My first impression of a vinyl cutter was that it was 'just' a sticker machine; but that was BEFORE I saw it in action! Here is a quick video of what happened when I brought a desktop vinyl cutter to Tech Savvy Girls Camp!
The AHA I got from that experience is that this tool INVITED these middle school kids to make in ways that I think MANY maker spaces are looking for.
The experience with the vinyl cutter left our users wanting to MAKE more!
- It was easy to learn - low threshold.
- It sparked the imagination into thinking of possibilities.
- It provided students with an opportunity to practice creative thinking by thinking of constraints and how to work with and around the constraints.
- It helped students gain confidence working with both manual and digital tool and processes. The students got a chance to build skills measuring, working with precision, planning carefully, and using design tools.
- It provided a quick win - that had them thinking of new ways to use the tool.
- It made learning personal!
- It naturally lead to the EMPATHY stage of design thinking - How might I make ____ for _____.
- It lead to thinking about sustainability in that they could repurpose, redesign, recycle many objects using their new skills and available tools and materials.
- It provided a first experience with design tools and the process of designing for computer controlled machines.
Although Vinyl Cutters often have their own software to control the cutter itself, we encouraged students to design on tools like Google Draw or Gravit.io - both of which can export as SVG.
In this short video, CeCe shares how she designed her water bottle using Google Draw.

More student projects below:
Looking around at her classroom and the student projects on her blog is evidence that this tool can really make a difference when working with students on putting forth and sharing quality work.
Educator Ron Berger essay on creating a classroom culture where students are given the tools and time to do BEAUTIFUL WORK is one of the justification I share for including a vinyl cutter in your classroom/ maker space.
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Student work from Leah Joly's students |
Is there a more profound lesson than taking pride in creating work of importance and beauty for a real audience? .... Ron Berger (Beautiful Work)
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