The practical day, “Girls. Media. Education,” consisted of three different workshops, which participants could choose from freely. Each workshop was held in two rounds, allowing participants to experience different programs at each session. The goal of the day was to convey practical concepts that address digital, creative, and self-reflective topics. Furthermore, the practical relevance was intended to reduce any fears about digital technology and electronics. The workshops were conducted by digital coach and media educator Maria Fischer, the Darmstadt School Printing Center, and the Mobile City Lab of Digitalstadt Darmstadt GmbH.
Maria Fischer’s workshop focused on creating infozines. These small booklets dealt with topics such as online self-defense, such as asserting one’s own rights or dealing with unwanted images.
At the Darmstadt School Printing Center workshop, analogue self-portraits were printed and postcards with powerful sayings were created, serving as answers to questions such as “What would I have liked to have known earlier?” or “What would I like to pass on to girls today?” The printing was done using lead type from the letterpress process.
The Mobile City Lab focused on the topic of 3D printing. The workshop participants came from various fields, including open child and youth work, youth development, social work, equal opportunity management, special education, and social pedagogy. They had little previous experience with 3D printing, but were interested in learning how this technology works and how it could potentially be used in their fields.
The event began with the presentation of the Mobile City Lab: Nancy Teichmann from Digitalstadt Darmstadt GmbH gave a brief overview of the goals, target groups, and formats. Together with her colleague Anne Weisel and the 3D printing experts Michael Ibsen and Antonio Jorba, an introduction to the topic followed. Michael Ibsen first raised awareness of plastic pollution in the oceans and encouraged waste reduction and environmental protection through 3D printing. Application areas of 3D printing, such as medical technology, aerospace, and construction, were also presented.
Using an instructional video, the participants then learned how to assemble a 3D printer kit and get the device ready for operation.
Michael Ibsen then explained the general process of 3D printing, followed by an introduction by Antonio Jorba of the software solutions “Ultimaker Cura” and “OctoPrint,” required for preparing the print. Michael Ibsen then demonstrated the functions of the 3D modeling web app “TinkerCAD,” which allows the creation of new 3D models or adaptation of existing templates. Finally, the participants were able to get hands-on and learn how to use the software in practical exercises on their laptops. Finally, the final models were printed, demonstrating the exciting process from the initial idea to the tangible object. The printed results, proudly taken out of the printer, were then available to take home as a small souvenir of the workshop day.
In the concluding flashlight, participants had the opportunity to draw conclusions from the workshop – and, to the delight of the Mobile City Lab team, these were consistently positive. The goal of allaying fears about digital technology and electronics was clearly achieved. Some participants even expressed a desire to purchase a 3D printer for their own institution. To provide participants with all the necessary information, they received an “Education Pack” on a 3D-printed business card with an NFC tag. Scanning the NFC tag activated a link to the Mobile City Lab website, which provided a document with all the information about the 3D printer model and software used. With this tool, all participants should be well equipped for their own start in the world of 3D printing. The Mobile City Lab team wishes them much success!
There is also an informative video of this day, which the MuK Hessen e.V. provided us with – just check it out on YouTube!
