My final project is for the intermediate students in my school with whom I work in the Library each week for 40 minutes. My experience is that they arrive less motivated than I would like them to, so I am trying to engage them in a new way that I have not tried before. In consultation with our District's technology teacher, who suggested using the program Scratch to do just that, I have organized lessons using the program as a way for students to demonstrate what they know about Extreme Environments which they have been learning about. Another reason for using Scratch with our students is that it can teach important skills like vocabulary, story telling, and problem solving. Moreover, it is neat way for students to show what they know in an interactive way and will hopefully kindle the motivation to learn and be in the Library that I have been aiming for.
Being in the Library I have the unique ability to work with all students and teachers (if they so choose) and I hope this project will generate excitement about learning and creating games so my colleagues and parents of students will want to learn more about Scratch and use it as well. Furthermore, I could also take it to the District level and hold workshops at Pro-D Days in our District which would allow even more collaboration with colleagues in other schools. I am also going to create a short instructional video on Screenr as a tutorial for students, colleagues, and perhaps for use at the District level to introduce the basics of the program and what can be done. I think this might address the needs of a wider audience as I plan on putting the video on our Library website for others to use and I will put the link on Twitter as well to start to generate discussion.
Obviously technology dominates our day to day life, and I see our students playing games that are not educational so this project could also be a way to change that. They might create their own games that are about learning or about positive things, and see that technology can be used to learn and teach about important things that matter to their understanding of the way the world works. If I can introduce a new way for kids to use technology in learning then it will be another skills they have to engage them as they move forward. I think we are past the traditional book reports and spelling lists as ways for kids to show us their knowledge, but Scratch will teach them about writing code, which I think in most adolescent lives is a cool thing, and by creating some artifact that is their own and will demonstrate what they understand about a topic, I think it will empower students, motivate them to work harder, and be a little fun too!
My side project of creating a "Maker Space" in the Library is off to a good start; I have my area picked out in the Library and a budget from our school to gather materials. The list of possible materials is endless and I have been spending some time online visiting websites to try and narrow it down a bit. I think it would be important to include the students in the materials gathering process, so I am going to wait until we get back from Spring Break to elicit responses and ideas from them. I think they will be more motivated and creative knowing they have had a part in creating the space and the materials which is the goal after all. If kids also go back to class or go home excited about our "Maker Space" then they will talk about it and it could be another way to reach a wider audience (teachers and families) and community about the cool things we are doing in the Library.
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Great post exploring the big "why" questions of your vision. I agree with all of your points in that we need to find activities and resources that engage students in learning about positive ideas and use of technology. Scratch is an excellent introduction to coding and allows students to 'build' virtual pets, or programs that demonstrate complex reasoning, instruction building and story-telling. You've got a great project and lots of good ideas for sharing this project with your peers which will help an even larger community. Overall, between this project and your blooming makerspace, you will create a lot of buzz about your program and learning going on in the Library!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have some great ideas Spencer! I have never heard of Scratch and I also have intermediate students who I work with in the library for 40 mins. I will definitely have to check it out! I love your idea of students creating and playing games in a positive way. I look forward to seeing your final product!
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