In a small classroom at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, students in Ms. Elsbeth Todd’s class were responsible for creating designs for a new post-and-beam State Forest Center. The students used SketchUp Pro to create models and simulations of their designs.
*Terramodel is a trademark of Trimble Navigation Limited.
SketchUp Pro is a 3D modeling software students can use not only in subjects like architecture and engineering, but also for creative learning in math, geometry, and physics. The software provides easy-to-learn technological tools to keep students engaged and interested in what they’re learning.
Teachers can use SketchUp Pro to give students a unique opportunity for independent learning with the ability to experiment with the program and explore its capabilities. It requires no previous training, and even teachers do not have to obtain a complete mastery of the program to present it to students; learning together is part of what makes the program so successful in the classroom. Ultimately, SketchUp Pro is an innovative and exciting technological tool for teachers to add to their educational resources.
The best way for teachers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the program and to learn how they can implement the program into their classrooms, is to use the SketchUp Pro Implementation Guide developed by the Northeast Comprehensive Center in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Digital Learning. The guide showcases real student work and how it has been used by teachers all across Massachusetts.
Student design of Ipswich Middle-High School
While many teachers explained that students were able to learn the program very quickly, Cathy Landergan described one application of SketchUp Pro in her architecture and design class at Marblehead High School. “Students started working in groups, using SketchUp to get the general idea of what it was going to look like, and then we merged ideas until we were left with one design, and then we went to construction documents,” she said. The guide outlines specifically the tools and benefits SketchUp Pro offers and how to prepare for using it in the classroom. It gives advice on developing lesson plans and provides information for model curricula as well.
SketchUp Pro is being made available to all districts in Massachusetts at no cost.
To download the guide, and to learn more about the free educator’s license, visit MA ESE’s “SketchUp Pro in Massachusetts” webpage. If you are interested in the program, feel free to subscribe to the Massachusetts listserv for teacher collaboration on SketchUp Pro by sending an email to MASketchUp@list1.doe.mass.edu with the body of the email saying “subscribe MASketchUp [Your Name]”.