GabiJack.com

Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

Hi everyone! I’ve been keeping a close eye on the site statistics, to try and figure out if my latest “experiment” had any future at all. I’m happy to see that several people  have already downloaded the pdf file and examples on easy surfacing techniques that I put up  a few days ago. I haven’t heard any feedback from those that downloaded, but I  hope they did find the information useful! 

In the past, several readers had already asked me if I could provide more detail than that allowed by a blog post’s size and format. Many people have been asking for step-by-step procedures and formal tutorials with example files included. I had shied away from attempting that approach, however, because I didn’t want to seem pompous, you know, like I was pretending to be what I’m not: and expert telling others what to do or how to do it right.  I am no expert! Then again, if you think about it, nobody can really claim to be an expert in anything. We are all learning here and whoever thinks he/she knows everything there is to know is foolishly wasting away a great opportunity for growth.

Anyway, philosophical views aside, last Tuesday, while I was at the SWUGN Summit, getting ready to do my presentation and talking with other SolidWorks users, I realized that most people are actually very open to the idea of other users sharing useful information with them. They don’t see you as pompous if you do. If you have anything useful to contribute, they’ll be happy to take it. And a lot of users, especially those that are in great need of learning fast,  really dig tutorials and step by step examples. So, with that in mind, I added a page called Downloads and uploaded thee  my first tutorial in pdf format. I hope to add more tutorials and files with time, always free, of course, and the best thing is that they can be about just pretty much anything that comes to mind, even if it’s not something I’m learning right at this moment, and they can be as short or long as needed. This, of course, doesn’t mean that I won’t continue to blog about what I’m doing or learning right now. I always blog as I go, you know that.

So, what do you think of that? I would like to see some comments. Do you think it’s a good idea? What kind of things would you like to see there?  Where are you, people? How come lately I get more comments from my regular spammers than I do from my regular readers? LOL

There’s also a couple more things I wanted to mention for those of you looking for more information and learning resources right now.   First of all… For the very beginners, my fellow blogger and friend, Alex Ruiz, has just come up with a really nice book  “SolidWorks 2010: No Experience Required“.  I actually had the pleasure to work with him and help him complete three of the chapters for the book. It was a great experience, but no, I don’t get comissions or royalties, so don’t think I have a secret agenda.  This is a very nice book for the beginner user and student and Alex put his heart and soul into this volume; he even prepared materials for teachers and a companion website to provide the readers with help and more content. Check it out!

This is also the time of the year when all sorts of learning resources become available. If you are going to buy, take advantage of the offers. For instance, with the coupon code SWFUND10launch you can receive a $20 off  your purchase of the SolidWorks 2010 training from Inspirtech. I checked out what’s new and improved in their materials and I must say I was very impressed. Among other things you’ll find that now you can access the training from the Task Pane, plus  plenty of review exercises and questions to test your knowledge. Again, I’m not getting any commission or payment for passing this info to you.

For those looking into learning more complex stuff, such as surfacing, for instance, IGetIt  has just released some new courses. I’m just telling you this because I got a newsletter from them not so long ago.  I don’t have a coupon code for this one, though, but I’m sure they may be having some sort of offer going on, so why not ask?  Also check out the video lessons offered by Solid Professor and Matt Lombard’s series of books on SolidWorks.

There’s actually so much out there about SolidWorks, I could never list it all here. Please, feel free to add to the list if you know any other good books, websites, videos, etc. And, please, keep those comments coming!

That’s right! I’m giving away ten coupons for a free SolidWorks certification test. Five will be given to readers of this blog and the other five to readers of SolidWorks para Todos, my blog in Spanish.  Now the really neat thing is that once you win one of these coupons you can actually choose which of the five certification tests available you want to take:

• CSWP-Core Modeling Specialist: (8,329 certified professionals worldwide)
• CSWP-Advanced Sheet Metal: (457 certified worldwide so far)
• CSWP-Advanced Surfacing: (61 certified worldwide so far)
• CSWP-FEA (Simulation): (35 certified worldwide so far)
• CSWA (Education): (8,086 certified worldwide and growing every minute)

Usually, you would have to pay up to $100 dollars to take a certification test, but today ten lucky readers will have it for free!

You can find more information about each of these tests and what you need to know in order to pass by visiting the SolidWorks Certification Homepage.  

Let me tell you, I’ve taken and passed both the CSWA and CSWP-core exams, and I’m currently preparing for the Advanced Sheet Metal test.  I see obtaining that certification as an important milestone in my learning process, as a way to have something to show for all the effort I’ve put in training myself, and as a “secret weapon” that can even open a few doors when it comes to job search. Last year, for instance, when a local reseller called me about a job as an Applications Engineer, they told me that one of the things that made my resume stand out from a list of possible matches for that position was precisely that I was a CSWP. I didn’t apply for that position because it wasn’t a good match for my own crazy life back then, but see? Right there, there was a job and all because I was a CSWP!

And I’ve heard that the certification process has been greatly improved ever since I took those two tests. Now it’s even easier than ever to access the certification center to take the exam and also to access information about your results and other certifications previously obtained. And if you manage a team of users, you can set up certification tests for all of them and even track their progress.

OK, so this is how you can get the free test… First I thought about making you guys design the perfect pet door for me. See, I have this little Chihuahua mutt that keeps soiling my carpet, and I bought a pet door that was supposed to work fine with my sliding glass door to the backyard… Err… Never mind that! All you have to do is leave a comment here saying, in your own words, why you want to get certified. That’s it! Very simple! The winners will be chosen at random from all the entries. Hurry up! Winners will be announced by Tuesday 21^st at 11:00 am PT.  You can also send an email or use the contact form, just remember to use a valid email address so I can contact you back and give you information about how to redeem your coupon for the free test!

Good luck!

My family adopted a puppy a couple of months ago. He’s a sweet and easy going dog, but given that he’s supposed to be an indoor dog, it was quickly obvious that he would benefit from some training, and so would my carpets and the rest of the family. I’ve had many dogs in the past, but I’ve never actually trained any dog before.  So we decided to take one of those puppy training classes at the pet store. We were promised that in only eight weeks our puppy would be completely trained or we would get another eight weeks for free. Well… we are in week six and, so far,  the puppy will seat for a goldfish cracker and… well, that pretty much sums up all his repertoire of tricks. OK, he also comes when called, but that he really didn’t learn from the class. We practice at home from what the instructor says we should do and what’s written in the handouts, but it’s hard to tell if we are doing the right thing or not, since the instructor really never demonstrates with a dog or even watches what the “students” do. See, this lady teaches the class inside a very busy store, right there by the food aisle, on one side of the pet clinic. Dozens of dogs (not enrolled in the class) pass by all the time, making it really hard for the dogs enrolled in the class to focus, and, if that wasn’t bad enough, she keeps bringing more dogs (big and aggressive dogs) to the class every session!  I know I’m not the only one who isn’t very satisfied with this class, and I often wonder if this is typical of any other dog training program. Perhaps, I would’ve been better off buying a book or a video, instead!

Anyway, back to the world of SolidWorks, which is what you came to this blog to read about. This situation with the dog training got me thinking about SolidWorks training. Not that we train for kibble (at least I hope we don’t ever have to),  but with all the different materials and options for learning available out there, I couldn’t help but wonder… what makes you decide on a taking a class, rather than grabbing a book or video and teaching yourself? What is really the benefit or the added value that you expect to find in the class?  I mean, sometimes the benefit is obvious, like obtaining a degree after completing your training or education, or having access to technology and resources that otherwise would be out of your reach. Sometimes, there really isn’t another way to learn, like in the case of training in the use of machines and equipment, welding techniques, etc. But let’s say you already have the technology and resources you’ll need (a seat of SolidWorks ), and knowing the only way to get a certification is by passing the test, anyway, what would make you want to take a class?  What is the extra that you can’t get from a book or video?  And, in case you decide for the class, what would make that class an excellent class for you? Would you rather be in a small group? Are you expecting a lot of structure? Would you be content with a class where everyone does exactly the same or would you rather be in a class where the teacher takes the time to challenge each student individually, according to his/her abilities? Would you feel safe in a class that goes “by the book” or would you expect each day to be a new challenge?  Would you rather take a class that teaches you exclusively how to use each command or be in a class that integrates SolidWorks in other areas of design and/or engineering?

I know, too many questions…  But I really want to learn, because I hope someday to become an educator. In fact, not so long ago, I already had my first try on a short education project, and I really enjoyed it. I hope more opportunities like that one will come my way in the not so distant future, and so I want to learn what the needs and expectations are in order to do a good job.  This blog is good for experimenting and researching, you know?  So, please, take some time to leave a comment and share your thoughts on this.

Just yesterday, I had the pleasure of resuming a conversation with Mrs. Marie Planchard that had begun several weeks ago, in Barcelona.  As you may know, Mrs. Planchard is DS SolidWorks Director of Worldwide Education Markets; in other words, she’s the one responsible for bringing SolidWorks to thousands of students all around the world. She’s also very passionate about education and irradiates that same passion and energy wherever she goes. Our conversation took place over the phone, so I’m not going to even try to quote her word by word, but rather summarize what was discussed during our chat. I hope you find this little conversation as inspiring and informative as I did.

The very first thing I asked Mrs. Planchard was how she first got involved with SolidWorks and their educational program.  She told me that it all started several years ago, when SolidWorks was still a fairly new CAD software. She was teaching  Pro/E at a community college in New England, trying hard to take her students from merely drafting into actually doing design, when she was approached by SolidWorks.  They provided her with an evaluation copy, so she could decide whether she wanted to teach SolidWorks in her class or not. She remembers she took the copy home to play with it and, in little time that same night, she had already created her first model: a glass of wine.  She became excited to realize how quickly it was to find her way around the software, and how much more intuitive it appeared when compared to Pro/E, so she decided to teach her students SolidWorks instead, although not without making sure first that her students would, indeed, be able to find great jobs among SolidWorks’s customers after completing their training. So she made the switch and she quickly realized that she had to modify her curriculum radically, because the same concepts that used to take her students a long time to grasp in Pro/E were now easily mastered in SolidWorks in next to no time. She decided then to challenge her students to put their newly learned skills to work right away and model items from real life, things they may find at home, even broken things. And she was delighted to witness what they could do with SolidWorks. Time went by and Marie not only continued to teach SolidWorks, but also became deeply involved in the SolidWorks community through user groups. It was then that, six years after her original first encounter with the software, she was asked to become Director of Education Market for SolidWorks.  I wonder what took them so long!

At this point I asked Marie if she had found any sort of resistance from the college where she was teaching in order to incorporate SolidWorks into the curriculum. She told me that it was actually embraced right away, because this particular community college strived to bring to the students the latest in technology and innovation. Plus, having the commercial backup from SolidWorks was also a big help. She added that this is usually the case in many other schools all around the world. Educators and schools are usually excited to incorporate SolidWorks to their curriculum. Whenever an educator or school adopts SolidWorks, they receive not only the software, but also the whole deal with tutorials, study guides and support, to aid them in the process of teaching.  These tutorials are exactly the same ones included with the commercial version of the software, and the reason for this, as Mrs. Planchard pointed out, is to give the students the best preparation possible for what they’ll encounter out there, when they go looking for a job in the industry.  The curriculum and study guides provided to the educators are prepared taking into account both their particular needs in the classroom or lab and the demands of the local industry. Being an educator herself, Marie understands these needs and makes it a point to provide educational guides and resources that can be creative, challenging and affordable for both educators and students alike. As she said to me “A good engineering kit doesn’t have to be expensive. Educators use all kinds of materials that they have at hand, like balsa wood or even pasta!” Even better is the fact that these tutorials and study guides have been translated to twelve different languages, giving international students the opportunity to learn in their own language, and educators here in the States an amazing tool to approach those students that lack fluency in English. SolidWorks is also considerate of their economical limitations, and for this reason, they do not require educators or schools to be on subscription service, unless they want to offer the certification test at their site. Plus, the academic license never expires!  Mrs. Planchard told me that it is not likely for schools to upgrade ever so often, because doing this would imply upgrading hardware, as well, which is prohibitive for most schools. However, even though the software changes considerably every year, the fundamentals continue to be the same, and that’s why a three or four year old edition is as valid for teaching today as a brand new one. 

But what are the fundamentals? If educators can also create their own curriculum based on the needs of their local industry and/or what is familiar to them, how can you tell if a student has indeed mastered the fundamentals and is proficient with SolidWorks? Well, as Marie also pointed out, that’s why the certification process was designed for; to somehow set the standard on what the basics are that need to be known by all students and users of the software in order to call themselves proficient, not necessarily experts, but proficient in the use of SolidWorks.

So, back to my original question,  it would seem like the only real obstacle there is to the adoption of SolidWorks inside the classroom in middle schools, high schools, vocational schools, community colleges and/or universities worldwide,  is usually related to a more mundane problem we’re all too familiar with here in California: a small educational budget. Marie told me that, unfortunately, this is a real challenge here in the United States, because the curriculum is not the same in all schools all around the country and because the way funding for educational programs is assigned (and thus the way they decide on their software purchases) also varies from one school district to another. This is the reason why while in France 90% of public schools are teaching SolidWorks, the percentage is a lot smaller here in the United States. However, a great advantage that students have here in the United States is that they can buy the student edition for themselves or use a copy from school in their dorms or at home. Students in many other countries all around the world (most of Central and South America for instance) don’t have this advantage. In these countries, SolidWorks is usually sold to the universities and students can use it while inside the classroom, but there aren’t any distributors that can verify their student ID’s and sell them the software. This is the sad part, but hopefully it will change with time and SolidWorks will then become even more accessible to students as the demand for skilled professionals increases worldwide.

And how young is too young to be one of these “skilled professionals”, you may ask? Well, I asked Marie a similar question and she told me that, even though SolidWorks is not really contemplating ways to introduce the software to kids younger than those at middle school level, they have heard of eleven or twelve year old kids, sometimes even younger, that are using SolidWorks and creating sheet metal and plastic parts with it at their school workshop. Young minds are full of potential, full of great ideas, and SolidWorks provides them with the perfect vehicle to unleash their creativity. As Marie says “They may not know how to do it yet, but they know they can do it with SolidWorks and they are not afraid to try.”

So there you have it. We talked about a few other things, such as family, life, college memories and she even gave me some much needed career advice, but I tried to highlight what I considered most important to those that read this blog.  Hope you enjoyed reading! If you are an educator using SolidWorks in your classroom, you can always find ideas and curriculum if you visit SolidWorks Teacher Blog.  Also, this was not discussed during our chat, but almost everyone knows about it, so I’ll mention it here again, Mrs. Planchard and her husband had authored several excellent SolidWorks books, including a guide for the CSWA examination that I strongly recommend to those preparing for the test.  So, if you are in need for a good book or text book for your class,  go check them out!

What a great combination!  Well, the New 2008-2009 student edition of SolidWorks has just been released, with all the functionality of SolidWorks 2008 Office Premium, plus COSMOSWorks, COSMOSMotion, and COSMOSFloWorks.  So, for up to 24 months, students from middle school all the way through graduate school will be able to take advantage of the full potential of SolidWorks, everything, all the bells and whistles, with the only limitation being that this edition can’t be used for commercial purposes; a watermark will be included in all print outs.

Ah, but there’s an extra added bonus this year… Taken from SolidWorks press release: “SolidWorks Education Edition 2008-2009 includes a new F1 in Schools™ curriculum for teaching middle and high school students about SolidWorks software, 3D CAD, and analysis. The curriculum includes lessons for designing, analyzing, simulating, rendering – then actually constructing – a scale model Formula One racing car. Students can enter regional, national, and global competitions.” 

Do you like Formula One racing cars?  Or should I better say, do you know anyone who doesn’t like Formula One racing cars? I love Formula One! I used to build scale models of the cars as a hobby when I was younger. Wow, what a great time to be a student! If I can’t make myself younger again, I have to, at the very least, find a way to get myself into teaching, just to see if I can lead a group of students in these kind of competitions! Your very own scale model of a Formula One racing car! Fancy that!