambitious goal in which the company has partnered up with “leading edtech content producer” Ready Labs Inc., a startup cofounded with Simon Fraser University.
Tinkerine, which calls itself “Canada’s leading manufacturer and distributor of 3D printers,” today announced the launch of the initiative, to be called Tinkerine U. The company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Brandt to the position of Managing Director of Tinkerine U.
“We know that 3D printing in the classroom is the centerpiece to a comprehensive active learning approach, where students learn the problem solving skills to become the leaders of the future,” said Brandt. “As a company, Tinkerine remains committed to making 3D printing affordable and accessible to schools, teachers, and students anywhere in the world. Now with Tinkerine U, we can ensure that these powerful technologies are also actually useful in every classroom, and don’t just gather dust.”
The new “Tinkerine U” platform will deliver “highly targeted and unique online 3D printing-focused educational content,” designed to give teachers in “STEAM” courses (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), a detailed curriculum to introduce students to designing, prototyping, and manufacturing using 3D printing technology.
The curriculum will be available in Canada, select US school districts, and then internationally.
The company said Tinkerine U is a comprehensive educational platform for teachers and students that includes online courses, lesson plans, an educational 3D model library and extracurricular content for students, and community engagement. “Tinkerine U will be Canada’s first 3D-focused online course aimed at arming both students and teachers with the necessary skills and teaching tools for the new economy.”
Tinkerine is targeting a significant sector of the North American economy that spends more than $1.2 trillion per year on educating students, a central component of its business development plan.
