What is Materialize

The purpose of this chapter is to inform educational practitioners as to possible frameworks and models for effectively integrating 3D printing into instruction. This will focus on the conceptual ideas that overarch and guide the decisions for integrating 3D printing in education. Educators need a critical perspective and rationale so that the novelty of the tool doesn't overwhelm sound pedagogy. An understanding of how the features of 3D printing match up with the attributes of instructional approaches is the key to designing and orchestrating effective learning experiences. This chapter describes a model of decision making that takes into account the affordances, constraints, and approaches of 3D printing and details the implications for learning activities. The decision-making model will enable educators to effectively integrate 3D printing into educational contexts.