SketchUp

SketchUp is a 3-D design tool that can be connected to any content area and is a nice mix of simplicity and complexity. While it's user-friendly as far as digital design tools go, students and teachers will need to watch the introductory videos to get a handle on how things work. Once you're comfortable with the basics, get creative; SketchUp can be used in just about any classroom, and there's no limit to what can be built -- from small to large scale and from basic to intricate. It's a great platform for demonstrating learning, designing solutions, and illustrating concepts.

Users begin with a simple template but can build whatever they like from it. SketchUp is structured to be user-friendly -- there are shortcuts for changing tools, lines and points will snap into place when hitting a midpoint or another important position, and lines and dots change colors to align with other, previously drawn shapes. When building a model, users can type in the dimensions desired for the structure. And if questions arise, it's simple to find an answer. SketchUp has a strong community -- including a lot of educators -- on whom to rely. Plus, designs can be shared and browsed in the 3D Warehouse. The basic version, SketchUp Make, is free. The more robust version, SketchUp Pro, is free to teachers but will cost students.

Overall, SketchUp is a great tool for facilitating student learning. It's engaging and will likely intrigue students. The clear layout makes it easy for students to use, and it gives them power over what they create. Because of this flexibility, students can build what interests them. They can find ways to make this process enjoyable -- but this is where setting students up with the basics becomes crucial. It can become frustrating to use SketchUp if users still are unsure of how to complete basic tasks. Fortunately, there are many avenues for setting students up for success.

Although SketchUp provides the structure and a space for learning, teachers must still spend time planning how they will use this program to enhance student learning. The program explicitly teaches how to construct buildings in SketchUp and subtly reinforces mathematical concepts. Any other content must be thoughtfully paired with the program, but doing so is very straightforward. What’s great is that it naturally provides students with another context/tool to facilitate and demonstrate learning. They can use SketchUp to build models as well as deeper connections and meaning to the content area they're studying. Any learning feedback, however, will need to be provided by the teacher.