I love bringing physical computing into my classrooms:
Physical computing means building interactive physical systems by the use of software and hardware that can sense and respond to the analog world. Physical computing is a creative framework for understanding human beings’ relationship to the digital world. In practical use, the term most often describes handmade art, design or DIY hobby projects that use sensors and microcontrollers to translate analog input to a software system, and/or control electro-mechanical devices such as motors, servos, lighting or other hardware (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_computing).
. . . but as with all use of educational technologies, I believe that it should be used intentionally to assist learners in developing and expanding their content knowledge and life skills.
Across Ontario, there are educators finding exciting and innovative ways of bringing coding and computational thinking concepts to students. In this article, we share the #12BlocksOfCodemas activities challenge created by Ryan Smith of Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB).
"Interested in integrating Scratch into your classroom this Fall, but aren't sure where to start? Here's a recap of our Scratch Across Every Subject Series!"
"Interested in integrating Scratch into your classroom this Fall, but aren't sure where to start? Here's a recap of our Scratch Across Every Subject Series!"
Yesterday, I shared a student-produced video from Next Vista for Learning. This morning I have a good example of a teacher-produced video found on Next Vista. In the following video Brian Ellis explains what the Snap programming language is, demonstrates how it works, and explains the differences between Snap and Scratch. Take a look at the video and think about how your students might make use of Snap's features.
A couple of weeks ago, I started creating a sound word game with one of my favorite Piggie and Gerald books, Pigs Make Me Sneeze. Around the same time, I saw a post from Tom Heck in the Makey Makey Educator group where participants in his workshop created an invention that helps young students learn new words. It was a serendipitous a-ha moment for me! I could make my own interactive word board so that my kinder kids could be empowered to play the sight word matching game on their own!
Last night I had an opportunity to present a free, evening webinar for the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Educational Technology Division, as part of a series they hosted to prepare…
Mitch Resnick has been working on how to give students new avenues of creative expression for over a decade. His Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab develops Scratch, one of the most popular coding programs for kids, which is based on the seminal work of Seymour Papert, who died in 2016. When Resnick thinks about the guiding philosophy behind Scratch, he thinks of one of its users — Ipzy.
Ipzy started using Scratch at age 11. Ipzy — who goes by the gender neutral pronoun “they”* — loved to draw and heard that Scratch might help them animate their art. Ipzy’s first Scratch project was a simple animation where the eyes and ears of a drawing moved subtly. “You can almost see [Ipzy] here dipping [their] toe in the water of something new,” said Resnick during a presentation at the International Society for Technology in Education conference.
Coding curricula is sweeping into classrooms across the country, thanks to programs such as Code.org. According to the Education Commission of States, about 20 states now require that districts allow students to apply specified computer science courses toward completion of mathematics, science or, as a foreign language. But is coding preoccupying the hearts and minds of students after school hours? This is the question that researchers at the MIT Media Lab are asking.
If you’re an educator who wants to incorporate coding into the curriculum but your school lacks the resources, there are plenty of low- and no-cost tools you can turn to. Scratch is one of the most versatile resources for this because it boosts student engagement and provides an easy way to infuse coding into your existing curriculum.
If you’re ready to give it a shot, here are four ways students benefit from Scratch in the classroom:
If you’re an educator who wants to incorporate coding into the curriculum but your school lacks the resources, there are plenty of low- and no-cost tools you can turn to. Scratch is one of the most versatile resources for this because it boosts student engagement and provides an easy way to infuse coding into your existing curriculum.
If you’re ready to give it a shot, here are four ways students benefit from Scratch in the classroom:
When we ask young people what motivates their participation on Scratch, they often emphasize the importance of their friends and other peers. Whether in person or online, peers motivate creative learning by sharing ideas, collaborating on projects, offering help, providing encouragement, and creating a sense of connection and community.
While there are numerous benefits to peer learning, I know from experience how challenging it can be to organize and facilitate a class or workshop so that all students have positive peer interactions and constructive collaborations. I have become fascinated to learn about the different ways that educators are supporting peer learning with Scratch.
micro:bit is a tiny circuit board designed to help kids learn to code and create with technology. It has many features including an LED display, buttons, and a motion sensor. You can connect it to Scratch and build creative projects that combine the magic of the digital and physical worlds.
Earlier this year, we announced our plans for Scratch 3.0 — the next generation of Scratch. Today, we are very excited to launch the Scratch 3.0 Beta.
During the beta period we’re inviting everyone to try the new Scratch 3.0 editor at beta.scratch.mit.edu. This new version works in all modern browsers across a broader range of devices, including tablets. Scratch 3.0 focuses on even more ways to create and get started. Check out the video below for a few highlights.
Scratch is one of the ed tech tools that I always mention in my Built to Last presentation. That presentation is an overview of ed tech tools that have stood the test of time. As I shared a couple of weeks ago, Scratch 3.0 is now available in a public beta. Scratch is a free program through which students learn to program. Despite being a flexible tool that can be used in all subject areas, many people think of it only for computer science classes.
"To get into the coding and holiday spirit, TLDSB will be doing the #12blocksofcodemas this year! Each day, starting on December 7th, a new block of code for Scratch and ScratchJr will be announced on Twitter, Google+ and in the Staff Lounge in FirstClass. Students that participate can submit their projects to entered in a draw to win a prize for their school!"
John Evans's insight:
A Big THANKS to @ryan_psmith for sharing this great coding activity! Check out the great activities!
Scratch has become a popular way to introduce coding to young people around the world. Yet many schools are just beginning to realize the potential of Scratch to support project-based learning across subject areas and grade levels.
How can you integrate Scratch into your curriculum to help students learn to think creatively and work collaboratively? Here are three things to know about Scratch — and the opportunities it opens up for learners with diverse interests and backgrounds.
"Last year, I went to Nigeria with Mark Zuckerberg. One of the first stops on the trip was a program that taught kids how to code. When Zuckerberg entered the room, many of the young students had a hard time pulling themselves away from their projects, even to gawk at one of the world’s richest men. Facebook’s founder instead came to them. “What are you making?” he’d ask. And they would proudly say, “A game!” or whatever it was, and begin showing him how it works. Zuckerberg would stop them. “Show me the code!” he’d say, because, well, he’s Zuckerberg, and any occasion is ripe for an ad hoc programming review. And that’s when the kid would click on a menu that toggled from the game to the LEGO-like building blocks of a Scratch program.
This happened several times, with kids ranging from ages 8 to 15. In every instance, the maker of a cool project could clearly show this famous visitor how he or she had methodically implemented a plan. Zuckerberg was clearly impressed. As we headed up the stairs to leave the building, Zuckerberg called out to me, “Scratch! Have you heard of this?”
Oh, yes I had. Though it was not yet released to the world when Zuckerberg left Harvard to launch his quirky little startup, Scratch (developed just a couple of T stops away) is quickly becoming the world’s most popular computer language for kids taking their first bite of programming. Last year, over 120 million people came to its site, and many of them built and shared projects, at a rate of a million a month. “It’s the gateway drug for Silicon Valley engineering,” says Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures, a Scratch supporter."
Coding in education is once again gaining more and more popularity in education. There are now too many coding tools, online and device-based, to keep up with. There are so many choices now for students, teachers, or for anyone looking at using coding in education. Choice is great but it creates a new challenge for teachers — which tool(s) is best for my students? But coding in education is special. It’s not just learning about loops, variables, objects and if…then statements. Coding to learn in education has a long history. But computer science and computer programming also has a long history. Often, they are getting mixed up and, I think, there is some time and effort being wasted as a result.
In what ways do Scratch and visual & media arts inform one another? How can Scratch be a platform for artistic expression and vice versa? Can visual and media arts help introduce and extend computational creativity? Together, Scratch and art have limitless potential for learning and creating!
We’ve started assembling Resources and Scratch Projects and we’d love your input! Do you have lesson plans, activities, websites, videos, example projects, or something else to share?
I can’t remember the first time I used Scratch. I am fairly certain it wasn’t before I started my library life, so sometime in the past three years? My vague memories should not be any indicator of my feelings about Scratch though. I love Scratch! For those uninitiated, Scratch is a drag and drop coding platform created by the folks at MIT’s Media Lab, an innovative, tech focused, research facility located in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Using color- coded, drag and drop blocks, Scratch demystifies computer programing, builds creative thinking and problem solving skills, and encourages students to learn by doing.
Girls Learning Code is excited to combine the power of storytelling with basic design and programming skills for our popular storytelling and animation workshop!
On May 13, 2017, Ladies Learning Code is hosting its fourth annual Girls Learning Code Day in celebration of International Scratch Day!
This year, we'll build on our mission of teaching girls 21st century digital skills and encourage them to tell their story through digital media.
Using Scratch, a beginner level programming environment that encourages mathematical and computational skills, imagination will come to life throughout the day in a new and digitally engaging form. Girls will also be introduced to Scratch's amazing online community sloganed: "Imagine, Program, Share." where they will have the opportunity to upload their project for anyone on the web to enjoy!
At the end of the workshop, each girl will also get a chance to practice their presentation skills and showcase their creation for everyone attending the workshop to experience and enjoy!
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