Amazing. Mind-boggling. The stuff of sci-fi movies. Those are just three of the thoughts that flashed through my mind as I watched a 3D printer make a brand new, red plastic hair comb for me.If you haven’t heard of this technology, prepare to hear a lot more about it from now on because 3D printing has made the move from being Star Trek-esque to reality and one local teacher has taken notice.Last week, The Interactive Learning Center became one of the first academic environments in Bermuda to provide 3D printing to its students. The move is part of a plan by local veteran educator, Steven Doyling to transform his after-school programme from a typical classroom that promotes knowledge through books to one that encourages creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking via hands-on technology.Mr Doyling, who already thinks outside the box when it comes to teaching, uses iPads, interactive whiteboards and other high-tech devices and software to make learning more hands on for students. With 3D printers jumping from the realm of geek fantasy to something much more real, Mr Doyling thought the device would serve as the perfect new vehicle for promoting STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in his after-school programme.“STEM education — that’s all I keep hearing. That’s where the jobs are — science, technology, engineering. This really brings that out. It helps to take the theory out of education and makes it practical and applicable,” said Mr Doyling.“It’s about getting their education to become practical instead of just, ‘OK, we’re sitting down and reading a textbook’. It’s not just about books. I think a lot of times, kids don’t connect or realise the relevance of what they’re learning — how it’s actually applicable and how it can be used in the real world.”Mr Doyling, who has been teaching for more than 12 years, most recently at West End Primary, opened his new Interactive Learning Center back in September. The after-school programme, which runs Monday through Friday for students age seven to 14, focuses on a wide range of subjects from social studies to environmental sciences. The week I spoke to him, he was teaching his students something he calls “demystifying algebra” in which students use chess pieces to visualise and simplify equations into their simplest form.His classroom is equipped with dozens of iPads, desktop computers and an interactive white board — all bought with his own money. The last addition to his high-tech teaching arsenal is a $2,200 toy he bought on a trip to New York City two weeks ago — the Makerbot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D printer. It looks like a mini microwave without a door. And inside students will be cooking all kinds of creations.Here’s how it works: a spool of plastic filament is threaded and pushed through a nozzle where it’s heated and extruded out on to a moving ‘build’ platform. The printer goes over the design again and again and layer-by-layer, it creates your object.As I interviewed Mr Doyling, he printed a small plastic comb for me — red for Valentine’s Day, he said. It took just 14 minutes.“I mean, you can literally use it you know — it’s going to be a real comb!” he said. “You can make just about anything. One lady I was reading about designs cookie-cutters. She prints them out and sells them to people.”The plastic filament acts as ink would in a traditional printer and just like the ink, you can print on a 3D printer in many colours by swapping out your plastic filament.Students will be able to turn a pencil sketch into a physical object in a matter of minutes using CAD (Computer-aided Design) software.“The programme they’ll be using is called Tinkercad which takes 3-dimensional shapes and the students can build anything from those different geometric shapes,” Mr Doyling said. “They have to look at the circumference, the diameter and different angles, so they’ll have to use calipers to measure and that’s where it brings it all together.”Mr Doyling says his students are excited about learning how to use the new cutting-edge technology. And, he says, that’s exactly what he loves about teaching with technology.“It gets them engaged, it gets them interested and it gets them excited. I heard one student say, ‘I can’t wait! I’m going to make this and I’m going to make that!’“It’s also going to be a real problem-solving resource. I’m going to give them a challenge to go find something that’s a certain size or has certain dimensions that they can find useful in their house like a doorknob or a nut and bolt,” he said.“And the neat thing about it also is that I’m learning just as they are. It’s almost like we’re treading on this path of learning together.”Mr Doyling, still learning how to use the MakerBot himself. He’s reading the book, “Getting Started with MakerBot” and chapter three struck a chord with him.“It encourages you to imagine you’re ten years old again and the things you would have made for yourself growing up,” he said.He says the book also encourages readers to “embrace failure as part of the innovation process” — something he says is “the quintessence of the Interactive Learning Center”.Mr Doyling says what makes the Interactive Learning Center so unique is that his students are using resources and technology that are of their generation.“We definitely are, as the name says, interactive. The students are active and involved,” he said. “And this definitely brings out collaboration That’s actually a 21st century skill — collaborating.“With Bermuda’s economy the way it is, to me, education is more important than ever,” he said. “Unfortunately, if you lack a certain level of education, you’ll possibly succumb to a certain lifestyle and certain challenges. So now more than ever before, our kids need to be focused on their education.”He says his goal is to get both students and their parents to see the value of using technology as a learning tool.“When we look at the workforce today, it’s a global one. And the use of technology is making the world even smaller. I think it’s essential for parents to recognise the shift that is changing in education.“Learning doesn’t just take place within the walls of your school — it’s ongoing and it’s everywhere. It’s about collaboration now.“Not just that, but getting students also to think globally. We’re no longer isolated to our own parts of the world, so they need understand other people’s cultures and see that it’s a global market because really, they’re not promised to finish college and come back to Bermuda.”To watch a video of the Interactive Learning Center’s 3D printer in action, head to the online version of this story.The Interactive Learning Center is $70 a week and runs five days a week at the Hamilton Seventh Day Adventist Church on King Street from 3:30-6:30pm Monday through Thursday and 3:30-5:30pm on Fridays. For more information, call 533-4452 or e-mail interactivetutor@yahoo.com