Sixth grade TEAM (Technology Exploration and Media Literacy) students at Algonquin Middle School had an informative video conference with RPI. Rebecca Ekstrom, Algonquin library media specialist, facilitated this virtual field trip as they virtually visited RPI’s Makerspace, the Forge.
The Forge is a space where RPI students can use twenty-two 3-D printers and a laser cutter to create prototypes for their class projects. Russell Roberts, president of the Forge Student Club, gave demonstrations of different 3-D printers and spoke about their technical attributes. Students had many questions about materials that are printed, what can and cannot be printed, how a 3-D printer is manufactured, and the laser on the laser cutter.
Algonquin’s state-of-the-art video conferencing/distance learning room with Cisco MX-800 videoconferencing equipment made this special field trip a reality.
