CS Bits & Bytes is a newsletter highlighting computer science research. This issue introduces Scratch, a programming language that allows users to create interactive media like games and stories by snapping together blocks of code. Scratch was created by researchers at MIT and has a large online community where over 2.5 million projects have been shared. The newsletter provides links to download Scratch and explore its features and the project library. It also shares a classroom activity where students collaboratively build a Scratch project by passing it between partners to incrementally add elements.
What students and teachers need is an OpenSimulator version of Second Life. We can start with Tri-Association schools in Mexico and Central/South America and then expand to include the entire planet!
Describes the creation and use of a makerspace in the library at the University of Mary Washington. This presentation was created for the RUSA/MARS Hot Topics Discussion Group Libraries & Makerspaces: What's the connection, American Librarian Association annual conference, Las Vegas, June 29, 2014.
What students and teachers need is an OpenSimulator version of Second Life. We can start with Tri-Association schools in Mexico and Central/South America and then expand to include the entire planet!
Describes the creation and use of a makerspace in the library at the University of Mary Washington. This presentation was created for the RUSA/MARS Hot Topics Discussion Group Libraries & Makerspaces: What's the connection, American Librarian Association annual conference, Las Vegas, June 29, 2014.
This presentation was given at the launch of the DH23Things Programme at Cambridge University. The programme aims to help early career researchers in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences explore the use and impact of digital technologies in their work. Find out more at http://dh23things.wordpress.com/
Garin Fons of COERLL discusses recent experiences designing, implementing, and assessing digital badging initiatives within a professional community of foreign language educators. Presentation entitled: Show What You Know: Open Digital Badges for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning
The interdisciplinary learner-centered instructional approach of Problem Based Learning is more relevant today than ever. Strong communication skills are what colleges and employers are looking for in candidates. This session will unite the application of communication strategies with PBL through innovative and engaging technology tools and maker culture. The tools explored today will cultivate 21st century skills.
Scratch is an innovative free program for children 8+. Use attribute blocks to build programs for interactive stories, games and animations. An introduction to computer programming.
Discover Scratch Your Child's Gateway to Coding Creativity!.pdfSkoolOfCode
Are you looking for a fun and engaging way to introduce your child to the world of coding? Meet Scratch – the colorful, interactive platform designed to ignite creativity and learning in kids aged 8 and above.
This presentation was given at the launch of the DH23Things Programme at Cambridge University. The programme aims to help early career researchers in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences explore the use and impact of digital technologies in their work. Find out more at http://dh23things.wordpress.com/
Garin Fons of COERLL discusses recent experiences designing, implementing, and assessing digital badging initiatives within a professional community of foreign language educators. Presentation entitled: Show What You Know: Open Digital Badges for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning
The interdisciplinary learner-centered instructional approach of Problem Based Learning is more relevant today than ever. Strong communication skills are what colleges and employers are looking for in candidates. This session will unite the application of communication strategies with PBL through innovative and engaging technology tools and maker culture. The tools explored today will cultivate 21st century skills.
Scratch is an innovative free program for children 8+. Use attribute blocks to build programs for interactive stories, games and animations. An introduction to computer programming.
Discover Scratch Your Child's Gateway to Coding Creativity!.pdfSkoolOfCode
Are you looking for a fun and engaging way to introduce your child to the world of coding? Meet Scratch – the colorful, interactive platform designed to ignite creativity and learning in kids aged 8 and above.
Inspiring Kids to Code Using Scratch and Other ToolsChad Mairn
In today’s age, it is important to have a basic understanding of computer programming, but it can be difficult to teach these skills to kids unless fun tools are introduced to help make programming easy. In this webinar, learn Scratch, a “programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art” that will teach “important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.” Other tools and applications will be covered to give kids practice programming while having fun!
Source: http://info.scratch.mit.edu/About_Scratch
In today’s age, it is important to have a basic understanding of computer programming, but it can be difficult to teach these skills to kids unless fun tools are introduced to help make programming easy. In this webinar, learn Scratch, a “programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art” that will teach “important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.” Other tools and applications will be covered to give kids practice programming while having fun!
Source: http://info.scratch.mit.edu/About_Scratch
The webinar gave participants an exploration into how to use and incorporate coding activities in everyday learning as well as identifying web 2.0 tools and apps to support engaging students in coding activities across the school. The session also provided practical examples of how to implement coding activities and highlighted the value of coding in relation to curriculum needs.
1. CS Bits & Bytes is a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting innovative computer science research. It is our hope that
you will use CS Bits & Bytes to engage in the multi-faceted world of computer science to become not just a user,
but a creator of technology. Please visit our website at: http://www.nsf.gov/cise/csbytes.
June 4, 2012
Volume 1, Issue 13
Scratch
Have you ever wanted to create your own video games or design your own interactive stories?
Scratch (http://scratch.mit.edu) is a programming language that you can use to
create your own interactive media - stories, games, animations, and simulations.
To create programs in Scratch, you simply snap together programming-instruction
blocks, just as you would snap together puzzle pieces or LEGO bricks.
Since Scratch's release in May 2007, hundreds of thousands of young people
have created millions of projects with Scratch, all around the world, in a variety
of settings, including at home, schools, libraries, and museums. Most people who
create with Scratch are between the ages of 8 and 16, but people of all ages use
it to create interactive media for fun (like creating an interactive greeting card for
a friend), work (like quickly prototyping ideas), and study (like as an introduction
Download Scratch for free online or watch an to computer science for both majors and non-majors at colleges and universities
intro video.
across the country).
But Scratch is about more than just creating.
It's about sharing!
In addition to the authoring environment, Scratch is an online community where
people can share their projects and exchange feedback with others. Each day,
members upload more than 2,500 new Scratch projects to the website - on
average, two new projects every minute - with more than 2.5 million projects
available.
The collection of projects uploaded is incredibly diverse, and includes interactive
newsletters, science simulations, virtual tours, animated dance contests,
interactive tutorials, and many others, all programmed with the Scratch
environment and its graphical programming blocks. You can also download any
Explore more than 2.5 million projects in the Scratch
project to see how it was made! online community.
Who thinks of this stuff?
Scratch is developed by a team of researchers at the MIT Media Lab in a group
called Lifelong Kindergarten, which is led by Professor Mitch Resnick. To create
an environment like Scratch, it takes considerable time and effort, as well as
different types of expertise. Each team member has a different educational
background - including electrical engineering, education, psychology, art, and
design - but a common element is computer science. Scratch Team members love
to design, build, create, make, play, and help others have creative experiences
with computers!
Scratch's mascot: The Scratch Cat!
Links:
Watch an overview of Scratch: http://vimeo.com/29457909.
Download Scratch for free: http://info.scratch.mit.edu/Scratch_1.4_Download.
Make your first Scratch project: http://info.scratch.mit.edu/Video_Tutorials.
Explore the Scratch online community: http://scratch.mit.edu/.
2. For Educators:
Interested in using Scratch with your students? Explore ScratchEd (http://scratched.media.mit.edu) - an online
community where more than 5,000 Scratch educators are sharing stories, exchanging resources, conducting
discussions, and making connections. You’ll find many ideas for getting started with Scratch in the classroom, such as
this hands-on Scratch activity from the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards and the MIT Scratch Curriculum Guide.
Classroom Activity:
In this pass-it-on Scratch activity, students collaboratively and incrementally construct projects using Scratch by
passing the projects from student to student.
Planning:
• Select a theme for the pass-it-on project. Some themes that we have tried before and have been popular
include pass-it-on stories and pass-it-on dance parties. The content of pass-it-on projects can also be connected
to various curricular areas.
• Decide which Scratch features and computational concepts will be demonstrated in the opening introduction.
With Students:
1. The teacher models the activity by starting a pass-it-on project. For example, the teacher might demonstrate
how to start a dance party project, by adding music, a background, and a party-goer. The teacher explains the
pass-it-on process and, as an example, makes (or solicits) two or three suggestions for elements that could
subsequently be added to the model project (e.g., additional party-goers, more costumes).
2. In pairs, students use a computer to start their pass-it-on projects. They have 15 minutes to work on their
projects.
3. After 15 minutes, students rotate to a new computer and continue building the project they find at the new
computer. They have 15 minutes to work on their projects.
4. After 15 minutes, students rotate a final time and work on a third project. They have 15 minutes to work on
their projects.
5. At the end of this final 15 minutes, students return to their original computer to see how the project they
started has evolved.
6. Depending on the number of projects, students can walk around to view all (or some subset) of the other pass-
it-on projects.
7. The teacher facilitates a discussion about the concepts and features students learned as they worked on the
projects and looked at others’ code.
Teacher Links:
Find other activities on ScratchEd: http://scratched.media.mit.edu/.
Explore Scratch curriculum: http://scratched.media.mit.edu/resources/scratch-curriculum-guide-draft.
Watch webinars for Scratch educators: http://scratched.media.mit.edu/content/935.
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