Let me start with a thought that brings back memory of the time when I decided to write the diploma paper on 3D-printing. At first, I didn’t know what the machine standing in the corner of the technology classroom was. It looked like some kind of a box - a box full of technological wonders. At that moment, I realized I wanted to find out more about it. This is why, I began to look for necessary data and thus I focused my interest on the machine, called a 3D-printer. In my diploma paper, I did the research on the following topics: how well is the 3D- printing known in kindergartens; how much would kindergarten workers use such type of printing; what are the advantages and disadvantages of using this type of printing in kindergartens, separately. On the one hand, by those who support the introduction of technological headway into kindergartens. And on the other hand, by those who oppose introducing such new technologies since they believe that kindergartens do not need them. In the theoretical part of my diploma paper, I concentrated on the key characteristics of 3D-printing and I tried to illustrate the new type of printing to a group of people in the simplest way possible. I examined the history and the procedures of 3D-printing. Moreover, I considered the features of the preschool children development. I also paid attention to the role of Technology in the National School Curriculum and the way 3D- printing technology is used in kindergartens. For the empiric part of the diploma paper, I put together a questionnaire and I distributed it to 33 preschool teachers and preschool teacher assistants. I established the fact that childcare workers are mostly not acquainted with 3D-printing technology and so far feel no need to use it. With the group of 20 children named Ježi (Hedgehogs) from Galjevica Kindergarten, we visited the Faculty of Education where the children got to know 3D-printers and tested some products made with 3D-printing technology. We also conducted an experiment with the so-called slime dough which we used to make our own 3D-products. The purpose of the slime dough experiment was to obtain a tangible final product, a procedure similar to 3D-printing technology. In the conclusion, I presented the findings based on the empiric part described above.
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