Skip to main content

Scratch and MicroWorlds EX

Lou Paff from Oregon Episcopal School is presenting now on using these two tools in the classroom. These are basic programming tools for elementary age students. Students train icons to move throughout an environment. They use problem solving skills, patterning, geometry, and many other skills to figure out how to make it work.

Lou is using Scratch with 2nd graders. Scratch is a free download. Kids create a product and debug it as they go. What a great problem solving skill! All finished products can be uploaded to the website: http://scratch.mit.edu to be shared with the world. You can also collaborate with others once it is uploaded. Imagine designing your program to create geometric shapes as a way to learn about angles, shapes, coordinates, etc...

Lou is showing us an example in which students used paint tools to create an icon, called a sprite, and wrote a script to make the sprite walk, turn, change appearance, speak, and interact with another sprite. It is an animation.

I know there are people out there thinking, "What does animation have to do with educating kids?" The logical processing involved in creating these animations is very complex. We need to develop this kind of thinking in our students. So much of what our jobs require include logical thinking, creative thinking, problem solving, collaboration, presenting a clear message. All of these skills are being developed through Scratch.

To find out more, go to http://scratch.mit.edu

http://wiki.ties.k12.mn.us/Lou+Paff

http://wiki.ties.k12.mn.us/Karen+Randall

MicroWorlds EX is another option. It is not open source so it costs money. It is a bit more robust so it allows the animations to be interactive. You can put buttons on it to allow kids to create basic games. Imagine kids developing their own games to review or practice concepts. Motivating?

For more information, check out: http://www.microworlds.com

Click on Library to see some examples of projects.

Comments

  1. KWDecember 11, 2007 at 5:38 AM

    "The logical processing involved in creating these animations is very complex. We need to develop this kind of thinking in our students. So much of what our jobs require include logical thinking, creative thinking, problem solving, collaboration, presenting a clear message. All of these skills are being developed through Scratch."

    Scratch does a very good job at presenting what is, essentially, basic computer programming. The best part about it is that the complexity of the program can increase with student age / ability.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Creating Traditions

Over the winter break, my wife and I got talking about traditions. At this time of year, there are many. Somehow or another, the conversation ended up on technology. (I don't know how... really!!) We were talking about how traditions are a part of our core values. For us, a love of nature is a core value. We have planned a couple of family trips to take advantage of the nature that is accessible throughout our country. We talked about how many people, including us at times, feel like technology can be a threat to our core values. It might be in conflict with our work/life balance, our love of the outdoors, our perceptions of what good relationships are about. But then we began talking about how technology has helped us build on our core values. As we planned our trip to Utah to go to the National Parks, we used the Internet to research the parks, find a flight, book a hotel, rent a car, and look at maps of the area. We might use a GPS system to help us get around while we are there...
4 comments
Read more

From See Saw to Balance Beam

Lately I've been feeling a bit conflicted. I hear some people write very eloquently about the power of data. If we collect good data on our students, we can use that data to help inform instruction. We will make sure that every student gets the instruction they need. They talk about common formative assessments. They talk about personalizing education. I hear others write equally eloquently about the fact that easy access to information changes how and what we teach drastically. They talk about constructivism and project based learning. They talk about the importance of creativity and design. They talk about deconstructing curriculum and focusing on skills instead of content. And me? I feel like a see saw. One day I'm on the data bandwagon. The next day I'm a hardcore constructivist. And I often have a hard time reconciling these two notions. On my data days, I'm thinking about standards, assessments, how my instruction ties into the curriculum. On my constructivist day...
3 comments
Read more

The Well Equipped Computer Lab - Feedback Encouraged!

I have the wonderful opportunity (and responsibility) to research and select some software for our elementary school computer labs. I have a moderate budget, but it is enough to purchase 3-5 new titles depending on costs. The committee will meet throughout this year and hopefully make its decision by March. I am very interested in the feedback of others, both within the district and elsewhere. We currently have some software in the labs that are still being used. This is an opportunity to fill in some gaps. I also want to go on record as stating that I recognize that there are many websites, free or otherwise, that can meet some of our needs. However, as we collect websites for specific skills and concepts, we are learning that there are often drawbacks to many of them, whether it is the fact that they are not part of a cohesive program that can track progress and individualize instruction or that they have many distracting elements on the screen. I also feel strongly that the core of ...
4 comments
Read more