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SketchUp Pro Lesson Plans

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

SketchUp Pro is a fabulous 3D drawing program that K-12 public school districts in Texas can receive free from TCEA. The software is incredibly powerful and yet easy to use, making it a strong tool for most grade levels. And because it’s a creation program, it can be used across the various subject areas, including math, ELA, science, social studies, art, and CTE.

Below are some good lesson plans to use when introducing your students to SketchUp Pro or for students who have advanced more in the use of the software.

Grades K-5

Grades 6-8

Grades 9-12

This is a small sample of the many resources available to educators using the SketchUp Pro software. Its ability to create both real-life and historical/imaginary designs is one of its greatest powers for student learning. What will you have your students design today?

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STEM/STEAM

Scaffolding Resources for SketchUp Pro

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Whether you are new to 3D design software or have made use of various applications for a while, I’m sure you have come across and most likely used SketchUp Pro. SketchUp Pro allows you to design three-dimensional objects in the typical CAD fashion. Because of the learning curve that is normal for its users, we’ve curated a set of resources (mostly YouTube tutorials) to help you get started and to take your skills to the next level.

Just Getting Started

If you are new to this amazing program, then consider using one of the resources below. These will help you get foundational skills whether you are using the application yourself or teaching students how to use it.

Taking Your 3D Skills to the Next Level

 

Request Free Licenses of the 3D Design Software

If you are an educator in a Texas public school, you can request SketchUp Pro licenses at no charge! That is a $695 value per license! For more information, contact Erin Taylor at etaylor@tcea.org.

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SketchUp Pro - 3D Modeling Software
STEM/STEAM

Enhance Student Learning with SketchUp Pro

by Joe Vasquez
written by Joe Vasquez

Strengthen your students’ skill set using SketchUp Pro, simple 3D modeling software that can empower learners to explore complex design ideas while developing critical thinking skills. A great tool to construct 3D models of buildings or recreate historical monuments and the like, SketchUp Pro can be used for all types of lessons that are best illustrated using 3D design.

Usability

Known for its ease of usability, SketchUp Pro is a powerful 3D modeling software that is fun to use and easy to learn. Enable your students’ creativity by transforming their thoughts into digital creations. Gather ideas from the software’s 3D Warehouse where you’ll be able to find virtually any 3D model imaginable for free.

Get an overview of the software and learn all about its latest upgrades and essential functions by signing up for our upcoming webinar on March 27; click here for details. The webinar is free to members, as is the SketchUp Pro software. You can also discover new tips and tricks by watching one or more of the software’s tutorials and obtain answers to impending questions by visiting the SketchUp forums.

Think Outside the Box

Break the norm and use 3D modeling to explore different concepts and ideas across all content areas. Initially developed to assist architects in designing buildings and exploring complex 3D design ideas, SketchUp Pro, has evolved to provide a wide-range of applications for your classroom. From designing the Leaning Tower of Pisa to sketching the human brain, the options are limitless! Use the software to encourage self-expression and creativity for your students.

Get Started Today!

Ready to harness the power of SketchUp Pro? TCEA is here to help! Whether you are a teacher looking to obtain a single license or a tech director needing to update every school-owned computer, TCEA can provide you the modeling software for FREE, typically $495 per license. Through our partnership with Trimble, we are able to offer all K-12 public school educators and students in Texas a free license of the program. To make the software accessible for all, you do not need to be a member of TCEA to take advantage of this great opportunity; just complete this form to receive your free license.

Are you ready to introduce your students to SketchUp Pro? Get your free software license today!

 

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SketchUp Pro
STEM/STEAM

An Activity to Explore SketchUp Pro

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Texas public school districts have free access to an expensive design program known as SketchUp Pro (and the companion browser-based alternative, MySketchUp) through TCEA. As schools start the school year, you may be looking for ways to introduce students and staff to SketchUp Pro. Why not use this multimedia text set (MMTS) to get you started?

mysketchup

You can view the online, click-friendly version or get a copy you can customize.

How to Get Your Own Copy

To get your own copy of the MMTS shared above, follow these simple instructions:

  1. Login in to your Google account.
  2. Click on this link Sketch Up Pro Multimedia Text Set (MMTS).
  3. When prompted, click the button “Make a copy.”
  4. That’s it! You’ll have your own copy.

Wait, you want the Adobe PDF version? Find it here, along with the Microsoft Word version.

Get SketchUp

With a Google account, you can do the interior design work using the newly-released My.SketchUp.com. And if you want the full power of SketchUp Pro (a $695 value), fill out a short form through TCEA. Private schools can obtain SketchUp Pro EDU licenses for as low as $15 per seat per year.

Use SketchUp on Chromebooks, Windows, and Macs

Available for Mac and Windows computers, SketchUp Pro now comes as a web version usable on Chromebooks. What’s more, SketchUp Mobile Viewer ($13.99) allows SketchUp models to be viewed on the iPad.

As my colleague put it, “SketchUp is 3D modeling software that lets you create anything you can imagine. It’s powerful enough to build complex projects, yet is easy to learn and use.” Their work appears in SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse, which houses millions of models. Simple enough to use that grade 3 through adult learners rely on SketchUp for a variety of tasks. SketchUp can be integrated into a wide variety of classes.

 

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Special NeedsSTEM/STEAM

Redesign That: SketchUp in Schools

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“We’re going to redesign our Spot’s dog house this holiday break!”
“What do you have so far?” I asked. My colleague held out a legal pad, crude drawings marring the perfect yellow pages. If you’re going to be re-arranging a dog house or your living room to fit a Christmas tree, take a look at SketchUp Make and SketchUp Pro, available for free to K-12 public schools.

Get SketchUp

With a Google account, you can do the interior design work using the newly-released My.SketchUp.com. And if you want the full power of SketchUp Pro (a $695 value), fill out a short form through TCEA. Private schools can obtain SketchUp Pro EDU licenses for as low as $15 per seat per year.

Use SketchUp on Chromebooks, Windows, and Mac

Available for Mac and Windows computers, SketchUp Pro now comes as a web version usable on Chromebooks. What’s more, SketchUp Mobile Viewer ($13.99) allows SketchUp models to be viewed on the iPad.

As my colleague put it, “Google SketchUp is 3D modeling software that lets you create anything you can imagine. It’s powerful enough to build complex projects, yet is easy to learn and use.” Their work appears in SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse, which houses millions of models. Simple enough to use that grade 3 through adult learners rely on SketchUp for a variety of tasks. SketchUp can be integrated into different classes.

Make Creative TEKS Connections

Classes such as, art, science, history, geography, and math are just some of the perfect venues for learning with this free software. Some ideas of how you might want to use it in your classroom are available at TCEA’s SketchUp Resources. Curriculum projects can align to the Technology Applications:TEKS in Grade 6, such as defined below:

Creativity and Innovation: The student uses creative thinking and innovative processes to construct knowledge, generate new ideas, and create products. The student is expected to…
(C) explore complex systems or issues using models, simulations, and new technologies to make predictions, modify input, and review results

You can find teacher guides that provide specific models.

Explore More Features

For children with autism, Project Spectrum shares powerful examples of student creativity made possible. SketchUp Pro can also be used for 3D modeling and printing. Students can create designs in SketchUp, then save them as OBJ files. These can then be opened in your 3D printer’s software (e.g. Makerbot) and printed. Talk about authentic learning!

SketchUp Pro also supports design templates for 3D printing, making it a simple matter to create to scale. You can also export designs in 3D Warehouse to STL file format for 3D printing. Doing so helps clean up your design before beginning to print. Another neat feature involves interacting with holograms. Visualize design data and collaborate with others using SketchUp Pro with Microsoft Hololens.

Conclusion

SketchUp makes creating models for sharing, and printing. Prepare your children for the future and introduce them to it today!

Special thanks to Taylor and Brian Wright for sharing their use of SketchUp to create real structures via their blog.

 

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Educational TrendsSTEM/STEAM

Whee – 3D Design Software for Free!

by Carrie McFarland
written by Carrie McFarland

Are you preparing your students to enter the world with knowledge and skills in 3D technology? It is used in so many industries and jobs: architecture, gaming, science, medicine, entertainment, publishing, and advertising, and marketing. By adding 3D modeling software to your curriculum, you are bringing real-life tools to your students. Access to 3D software might just inspire your students to pursue STEM careers and get a headstart on a future career.

3D Software for You Now

You may be thinking that 3D design software is expensive and out of your reach. We’re happy to say that’s not true. TCEA can provide you with SketchUp Pro, a powerful 3D modeling software package, for FREE.  Through our exclusive partnership with Trimble, we are able to offer every K-12 public school in Texas free licenses of the program on each school-owned computer. You do not need to be a member of TCEA to take advantage of this opportunity. Trimble and TCEA want every public school to have this resource.

Many districts have already received their licenses and are on their way to giving their students this incredible resource. Sign up here to receive your licenses.

How Are Teachers Using SketchUp Pro?

Applications for Robotics

  • Charlie Parker, Robotics Teacher and Coach at Wedgewood Middle School in Fort Worth ISD, is using SketchUp Pro with his robotics teams. Last year, the teams used the software to design parts for their robot and then 3D printed them to use in competition.
  • Chad Wilson from San Antonio ISD uses SketchUp Pro to prototype Vex and Lego robotic build designs. He says teaching his students an industry standard resource that is readily accessible is priceless.

Exposure to Real-World Tools

  • Thomas Alberts from Jacksonville ISD says that teaching students to use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs such as SketchUp Pro gives them another tool they can put on their resume.  He advises those new to SketchUp Pro to watch a few of the free introductory videos and then just start building.
  • Greg Morris, AST/Agricultural Mechanics teacher at Giddings ISD, is using SketchUp Pro for both current shop projects and those still in the planning stages.

Critical and Logical Thinking Skills 

  • Chantelle Dallas, Math Teacher at Harmony Science Academy in Dallas, says her 6-8th grade computer science classes are using SketchUp Pro to design a STEM project, which is helping them to think critically and logically. They are able to see how 3D images work and are better able to visualize how their projects look. She went on to say that word spread around the middle school about her class designing a 3D project, and she’s now having more students join the Gaming and Computer App Club.

How to Get Your Copy of SketchUp Pro

It’s easy.  Just click here to  sign up. We’ll email the licenses within 48 hours. Access installation and online help are available here.

Learn More About SketchUp Pro

TCEA offers a webinar on how to use the software in the fall and spring each year. Fall dates are still to be determined. As soon as it’s on the calendar, we’ll send you an email inviting you to the webinar.  You’ll be able to watch the webinar live or receive the link and watch it at your convenience.

Be sure to take advantage of this incredible, free resource today. The time your students spend learning and using SketchUp Pro might just inspire and bridge them into their future career.

 

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Educational TrendsFunding

Free 3D Design Software for Texas Public School Students

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One of the many new skill sets today’s graduates need is 3D design. Unfortunately, this can sometimes be an expensive concept for schools to teach, as it requires costly software. But TCEA can help.

TCEA has been granted the exclusive rights in the state of Texas to provide FREE licenses of SketchUp Pro to all K-12 public school educators and students for school-owned computers. This 3D modeling software, normally priced at $495 per license, is easy and intuitive to use, allowing anyone to model in 3D quickly and accurately.

SketchUp Pro is like a pencil with superpowers. Start by drawing simple lines and shapes. Push and pull surfaces to turn them into 3D forms. Stretch, copy, rotate, and paint to make anything you like, from a copy of the classroom to a model of the entire town to a diagram of how the heart works. For more advanced students, start modeling from CAD and terrain data, photographs, or even hand sketches. Build models with custom behaviors and attributes. SketchUp Pro is as simple and as powerful as you want it to be.

If students need help brainstorming ideas of what to draw, they can turn to the 3D Warehouse, where individuals from all around the world who are using SketchUp Pro share their models. And to take the product even further, there is an Extension Warehouse with more than 200 different add-ons for SketchUp Pro available.

The free SketchUp Pro licenses from TCEA are good for one year and may be renewed each year thereafter. To receive a free license of SketchUp Pro 2015, please complete this form. You will then be emailed information within 48 hours on how to download and install the software.

For private schools, Trimble offers deep-discounted SketchUp Pro EDU licenses for as little as $15 per seat per year. Please see their licensing information page. Or you can download the free program SketchUpMake for your students to use.

Take a look at your upcoming classroom projects and see how 3D drawing can enhance them. You won’t be sorry!

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Web 2.0 Tool

Eight Reasons Why We Love SketchUp Pro (And You Should, Too!)

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Sure, TCEA offers SketchUp Pro absolutely FREE to all students and teachers in public K-12 schools in Texas. Yes, we offer big discounts on SketchUp Pro for private schools as well. But free and cheap don’t always equal love. Here are our reasons for absolutely loving SketchUp Pro, the amazing 3D drawing and design program you and your students should be using.

1. It’s so easy to learn. If this is your first time with SketchUp Pro, be amazed at how fast you can get started designing in 3D. With tips and hints popping up and guiding you through, you’ll be sure to create something interesting, beautiful, and useful.

2. It’s authentic. SketchUp Pro is used by architects, designers, builders, and more in the “real world.” Give your students an edge by having them use the same software they’ll experience once they are employed.

3. It’s not just about buildings. With the free software, students can draw an accurate picture of the human heart, a new type of engine, or a better wheelbarrow.

4. It offers a full warehouse of starting ideas. Think you can’t design with SketchUp Pro? Why not try the Warehouse, a website that lets you download thousands of user-created designs from ancient monuments to mythological creatures? Add the Mexican army around the Alamo or create a home for the 22nd century along with its family. Place multiple designs in one project to create a spectacular mash-up.

5. It’s free. Let me say again that SketchUp Pro is free to public K-12 schools and deeply discounted for private schools. You can receive one license for every PC or Mac computer you have in your district at no cost. The software normally is $495 per license!

6. It can be aligned to all content areas. We can see clear correlations to the standards for 3D design and animation. But the program can also be used in every other subject area. Interact with a digital environment, create amazing works of self expression, or use simulated models in the classroom. Discover real-world geometry and math as you design complex structures. Create and label the parts of a cell. Draw famous buildings from literature. SketchUp Pro really does provide a wide range of applications for your classroom.

7. It can grow with your students. For students who are already knowledgeable about 3D drawing and design, they can expand the program with the many free extensions available. From animation to productivity to 3D printing tools, there are lots of additional resources to choose from.

8. It comes with assistance. Still a little worried about diving into SketchUp Pro? TCEA provides free online training several times a year, as well as digital resources and tutorials to make you an expert.

What are you waiting for? Get your free SketchUp Pro licenses by completing this simple form.

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STEM/STEAM

Free 3D Software for Texas Public Schools

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

With the new 3D printers that are now less expensive and the emphasis on STEM skills, more and more schools are diving in to 3D software to allow students to design solutions to problems around them. TCEA has been granted the exclusive rights in the state of Texas to provide free licenses of SketchUp Pro to all K-12 public school educators and students. The 3D modeling software, normally $495 per license, is easy and intuitive, allowing anyone to model in 3D quickly and accurately. The software is an excellent tool even for those who do not yet have access to a 3D printer, empowering students to learn the critical engineering design process.

The free licenses are available in the following formats:

  • Licenses for individual school lab networks (Windows and Macintosh). These licenses allow up to 300 simultaneous users on any given network.
  • Licenses for imaging and installation on multiple laptops that need functionality both on and off of the school network (i.e. students with a laptop assigned to them).
  • Licenses for stand-alone computers (Windows and Mac) for non-networked machines.

 

The license is good for one year and may be renewed each year after that. To receive a free license, complete this form. You will then be emailed information on how to download and install the software.

There is a nice introductory guide to SketchUp Pro in the classroom available here. The first activity included in it is for students to design a chair (shown to the right), which is a wonderful start. There is also an excellent Quick Reference Card available as well. Learn more about how to use this amazing and powerful software in a free-to-anyone webinar on Sept. 29.

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