Once I got enough room to breathe in my teaching, I decided the room needed some more decorations to make it a more inviting space. Especially since students had commented on the lack of wall coverage. Many classrooms have a lot of brightly colored posters and decorations to make the kids feel welcome and to pique their interest.

For a lot of it I started with a robotics theme, given that it was an easier-to-visualize subject than “design & modeling”.

I also spent some time coming up with some examples that demonstrated more of what 3D printing is capable of, as well as some models that may come in handy when I cover 3D printing in more depth. Some of these were unusual shapes, others were versions of common calibration models used for tuning 3D printers.

Some items were for establishing the theming of the room as a place for general Making.

Based on some conversations with students and learning some of the pop culture things that they were into, I also added some other decorations to catch their interest and demonstrate some things that could be done with the 3D printer and a little coloration.

I am always trying to add to the collection, and hope to inspire the next generation of Makers. I want my room to be an exciting and welcoming place for creativity. Having walls filled with color and variety seems to be helping set a mood for my students, and occasionally I challenge them to figure out what I have changed recently. It is fun watching their eyes light up and their excitement when they realize I’ve added things they recognize to the room.