Digital classroom tools are aplenty these days, but they aren't all as versatile and engaging as BlocksCAD. Built on the idea of a CAD (computer aided design) program, BlocksCAD has helped educators make introducing 3D design easy and effective. Students can use the BlocksCAD platform right on their computer or laptop. And, teachers can leverage pre-designed lesson plans to help make teaching these valuable skills as easy as possible. So, for this week's Rising Resources post, we're exploring this CAD software solution. It makes a great addition to teaching 21st century skills in many different subjects with plenty of connections to STEAM, MakerEd, and design thinking.
Educators can use BlocksCAD to shape an entire class or unit or to supplement existing instruction. It's ideal for students in upper elementary or middle school since its simple interface helps make problem solving more approachable. Essentially, BlocksCAD combines elements of coding with 3D design to empower students to create visual projects right on their screens. As its name implies, the programming interface is largely block-based. This means it's ideal for students who are just starting out with coding or have minimal experience.
To get started with using BlocksCAD, there is a button on their homepage that says 'Create Now.' This brings students directly to the BlocksCAD interface. Here, you'll see that there are different types of programming blocks on the left side of the screen as well as the blank programming field in the center. Then, there's the three-dimensional display field on the right of the screen. Since this was my first time navigating to the editor, I was met with a pop-up tutorial that provides a quick demonstration of how to drag and drop the programming blocks into the field. If students have used Blockly programming in any previous STEM activities, it's essentially the same drag-and-drop process to create programs using BlocksCAD.
The various block categories include 3D shapes, 2D shapes, transforms, math, logic, loops, text, and more. This means students can design either block-based programs or text-based programs if they're more advanced at coding. In the image above, I created a simple 3D shape program with a sphere that has a radius of 10. Then, all I did was add a color block and set the color to yellow. Clicking the 'render' button at the bottom of the screen resulted in that very shape appearing in the display field—a quick but powerful way for students to see how they can generate 3D shapes with code!
Students can also dictate each of their design's specific elements and see it rendered right on their screen. They can zoom in and out on their designs and set the smoothness to low, medium, or high. This is valuable since there are so many potential programming blocks they can include. Being able to see, in detail, how each element of the program plays out can really help students understand the computer science behind computer-based design in a more in-depth way. They can also save both designs and blocks so that they're available for import from their computer later.
Within BlocksCAD, there are also sample designs, video demonstrations, and an introductory tutorial. These resources are helpful to both students and teachers when getting started with BlocksCAD. Besides that, there are resources specifically for educators as well. These include lessons, manuals, activities, videos, and standards alignment resources. For any educators interested in using BlocksCAD with students, we'd definitely recommend checking these out. Educators can also schedule a demo with a member of the BlocksCAD team and learn how to align BlocksCAD projects with math, science, computational thinking, and technology curricula.
Despite the added benefits of helping students develop design thinking skills, the main intention of using BlocksCAD is to help them learn new coding skills. The environment is both graphical and very engaging, allowing students of different ability levels to work on their coding development. The lessons are very much intertwined with math and science concepts, however, which offers a full-scale STEM experience. Lesson examples include learning about coordinates and modules, volume and variables, circle area, modules, and loops. Each of the BlocksCAD lessons include detailed notes for teachers as well. They also feature standards alignment, student instructions, and an example solution that teachers can share with students.
If educators are thinking about using BlocksCAD in just one class, creating an account should set you right up. If interested in school- or district-wide implementation, however, there are different plans available. Some of them do have a low price point associated with them. If this seems like the way to go, you can get all the answers you need by submitting a quote. Neither students or teachers, however, need any in-depth programming experience or knowledge prior to using BlocksCAD in the classroom. The educator resources can help fill in many of the gaps and help teachers prepare for getting started. An online course in BlocksCAD is available as well.
With BlocksCAD, students can learn everything from coding to math. Since it's open source and built on the Blockly language, BlocksCAD is suitable for students as young as eight years old and remains useful up through high school thanks to its variety of integrations. Essentially, students can create programs that describe 3D models using variables, loops, conditionals, and even randomness. This, of course, provides them with some new math knowledge but, more importantly, allows them to explore programming and how it can be used in various ways.
As for math skills development, students can use BlocksCAD to build skills in geometry, specifically. When they build 3D models, they're simultaneously exposed to tons of different math concepts that they'd likely come across in a textbook anyway. These include 3D coordinates, positive and negative numbers, decimals, solid shapes, operations, and more. They can also use variables to plot coordinates, plot functions, and a lot more. BlocksCAD truly helps bring immersive experiences to the classroom in a variety of different academic subjects!
To learn more about BlocksCAD or to get started, educators can visit their site. For new users looking to explore the benefits of BlocksCAD, create an account to get started. After you've checked out some of its features and reviews, we encourage you to explore the rest of our blog and our store to learn more about some other STEM solutions for 21st century learning. And, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more!