Some Tips and Tricks Dear World, Over the years I've used many LEGO kits in my classroom. Some of my favourites have been the Mindstorms Robotics, the motorised LEGO Technic Kits and even the Duplo when I taught the younger children. Now I'm experimenting with LEGO's free Computer Aided Design (CAD) program called Lego Digital Designer. Here's a little model I knocked together in about 15 minutes In this program you can drag and drop a huge variety of parts onto the workspace, manipulate them and create your own LEGO models on screen. Ideas for classroom activities: * Discussion on what Computer Aided Design is, where it is used and the benefits it offers over traditional design drawings and prototype building. * design your own: bionicles, cars, trucks, trains, scenes from favourite movies like Harry Potter or Star Wars, model houses, or your very own own LEGO kit, * Set a homework task that requires the students to use this software at home. * Try having the students create digital solutions for some of the Ship Wreak of the Miss Adventure Challenges. * Use it to reinforce and practise the Design Process as Shown in this Wall Display Poster. * Use LEGO to model a character from a narrative. *Use it 'just for the 'fun', as a wet weather activity. Build an incredible robot, a monster or an animal (Remember that an animal is anything that is mobile and has a respiratory system) * Challenge them to build a famous landmark. * Create a modern sculpture. * *Write a design brief of your own with the children then implement it. e.g. You have been commissioned by the school principal to redesign the floor plan of your classroom to achieve optimal learning and maintain safety standards. Using Lego CAD software and the scale 4 bumps equals one metre, you and your partners must design a floor plan so that: (insert your own criteria but here are some suggestions) there is a quiet space for Guided Reading, a space for group work, people can move around the room easily and safely, the 'Chill Out' area is out of the line of sight of the other students, etc. When you believe you have met all the design specifications, have a design review meeting with your teacher and justify your decisions then make any modifications needed. Print out your design along with a seating plan that you believe will gain maximum on task behaviour & negotiate with your teacher as to when the design will be implemented.   * Extend the design process by introducing limitations - each piece of your model costs $1000, you must reduce the cost to a bare minimum without compromising strength and safety. Tips and Tricks: * Learn the keyboard shortcuts for rotating pieces and rotating the model early as it is easier to place pieces this way. * Find the 'Select multiple pieces' tool so you don't have to move the pieces one at a time. * Hold the mouse over the buttons to find out what they do. * Show the students the 'Animated Deconstruction of the Model' and listen to the Wows! * Visit the Lego gallery via the program for some inspiration for models and maybe to even upload your model to the Internet. * Change the background to match the model i.e. ocean for a ship, space for a spaceship etc. Lego Digital Designer - Download it here. More Free Software