With the continuous advancement of technology, high school curriculums have integrated technology-oriented teaching syllabi in the past decade. The cross-disciplinary teaching model is gradually gaining attention in the education field. In this special issue on educational applications, we delve into the information technology courses at National Chia-Yi Industrial Vocational High School (CYIVS ） in Taiwan, exploring the role of digital maker tools in high school curricula, and the efforts made by high school teachers for cross-disciplinary teaching.
Most of the high school technology courses in the past were mainly theory-based in Taiwan, and this traditional method led Mr. Gu, a teacher of technology courses, to consider the limitations and possibilities of the existing teaching model. Given that an over-reliance on theory may limit students’ innovative thinking and practical operation skills, Mr. Gu stated, “I think it’s boring to always attend theory classes, and students will also find it boring, so I thought of integrating digital maker tools into the curriculum.”
Mr. Gu has been our user of the FLUX 3D Delta printer many years ago, so he began to consider how to integrate 3D printers into the curriculum. However, considering that apart from students in design, art, and advertising-related vocational subjects, for general students who have not been exposed to digital drawing software, the entry barrier for 3D printers is too high. He said: “Initially when I started the class, the students were unsure of what to print. 3D printing isn’t as straightforward as sketching something and immediately printing it.” To make technology more approachable for his students, Mr. Gu adopted the Beambox Pro laser cutter and engraver as teaching aid. He explained, “Students can hand-draw their own designs and then materialize them using a laser cutter.” Beambox Pro significantly reduces the challenges faced by students in digital creation. Mr. Gu has redesigned his IT course to merge an introduction to laser principles with creative ideation activities, effectively transitioning from traditional theoretical teaching to a more interactive approach that promotes creativity and critical thinking.
Beambox Pro provides Mr. Gu with a more intuitive teaching environment. Its user-friendly software interface allows students to quickly get started and easily complete artwork. Beambox Pro’s camera preview function allows Mr. Gu to precisely position materials, which significantly reduces material off-cuts, benefiting him greatly since he needs to provide a large amount of material for his students.
Currently, Mr. Gu is conducting a digital creation course on hand-drawn rubber stamps. Mr. Gu showed us the rubber stamps made by his students, “I asked students to draw illustrations on paper, once they completed their drawings, I captured them using my phone and transferred the images to Beam Studio. Here, I made some necessary adjustments, flipped the images, tweaked the parameters a bit, and voila, the rubber stamps were brought to life.” Even without previous experience in digital drawing, students can readily create digital art pieces through the simplicity of hand drawing. Beambox Pro greatly extends the range of students’ creativity, allowing creative ideas to be made tangible.
Recognizing the enormous teaching capabilities of Beambox Pro, a flurry of innovative ideas began to materialize for Mr. Gu. He envisions integrating various cultural and festive themes into the curriculum to broaden the spectrum of digital creativity for students. ” I want to provide a unique avenue for creativity during their secondary education years” he expressed. Currently, he is organizing a course focusing on 3D paper flowers and anticipates that students will relish the thrill and accessibility of digital creation throughout different festive periods. Serving as a reliable teaching ally, Beambox Pro will persist in supporting Mr. Gu in devising more inventive and substantial digital creation courses.
Design Market specialized laser engraving design marketplace offers nearly 30 categories of laser engraving files, including education and entertainment, home and life, handmade tools, and jewelry, with over 2000 digital files available for teachers to purchase for teaching purposes. Design Market also features a free image download section for teachers to use at no cost, making Design Market an aid to teaching and creating more diverse and engaging courses.
