3D Printers are actually a lot different than we imagined they would be. We thought they would be extremely time consuming to use, but if you are creating simple objects, they can print fairly quickly. There certainly are a lot of cool items out there to print, however we have discovered after using our printer for a few weeks that it has taught us a lot of problem solving skills more than anything else. There is a lot of math involved, some collaboration, and imagination as well. To us, 3D printing is like the Renaissance Man--it has many different talents that we are waiting to uncover.
3D Printing in the Classroom (PDF - 324 kb)
Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything 3D Printers
Thingiversity - Educators who share items for your classroom use