When learning transcends the written word and the printed pages, one can be sure that the child is not just getting literate, but educated as well.
Keeping the above value in mind, a group of youngsters developed something which not only made learning fun for kids but also showed them what Jeremy Rifkin thinks will be third industrial revolution. Rifkin is an American economic and social theorist, writer and public speaker. He has written volumes on how scientific and technological changes can bring a change in the economy.
3Dexter, is an enterprise targeted to teach 3-D printing technology to school children. It is a part of their school curriculum and takes place like any other computer or art class. 3-D printing or additive manufacturing is the printing of three dimensional object from a digital file.
“A child’s imagination knows no boundaries. To give a boost to his imagination and to tell them that what their mind thinks, can be replicated into tangible reality or an object per se, there would be no better creativity tool”, says Shantanu Kwatra, Business Development Head.
Initiated in 2015, the startup has managed to include its idea in the curriculum of few schools like The Maurya and Maxfort, Dwarka . When asked how is the response so far and how do they manage to persuade the apprehensive parents, Raghav Sareen, Executive for Product Development said, “When the students are able to study the working of lungs/ heart or make a miniature of his favourite car by their own hands and that too not on paper, that satisfied look on their faces takes that ‘persuading’ job off our shoulders. Parents are then convinced of this new art and how it can benefit their child.”
WATCH | Have a look at 3Dexter and the response they’ve received
“We went through the CBSE course for 6-9th class thoroughly. We devised a curriculum that would integrate the 3D technology with the current syllabus and help students to bring out their creativity and adapt its uses in their lives. Not just this, we have started a similar training for teachers as well. After all, if they are equipped with the model, course learning shall become smoother for the kids”, says Smarth Vasdev, Product Development Executive.
“The material used in 3D printing is biodegradable and can be recycled as well. FDM (Fused deposition modelling) printers are deployed for this purpose. FDM is one of the affordable and a widely used option for 3D printing. We use PLA (Poly lactic acid) and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) as raw material, which are as good as normal plastic. While the latter is a stronger material, the former is more brittle than other plastic”, he added.
“3Dexter is the first of its kind and we want to make the most of it. We offer schools a package that comprises trainers, printers, raw materials and our support round the clock. We wish to make a change in the way children learn and want to equip them with the technology of future. For all we know, we might make the most boring subject turn interesting for a kid”, says Kwatra.
The startup is currently bootstrapping with help of Smapsters, another travel startup managed by the same group. “As of now, we want to enter the academic trajectory and make a niche for ourselves. We have also started manufacturing our own 3-D printers and would like to move into the commercial space gradually”, comments Naman Singhal, Finance Head
Meet these young entrepreneurs and have a look what have they been up to – 3dexter
Source: financialexpress.com