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The new Shaper classroom guide brings hands-on experience to Shop Class and STEM education

San Francisco--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shaper is a human-oriented robotics company focused on making precision woodworking simple and easy. It is redefining by launching a new Shaper classroom guide for educators Classroom technology education. As Origin’s educational companion, Shaper Tool’s easy-to-use handheld CNC router brings digital precision to woodworking. The Shaper classroom guide helps teachers teach digital design skills, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills.

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Shaper is a human-participated robotics company focused on making precision woodworking simple and easy. It is redefining classroom technology education by launching a new Shaper classroom guide for educators. Educators interested in downloading the free guide can visit sharptools.com/EDU (Photo: Business Wire)

"We believe that practical learning is the key to successful education," said Joe Hebenstreit, CEO of Shape Tools. "Critical thinking, problem-solving, and practical application of knowledge are becoming more and more important in order to provide students with a bright future. Using Shaper Origin in the classroom, the traditional store classroom experience is improved safely and creatively, and you can teach projects to students Design, architectural principles and basic computer-aided manufacturing technology."

Shaper Origin is an easy-to-use handheld CNC router. With automatic cutting correction and an intuitive touch screen interface, Origin enables students to accurately create various woodworking projects. Combined with Shape Workstation as a solution for fixtures and precision workpiece clamping, students can quickly create projects and open up the world of woodworking, joinery, fine furniture manufacturing and other fields.

"Adding Origin to a classroom or school store course is a great way to build on existing tools you may already have," Hebenstreit points out. "In recent years, classrooms have adopted machines such as 3D printers and laser cutting machines. Combining these with Shaper Origin to further expand students' abilities and broaden their creative possibilities is a win-win situation."

The Shaper Classroom Guide is a series of projects and training resources designed to allow educators and students to be more productive on the first day of using Shaper Origin. These projects are designed to easily adapt to existing courses and are both fun and attractive to students. Teachers can continue to discuss with other educators on the Shaper forum and get inspiration from ShapeHub-this is another resource for teachers and students to find other projects and ideas.

"Our students are very interested in creating things," said Mel Goodwin, STEM coach and Origin lecturer at Mount Pleasant Lane High School of Technology in South Carolina. "When we asked about the appeal of a particular project, they always told us that it was an opportunity to come up with their own ideas and create their own things. Shaper Origin enabled them to create products they could not imagine before. We found that in Using Origin in the classroom can provide a range of possibilities that are not available to any other tools that might be available to middle school students."

"Using traditional CNC machines and a class of 35 children, only one student at a time can learn how to program CNC, while the other 34 children must watch. This does not work," CTE lecturer at Glendale High School in Glendale, California Joe Campbell said. "When I saw Shaper Origin, I said,'Wow, this works for us.' This means that multiple students can work on Shaper Origin at the same time, and you don't necessarily need a lot of big wood shops that the school has lost. Shaper One of the interesting things about Origin is that once you use it once, your brain is filled with ideas about what to do next."

"Our math teacher really likes it because of the grid system and geometry involved in Origin," points out Anthony Agundes, a store teacher at Cunha Middle School in Half Moon Bay, California. "For me, this is mathematics in practical application. For these kids, it is a very good tool, and they really like it. When they are done, they ask me what our next project is What, what are we going to do next?"

"Using Shaper Origin in the classroom definitely highlights that we are working hard to develop the skills of our students, prepare them for post-secondary life, work with industry standards, and work with companies looking to hire new employees," said Brian Reed, STEM and Digital Learning Coordinator, Rockwood School District, St. Louis, Missouri. Reed is also responsible for all industrial and engineering technology projects in the area, including the use of wood, metal, geometry and construction, as well as online learning. He continued, "These skills developed by using Shaper Origin really prepare them for these roles. They are happy to use it. They actually already have the ability to integrate Shaper Origin into other projects they have been working on in the classroom. Ownership of them, which never happened before we got them."

The Shaper classroom guide includes how to use Shaper Origin and Workstation, as well as such things as scanning, designing, cutting, classroom projects, learning resources with useful videos and links, safety recommendations, workspace settings, setup guides, tool recommendations, and even if you need additional resources. Teachers who fund Shaper Origin and Shaper Workstation in the classroom provide useful grant writing guides. Teachers who are interested in getting a free Shaper classroom guide can download the free guide by visiting sharptools.com/edu.

Shaper is a robotics and woodworking company with human participation, focusing on making precise cutting simple and intuitive. Shaper Origin is its flagship product: an intuitive handheld CNC router that brings digital precision to woodworking. To learn more about Shaper, please visit sharptools.com or @ShaperTools on Facebook and Instagram.

View the source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211109005639/en/

Jennifer Howard | 203-273-4246 jhoward@jhowardpr.com

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