Enhancing Teacher and Student Creativity Using Cricut Technology, Aigner, Spring 2025

Note: Registration for this course closes on March 21, 2025 to ensure on-time technology delivery.

Course Description

Hardware and Software

Cricut is the brand name of a non-industrial die-cutting machine (or cutting plotter) used for various projects. It is perfect for classrooms, art rooms, and maker spaces. The newest Cricut Maker uses hundreds of materials, from fabrics to balsa wood. It can cut, write, and score material and comes equipped with a rotary blade and knife blade. The Cricut Design Space software supports teacher and student creativity. Users can design and upload their artwork or fonts for free. Or select from the free and paid clip art, fabric patterns, and other projects in the Design Space.

The Big Idea

Teachers can design dynamic classroom environments with the Cricut Maker incorporating cardboard, paper, wall, window vinyl cling, and hundreds of other materials. Students can develop various products, from e-textiles to paper circuits, using the Cricut as part of instruction. This product ties to highly valued 21^st Century Skills like Design Thinking, Creativity, and Innovation.

Some projects you can consider as part of this Course include:

• Build Word, Poetry, Math Equation, Formula, and Phrase Walls that adhere to glass and walls (vinyl). Your students can generate and design the ideas.
• Make beautiful paper, cardboard, and other visual artifacts for classrooms, hallways, and other spaces.
• STEAM up with paper circuits, eTextile patterns, Makey-Makey, and other STEAM tool

Audience: K-12 educators who have a Bachelor's Degree

Course Goals & Objectives:

Course Goals:

• Teachers will effectively integrate Cricut and other computer technology to enhance teaching and learning.
• Learn about graphic design in the Design Space Software and output projects to the Cricut Hardware for use in the classroom.
• Teachers will produce working resources in their subject area to implement in their classrooms during the school year. These are resources that they can start using immediately. The power of the Course is that it provides participants time to discover new ideas, develop new skills, and integrate technology into their existing curriculum and classroom.

Course Objectives: Participants will be able to:

1. Effectively integrate the use of the Cricut into the classroom and classroom instruction
2. Sharpen skills working with graphic design
3. Create student projects and classroom resources for use throughout the year
4. Share these resources with district colleagues.

Required Readings/Texts:

Cricut Machine, Tools & Materials. Everything You Need to Create Anything You Can International Society for Technology in Education. "

Current online articles also provided.

Course Schedule:

Zoom: Intro to Course

• Overview of the Hardware and Materials, Assignments and Projects
• Develop ideas for classroom resources in participants' areas of study.
• Reading assignments and resources in the LMS

Week 1-3  Project 1-Label or Revamp Your Classroom

• Design a project (pick a material, create a design, product a sample, document the process with screencasts, photos, etc.)
• Reading assignments, videos, and writing in the LMS
• Create a video, Google Slide, or Doc to share your work—slideshows and docs should contain photos

Week 4-6 Project 2- Student Focused Project (pick a material, create a design, product a sample, document the process with screencasts, photos, etc.)

• Design a project
• Reading assignments, videos, and writing in the LMS
• Create a video, Google Slide, or Doc to share your work—slideshows and docs should contain photos

For additional course information

Patricia Aigner
(802) 683-5060

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team
(802) 468-1325

Note: Registration for this course closes on March 21, 2025 to ensure on-time technology delivery.

Register Now!!