Most online TinkerCAD courses throw every tool at a student in the beginning of the course and then walk through a few projects at the end. That did not work for me, and from my experience teaching in the classroom, it does not work for my students either.

TinkerCAD Toolkit is built on my "Learn then Do" philosophy. I introduce tools just a couple at a time. For example, in Unit One I only introduce the eight essential tools. After that, I immediately dive into a project that requires all of these eight tools so that the student gets a chance to internalize the knowledge. This structure ensures the knowledge actually sticks and, more importantly, is understood. I am not interested in just teaching students what a tool does; I want students to really grasp how to use the tools in their projects.

I have always loved making things. As a kid, my room was a constant construction zone, filled with everything from an entire board game made of cardboard to a working pendulum clock built out of Legos. When my family bought a 3D printer, it felt like unlocking a superpower.

As I dove in, I realized that there are great beginner-friendly design programs, but there are not many great ways to learn those programs. TinkerCAD Toolkit was born from this frustration and is my attempt to make design for 3D printing accessible to everyone. I started my journey by teaching summer camps and a year-long class to refine my curriculum. Now, I am bringing that classroom experience directly to you.