Take a look at this creative way to tie 3D printing projects for social good; in this case, a special needs kid needed a small adaptive piece of equipment that a quick thinking CS teacher thought to make into a 3D design and printing challenge for his class (at my old middle school, it turns out! Go Swanson ;)

I'm still working on my Kodu/Sculptris lesson plan, finding more and more how nicely they complement each other. I can see how teaching kids first how to manipulate scenery using the Kodu platform (add terrain, make it spiky, flatten, enlarge, shrink) will make the transition to the Sculptris design tools a nice natural progression. Kodu's visual programming and setting approach is so inviting and kids approach terrain design with some sort of personal investment, a nice stepping stone to Sculptris' more cerebral layout. Can't wait to test them out this winter!