The Potential of Scratch in Today’s Schools

The Scratch programming language, developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, enables users to create a wide-range of media-rich projects including: games, interactive art, animated stories, tutorials, and music. Scratch contains a paint editor, a recorder, as well as the ability to interact with the physical world through sensors connected to a USB. Written in Squeak, Scratch is an open-source program which can be downloaded and redistributed freely. Scratch will run on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X operating systems. Programming is done with building “blocks” which snap together only if the computer code is “syntactically” correct. Although students may need to reassess the logic of their code, this low barrier-to-entry often has students implementing programs in less than a day.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants 

The name Scratch comes from the community of disc jockeys who would “scratch” records together to create new sounds. Scratch is built upon a similar philosophy; users may download resources from the on-line Scratch community and create their own remixes. Resources include animated characters (also known as sprites) and backgrounds, as well as source codes for any project. The openness and sharing, as well as the ability to modify and build upon the work of others, provides project builders the opportunity to create projects greater than what they might be able to accomplish without such support. The Scratch community encourages giving proper credit for such resources. Scratchers have the opportunity to save their creations off-line or to upload their work to the scratch.mit.edu website. All projects on the Scratch website are shared under the Creative Commons license.  

Educational Considerations

Education need not take a “one-size-fits-all” approach where everyone in the class is responsible for learning the same information or doing the same thing at the same time. While we might argue that today’s students know much about technology, we should recognize that the very nature of technology is changing. Being technologically literate is more than gathering information from the Internet, creating a PowerPoint presentation, or sending 10,000 texts per month. Scratch, is a unique Web 2.0 tool in that it not only permits users to be producers of digital media, it encourages creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration, all essential skills for the 21^st Century. 

The Global Community

While there are other software programs which encourage creativity and problem-solving, the global and social nature of the Scratch makes it unique. The global community permits users to complete tasks which they could otherwise not complete. As early as the 1930s, Vygotsky, a social theorist, recognized the importance of social interaction in development and cognition. “All the higher cognitive functions originate as actual relations between human beings” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 57). Vygotsky believes that one develops higher levels of cognition interacting with others, as opposed to acting alone. The Scratch community is a sharing community which also permits advanced students to take on greater challenges.

References:

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 

The following Scratch project generates random job interview questions:

In-the-Cloud Activities

Recently, I discovered Quizlet, a website containing over 11 million digital flashcards. (Quizlet also permits educators to construct their own sets of flashcards in a variety of languages and will automatically generate quizzes from those terms.) Quizlet’s website changes the entire flashcard experience. Just a few years ago, if you missed the teacher at the front of the classroom shuffling the box of flashcards, well, you missed the lesson. In-the-cloud activities provide opportunities for absent students, for those who need enrichment, or for those who wish to simply further their knowledge.

Recognizing the often unfamiliar jargon associated with college admissions I constructed this Quizlet flashcard set. Enjoy! 

College Admission - Key Terms

Wikis

Social media presents us with tremendous opportunities and challenges. It may be difficult to visualize a global network of nearly one billion users capable of generating web-content; however, that’s only a matter of time. A billion-plus mini-reporters around the globe means that we will have instant access to news and information. A global network means that reports, even from secluded parts of the world, may be delivered in a timely manner. For-profit news and information businesses may criticize the lack of “professional” reporting; however, in an age of downsizing and budget cuts, they, too, will increasingly depend upon social media, if only as a starting point.

I think that Wikipedia, is a great starting point for the high school students whom I teach and would allow my students to use Wikipedia as one (of several) source(s). Wikipedia is the world’s largest reference website and can be accessed without fees or log-in accounts. The wiki provides information on the world’s most obscure topics, outlines, and links to additional resources. ESL learners will find information in their native language. Considering the size of the website, as well as the fact that it is often the target of vandalism, the wiki “police” appear to be doing a great job.

Being free doesn’t make it less; all newspapers and magazines print retractions and/or corrections. One researcher finds fault with another researcher’s “biased” results. This is only Round 2.0 of our web world, and we are learning how to adapt. As always, educators must teach their students to think and assess critically.

Links to sample Wiki projects:

B. F. Skinner

Assistive Technology in Education

Assistive Technology - E-readers

Many e-readers now read aloud.

At any given moment there may be a large number of visually impaired students in a classroom. “Among computer users in the United States, approximately 1 in 4 (27%) have a vision difficulty” (Microsoft, p. 14, 2008). The importance of vision cannot be overstated for reading is “a means by which students learn other subject areas” (Dell, p. 60, 2008).  Today teachers will attempt to engage students who have forgotten, broken, or refuse to wear their glasses, and other students whose eye examination is long overdue. The challenges of vision may range from students who are classified as legally blind to instructing students in a large and/or poorly lit classroom or auditorium. Often all students will benefit from teachers utilizing assistive technologies. What technologies would be best suited for the blind student?

The following Wiki link explores the use of e-readers as assistive technology devices:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/eBook

References:

Dell, A.G., Newton, D.A., Petroff, J.G. (2008). Assistive Technology in the Classroom: Enhancing the School Experiences of Students with Disabilities. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Microsoft. (2008) Accessible Technology: A Guide for Educators. Retrieved February 2, 2010, from http://www.microsoft.com/enable/educaton.

Virtual Worlds - Second Life

In a simulated on-line world users take the form of avatars where they explore, learn, build, and interact with others. While virtual worlds are engaging and contain much interactive media, there is still much discussion as to their role in education.

In this clip my avatar visits a night club in Harlem and attempts to learn about jazz. (Creating with Screencast-O-matic and Audacity.)

Digital Bulletin Boards

Digital bulletin boards appear to fit the changing needs of our 21^st Century students. Today most students want information to be available 24/7 and digital bulletin boards are another way that teachers can extend the school day beyond the traditional classroom. Because of WallWisher’s limitation of characters I would probably create walls for: homework, inspirational quotes, class reminders, brief discussions, or FAQs. (Teachers might even create digital bulletins for parents.) High school students are often capable of great ideas and discussion; here is simply another venue for communication (and collective intelligence). 

Safer Driving Bulletin Board

Texting while driving increases the risk of an accident 23.2 times over unimpaired driving.

Each year before the prom season begins I take a few days and focus on the dangers of texting while driving. This year’s digital bulletin board encourages students to “pledge” not to text and drive.

http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/saferdriving

Web 2.0 - Learning 24/7

Web 2.0 tools allow for learning well beyond the school day.

There is much that teachers may do to enrich the educational lives of students. Currently, the majority of students have access to the Internet well beyond the school day. Access may include an increasing number of e-readers, smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Today’s students are no longer tethered to their classrooms or living rooms. Even without an omnipresent Internet connection, the capabilities offered by these devices offer students options for learning. Students may utilize “downtime” while waiting for school to begin, review, supplement, learn new material, or make up classwork from a day’s absence.

The first link below tells of an Arizona school district which places an Internet router on a school bus. The second link takes you to the Khan Academy website which contains a wealth of free learning resources and materials. 

Arizona School District adds Wi-Fi to school bus:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/education/12bus.html

Khan Academy: A free world-class education for anyone anywhere:

http://www.khanacademy.org/about