Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Tony Evers toured the Three Lakes Fab Lab Friday. The lab received a Standing Up for Rural Wisconsin Schools, Libraries and Communities award last fall. It was the first fabrication laboratory in the Wisconsin Pre-K through 12 system and is equipped with flexible computer controlled tools. The lab supports student designs from elementary school through high school. Evers got a first- hand look at the 3D printing technology and student projects such as a first grader’s dinosaur chess board set. He says the Fab Lab has changed the way teachers educate their students.
“…it’s really more about getting students to be critical thinkers, and what you see here in this lab is really the last stage in that where they are actually producing something. That really focuses on skills that young people need to be good adults, good employees, to be good learners; it’s just a great place.”
Evers says while the Fab Lab teaches students to think critically and creatively, it also encourages teachers to experiment with different teaching styles.
He says the resources are hard to come by, but says Three Lakes has set the pace for other schools to implement such technology and teaching.
