Using Three-Dimensional Printers in the Social Studies Education

Technology changes and transforms our lives every passing day. The pace of this transformation that started in early ages constantly increases, and such a transformation affects all processes in our lives. One of the technologies that are likely to result in such a transformation as the steam engine, atomic energy, microchips and the Internet did once is three-dimensional printing. Economical, social, demographic, environmental and educational effects of three-dimensional printing are felt even more with each passing day (Campbell, Williams, Ivanova and Garrett, 2011). As new developments are often observed in this technology, there is still limited work on how it can be used in education. The purpose of this paper is to determine the areas of usage for this technology in education and social studies education, and explain the connections between three-dimensional printers and the 2017 social studies course curriculum with examples. In the study, it was seen that three-dimensional printers could be used as a tool in teaching the concepts, basic competencies, skills and outcomes included in the 2017 social studies course curriculum. Suggestions supporting the use of three-dimensional printers in social studies education were offered as a result of the study.