“After recently establishing Thingiverse Education, now the largest collection of 3D printing lesson plans online, we saw an immediate response from hundreds of teachers who were excited to contribute content and share best practices with their peers,” said Drew Lentz, Manager, MakerBot Learning. “The new MakerBot Educators program is taking it a step further by forging a closer relationship between MakerBot and the most engaged teachers of our community.”

The MakerBot Educators Welcome Kit

Eligible candidates will need to have contributed to Thingiverse Education and have access to a MakerBot device in order to participate. After becoming a member, you will be invited to join the MakerBot Education team in monthly missions, designed to increase student access to the technology, expand the content available for classroom use, and promote the benefits of design thinking and STEM learning. Participating educators will receive a welcome kit, complete with exclusive MakerBot gear, and can earn prizes like extra MakerBot PLA filament by participating in monthly missions.

One of the program’s essential goals is to find and celebrate the incredible achievements of students, teachers, and institutions using 3D printing across all grade levels and subjects. The MakerBot Educator program will identify innovative new uses of 3D printers in education communities in order to communicate the vast capabilities of the technology to the public. “Being part of the MakerBot Educator community allows me to be part of a network of teachers who see the same benefits of the technology and who I can learn from and share ideas with,” said Brian Mernoff, a teacher participating in the program’s trial period.

By connecting teachers who are 3D printing pioneers to those who are just getting started, or even those not sure how to begin, the MakerBot Educators program can empower an entire generation of students with critical skills in our rapidly changing world. “By starting early in middle school and high school, we can now send students to college already possessing 3D design skills,” said Dr. Paul Gerton, a Thingiverse Education contributor who has joined the program as a MakerBot Educator. “They are then better prepared for classes, co-ops, and internships right from the start. I am a MakerBot Educator because I want to equip my students with the knowledge and skills that they will need in the future.”

At MakerBot, we’re excited to support highly-engaged educators with the new Educators Program. Combined with Thingiverse Education, we can together grow a community of educators who will change the lives of tomorrow’s innovators, today.