Technology is not the answer to the problems facing the educational system.  When it is placed in the hands of traditional teachers in an average school it reinforces the institution.  Spending $4000 in that type of school on a Smartboard will just stunningly reinforce a unit that has no concept, no goals, no connection to the kids life, and is not authentic, problem based, or performance based.  Moving to 1:1 laptops will improve teaching, it just won’t improve student learning.   It is not about what kids are doing or what is being done to them, it’s about what they are making and creating.  It is not the “answer” to why my kids leave at the end of the year ready to build a better future.

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Something he said really stood out to me.  “Technology is just tool. If you give a tool chest to someone who can’t build a house, they are still not going to be able to build a house.”  So, if any of you teachers from Tech Camp are reading this, here is why I think this applies.  Scratch is an amazing tool for creation, but if you don’t put time into getting to know the program and guiding the kids to get a good grasp on it, Scratch will just be another “neat” program you’ve glazed.  Likewise, think about the opportunities in your classroom that you give your students to create and invent and find new ways of thinking–without technology.  Then, imagnine Scratch can be an amplifier for these creative opportunities.  The Scratch website has a motto: Imagine-Program-Share.  Imagine is something students should be doing in your classroom regardless of technology.  Scratch, through the programming and sharing, gives a technology oriented path to solving problems and creating things that kids imagine.

Mitchell Resnick, director of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT’s Media Lab, the group behind Scratch, talked in a similar vein in an Edutopia article:

Underlying traditional kindergarten activities is a spiraling learning process in which children imagine what they want to do, create a project based on their ideas (using blocks, finger paint, or other materials), play with their creations, share their ideas and creations with others, and reflect on their experiences — all of which leads them to imagine new ideas and new projects. This iterative learning process is ideal preparation for today’s fast-changing society, in which people must continually come up with innovative solutions to unexpected situations in their lives.

Read the complete article, Kindergarten is the Model for Lifelong Learning

If you notice, only one of the six NETS for students addresses technology operations and concepts.  The rest are all about using those basic skills to produce though critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, innovation, collaboration, etc.

So, contemplate your role as a teacher.  Tech Camp has been a blur of “use this” and “check this out” sessions, but ultimately, who should all this technology be for?  The students.  Give it to them.  Mold your creative, thought-provoking, and deep project work with it.  Let the students create.

Students are broken into classes that are focusing on different topics such as video production, podcasting, and blogging.  My class is animation and gaming, and we are mainly focused on using MIT’s Scratch.

So far, the kids have really taken to it, and several are getting very creative and exploring some more complicated script writing.  After yesterday’s introduction to the program, students remixed games today.  Intellectually, it’s been challenging for the teachers!  We are using video tutorials, Google, and trial and error just like the students are to achieve the project goals students are setting for themselves (many of which change throughout the course of the day).

Here is a look at our course outline and schedule for the week.  If you have to do a crash course in Scratch, this might be a handy guide.

We’re still learning, of course…

Currently, kindergarten classes are working on autobiography projects involving Tux Paint and iMovie. I will import their artwork into iMovie and they will voice over explaining things about themselves (what they like to do, favorite thing about school, who’s in their family). This is on hold while we finish voice overs and editing for their inventor projects they worked on for the Student Exhibition next week.

First through fourth grade students are working on our Monster Project. They are designing monsters in Tux Paint. If things work out technically, they will then chat with a person somewhere else in the lab using a chat program (most likely Skype). The purpose of the chat will be for the students to describe their monsters to each other to see if they can draw by direction only. Monsters will then be compared and time-willing, each class will make a short documentary video about the project.

Fifth and sixth grade students are working on their Scratch projects. Oh boy! This is a doozie, but already I am seeing some very cool and creative games, animations, and stories getting in the works. Most are using online tutorials and remixing Scratch projects, though some are starting from…well…scratch!

I will also be doing school equipment inventory and documenting all the student projects for the Student Exhibition, so blog posts may be sparse between here and May. *wipes brow* Back to work!

LearnScratch.org is a site dedicated to students and teachers who want to learn Scratch and is maintained by academics from the LaSalle Schools and Universities.  The site contains video courses, lesson plans, and other resources for students and teachers.

If you are a teacher planning on introducing your students to Scratch, LearnScratch.org is a good place to start.  It allows you to get a good idea of what Scratch is all about, and provides the depth necessary to help you dig in to all aspects of the program.

In the classroom, the video tutorials are a lesson unto themselves.  I have my students open Scratch and one of the tutorial videos and follow along, just to get the basics down before trying out their own scripts.  One of my students, who I will mention has several learning disabilities, told me at the end of class today that Scratch is easy once you really pay attention and learn how to use it.

The resources provided on LearnScratch.org help make it possible for all sorts of learners to have a chance at initial success, which motivates students to keep challenging themselves with more difficult scripts. A great resource to teachers, LearnScratch.org can also place all of their lessons and videos onto a DVD for you and send it to your school–for FREE. I just cannot say enough good things about this free resource.  If you’re using Scratch in your classroom or thinking about it, visit LearnScratch.org.