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3D Vermont – Collaboration in Action

VT3D_april2015

3D Vermont’s 2015 Architectural Olympiad launches annual event. “I was particularly proud of our work together with the other agencies across the state. We have already had follow-up phone calls and look forward to planning the next version of this competition.” Peter Drescher, Vermont

Another in an occasional series of guest posts, we are pleased to feature the work and voices of SETDA members. Today’s post comes from Peter Drescher, Education Technology Coordinator, Vermont Agency of Education and current Chair of SETDA’s Board of Directors.

VT_3d_imagesVermont  recently hosted the The Architectural Olympiad as part of the 3D Vermont. This competition was a collaborative effort across state agencies, requiring school teams to combine historic preservation with state of the art 3D design. The teams identified a historic building or site, gathered measurements and researched the origins of the structure. Next, they drafted 3D models via an online program and created 3D structures using their local 3D printers. On March 27, participating schools gathered for the Architectural Olympiad in Randolph, Vermont. At the Olympiad, school teams placed their models on an oversized Vermont floor map, indicating the actual location and presented their projects to a panel of judges.

Windsor High School took top honors, St. Johnsbury Academy was second in the high school division and the middle school winner was Essex Middle School. 12 public and private schools competed in the final event, over 20 schools began the competition in October.

This project began as the brainchild of Mike Hathorn, a teacher from Hartford High School. Hathorn started the project a couple of years ago when he had students create online 3D models and place them within Google Earth. The advent of 3D printing at many Vermont schools and tech centers allowed him to re-envision the original project and engage many more schools and students in the competition. Slated to be an annual event, Vermont hopes to drive interest in other schools and to expand the competition pool.

As an extension, some of the 3D models will be displayed over the summer at other events including the Tunbridge World’s Fair, the state’s spring K12 Edtech Conference and during the Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference in early June. Partners on this initial project included the Preservation Trust of Vermont, Google Education and The Agency of Commerce and Community Development.

VT3D_April2015_map

For more details see the event in action by watching these news clips.

Drescher_Peter_400 Peter Drescher, Education Technology Coordinator for the Vermont Agency of Education and current SETDA Board Chair has been involved in education technology for nearly 20 years. He began his career in education as a social studies/technology teacher at a middle school in New Mexico. Soon he held the technology coordinator position, where he worked to develop a robust technology program and later join the Vermont Agency of Education.

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