For all educators using the Titan academy as a supplement or mainstay for course materials. A place to share ideas and ask questions. The first thing I was taught by my mentor when i started this teaching thing 5 years ago was to seek out other instructors and borrow existing curriculum, tests, projects, etc. I have changed my delivery of the projects about 4 times already this year and still not happy with it… Let’s rock this and I am so grateful for the work Titan has put into this.
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Okay, I had commented this on the Titan FaceBook page, so here is my first input…I have thick skin so any comments or suggestions are welcome.
I break up the construction, CAM and Post process into segments (each has a prerequisite, each has a point value) I can easily see a student’s progress, I can catch problems much quicker, the student can complete 1-2 assignments per class period so they feel accomplished. I make it easy on myself to check progress. Of course the actual machining is a one on one verification with the student and myself. In the Post Processor assignment they have to verify on a Haas simulator, then they seek me out and we go to the machine. I have them program and include in all of the tool changes the G00 G43 Z1.0 Hxx line code. they run single block, option stop, 25% rapid, distance to go on position screen. I am adding that they run in MDI a Work Coordinate Position check G0 G54 X0 Y0 and they will check each tool with a similar MDI code. Here is how I have it setup in my LMS. 
I create a short video, no longer than 10 minutes long and embed into the assignment. This is what the assignment looks like
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Titan 4M - 2
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@StephenHadwin thank You for posting this hear also. It will add to the searchable content in the Forum.
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Stephen,
I see your using Canvas at your school, I am taking classes through BGSU online for my teaching licensure, that is the system I have become familiar with. Where I am teaching we use Progressbook. I am not very familiar with so much of the system because my mentor is an older engineer who does most everything in the Microsoft suite, i.e. excel. I know how to create assignments and post grades. I knew there had to be more to the system but I haven’t had time to sit down and play in the system to learn what it is capable of. I will be reaching out to some of the more experienced colleagues to pick their brains. Would it be too much to post a video or two that you use for reference? This may be a dumb question but how are creating your videos, are you using a video camera? I am not really tech savvy but am putting in an incredible amount of time trying to learn new and better ways to do things. To be honest with you, I didn’t know that you could create a page like that in Autodesk. I am so grateful for your help, I feel like I have been treading water to keep from drowning while I create lessons in a much less effective ways but it’s all that I could think of. I have been out to shadow a few local career centers and they have been helpful but when its only for a day its like drinking from a firehose.
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All you need is a microphone to create a video like the one I did above. Autodesk offers a free screen capturing software. ScreenCast
As far as Canvas, I spend lots of time on YouTube seeing how others do it.
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When you break projects down into smaller steps, how do you have students submit what they have completed? Are you having them export the file of what they have done to that point into a folder, taking screenshots and submitting, or how?
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Shown in previous reply where I had images of the modules and a sample assignment. In the assignment it states they have to submit a snipped image of their current progression of the design. There is criteria for the image they get points for.
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My apologies Stephen, I am having a hard time reading what it says. I copied the pictures but when I try to zoom in it gets very pixelated.
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This is instruction/language they see typically, it will have an image they can review so they can replicate the image. The video at bottom of page is the >10m clip showing how to do the current operation
"Watch video at bottom of page and duplicate efforts to make the part - Save your file to your Fusion folder you created earlier for the other building blocks.
To submit completion of this assignment:
Snip and save image file to your desktop and then submit your image file , Your image should show your progression by including all items that are yellow highlighted in the following image. Your snippet should look like the following image."
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Good evening, Steven, Josh, and all…
This is a loaded thread with a lot going on within online assignment set-up, which LMS is the best, and to execute…
As well as to provide examples into school curriculum.
In terms of using of adding the building blocks and rocket into school curriculum,… I blend the assignments beginning with the first block, or rocket piece with either assignments replaced in my PLTW CIM,… as I find that Titan’s Block’s and Rocket pieces are more relevant to build off of than what a teacher without industry experience wrote for PLTW (I can safely say this… as I helped write the PLTW curricula).
I personally find that then after posting the code, I have my students write and memorize G and M code. Relevance, my students need to know what they are having the machine do (it should never be relied on someone’s program). From here, my students can then do several more building blocks, post, and memorize code… and then write simple programs with tool compensation to create machined parts for our competitions that we compete (FIRST). Please know that if kids in Comp Sci I are memorizing JAVA, then having my students know G and M codes allow for safe use, as well as error that even the processor may post to my machines. All programs written are saved within a server with student access to build from given similar problems.
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In terms of online engagement.
Rule one as the instructor is to have all collaborate daily within the class online thread board.
Also, think of various Web 2.0 engagement projects… like screen capturing and video of use of Fusion 360, or iPhone videoing machine operation to post. I like having students build web portfolio pages.
So the question is how to use Titan’s content within your LMS? My answer is to build from his content (err… steal what you like, and make it relevant). Using someone else’s PowerPoint lesson as your own for your class never works! I always encourage young educators to take whatever they need, but they have to create it to their own style that works for the environment they have.
I understand how the online LMS was set-up with Stephen’s post, but also would interact from what students express within their post responses immediate. I would have students respond, or give a example of when I set-up my verification piece, the X0 Y0 locations I set for my G54 is not as it’s appropriate location, and ask for student comments back to why? Students may be able to state the correct process, but not fully understand why there is G54 - Gxx (xx = number of) coordinate home locations to set while machining.
I’ll write more tomorrow…
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I am an educator in Visalia CA and I am new to CNC programming. Is there literature or other types of training I can do to become a better educator for my students? I am pretty good at CAD but CAM is new to me. We are using Inventor HSM. I use PLTW CIM as my base curriculum but I don’t follow everything due to my program is themed for Agriculture and I have acces full shop.
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Sorry, I answered in the wrong topic.
If your school year is a 9 month program, it is probably too late to introduce new curriculum, but as an instructor, you can complete the Titan’s Mill Building Blocks and Lathe Rocket Series in this academy and then embed it into your curriculum next year. It is easy as an educator to get the Fusion 360 software for all of your students (free), it is weak on creating professional looking drawings.
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Someone on Facebook asked me for some guidance, lol I feel like I am the one most in need of guidance. But to illustrate more of how I embed into my program, Each course may have one or two of the Building block or Rocket series as a project. So in addition to theory assignments and daily work assignments, they start a project assignment. Usually take 5 - 10 days to complete ( I only have the students 3 hrs per day) They start off by viewing Titan’s group of delivery for the making of part, I then add some support videos I create in ScreenCast (Autodesk free software) to bump them along and insure they verify their speeds, feeds, etc. Here is the start of a Project assignment - 
Here is the portion of assignment page that has links to the short videos. 
I am still not happy and will continue to tweak the delivery of assignment to make it easier to grade, easier for students to complete, easier to document.
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Here is my program link, I have also added two of my syllabi, which will change for next year. We are dropping the 3rd year program due to difficulty working with Federal Pell Grants, VA, etc. So disregard the 3rd year mention… This year I had no 2nd year students, none returned they were all placed after one year of instruction. Next year I will have 10 since I have 8 juniors and 2 adults that started this January https://www.sotech.edu/pages/3d-cnc-machining
Design and Fabrication Advanced.pdf (1.0 MB)
Design and Fabrication Fundamentals.pdf (1.0 MB)
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Here is an example of a student turning in a screenshot of his CAM path for milling the slots. I can verify his tool path and his feature tree at bottom of screen. I can mark up and comment and grade from my home.
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JasonNye asked me how I viewed the student’s CAD/CAM work, did I have them turn in a USB drive, save to a folder, etc. Since I had all students enroll and register at the first of the school year for Fusion 360, one of their assignments is to create a shared project folder named “3D CNC their name” and add me to the folder to be able to view and edit. So if they want some help or want me to verify something they have worked on, they just save to that folder and notify me to check it out. 
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A BIG THANK YOU to the Titan crew for their efforts to provide instructional curriculum to the CNC masses. As an educator, I fully appreciate the time (re-do, re-do, re-do) it takes to create the process, videos, documentation for just one project. I will encourage my students that complete my program to continue their education by learning the advanced methods that Titans of CNC is creating. If I can get a student thru the Building block and Rocket series, I will feel I have given them the tools to learn the other concepts. There are maybe 10% of my students that I feel would love to return after graduation so they can utilize my school program resources to improve their techniques with the more advanced projects. Hoping to utilize the Small Groups for those students.
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Just wanted to say hello, I know Stephen from HTEC and Facebook sites. I am also a 6th year instructor for Precision Machining.
All I had on day one was 3 books and Immerse 2 Learn Software. Didn’t have machines for 4 months. Had to invent the lessons. We had all adults in a 6 hour day for 11 months in a Florida Tech School. Next year I will be taking in HS students that we will have 3 hours per day. I see a lot of similarities in South Tech program and what we do. Many of the HTEC schools are 2 year college or pure high school. Some talks I have with 2 yr schools is that many complete one year and go into industry. But like this forum we instructors share stories and ideas and how to make this job easier and produce needed machinists.
I was reluctant to teach Cad/Cam in a one year program. I didn’t want to mislead anyone that they would be in the programming room or designing/programming all jobs. I do preach learning to be ready. You never know when that job may open up. If you already know it while you are paying your dues as a machinist you will get that chance. You cant plan on Opportunity. It just happens. I felt they needed a good foundation of basics including manual machining. I have changed my mind on teaching Cad/Cam.
- I think if we show them the finish line early on it will encourage them to learn all.
- the concept of machining to current students can be shown in the simulation/gamer style they may understand easier than me drawing a round end mill and a rectangular block on a white board
- Fusion has tied solid modeling Cad and Cam together - plus Titan is the real deal , a bonafide machinist telling us the way it is.
So I will still have manual machining but we will be doing this Academy style very early next year. We have 2 Haas Mills and one Haas Lathe. I want then to be proficient at CNC setup and have an understanding of trouble shooting. The more parts we run the more setups. I will have to set a goal on how far. I am also trying to build a LMSystem. I have depended on Immerse2Learn ( very good) and my book assignments and my library of videos and created lab projects.
I want to get away from the Cengage math book - time killer and I see related learning in I2L and in 2 other
tech books and switch to Academy style learning.
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