Laurie Bartels
Creative Computing Design Notebook
laurie.bartels@gmail.com https://twitter.com/brainbits
Contents
Introductions
• My Design Notebook is...
• Hello Folks who provide feedback...
• Just 3... (Introduction for the CC Community)
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• About Me...
• 10 8 BLocks
• Debugging
• Debugging Reflection
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• Pass It On
• Characters
• Conversations
• Scene
• Debugging
• Debugging Reflection (2 slides)
Games (2 slides)
Reflections on "Learning Webs"
Interactions Puzzles & Solutions
Interactions Puzzles Reflection
Score (Fish Chomp Remix)
Levels
Debugging
Debugging Reflection
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Workshop Project: Defining and Planning (3 slides)
Educational Programs Activity Response
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Reporting Out & Checking In
Unfocus Group
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Sharing and Reflecting (4 slides)
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Links ~ Design Notebooks
Links ~ Scratch et al
Click any Week to go directly to the corresponding slide.
My Design Notebook is...
a place to record my learning in Creative Computing and also ponder how I will use Scratch with my students in the 2013-14 school year. I also have an idea for the future.
NOW...
I am the S.T.E.A.M. Integrator on the campus of a PreK-5 lower school, which is part of a PreK-12 school. I guide, facilitate, challenge, and play with kids as we all tinker with science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. My goal: to infuse these entities into the learning processes and experiences of our kids and of our teachers.
During the 2012-13 school year I introduced Scratch in two places: in two after school clubs; and in a 5th grade Spanish class. It is a wonderful tool for practicing vocabulary and pronunciation in a beginning language class! I also taught a one session game making class to an upper level 4th grade math class.
In 2013-14 my plan is to have all my 3rd graders use Scratch during their Environmental Ed class (another of my "hats"), and have been asked to bring Scratch to all of the 4th grade math classes.
FUTURE IDEA...
I do music and movement as a volunteer with folks who have limited mobility. I think helping elders to learn Scratch might be an amazing cognitive stimulation tool and a means of creative self-expression.
Hello Folks who provide feedback...
Nice to "meet" you, and thank you for stopping by and offering your input!
In advance of your comments, in addition to whatever you may suggest, if you also have ideas about any of the following, your input would be especially appreciated.
Thank you!
Just 3…
Hi! I live in Westchester, NY, USA, which is about 35 minutes northeast of Manhattan.
Since 1982 I have been teaching about and with computers, supporting a 1:1 laptop initiative, and facilitating professional development.
This year I switched schools to become a lower school S.T.E.A.M. Integrator. Essentially, I get to play with kids and teachers as we explore and integrate aspects of science, technology, engineering, the arts and math into our day.
Three facts you would likely not know about me:
About Me…
What was surprising about the activity: How might I adapt it for the learners I support:
• Being able to edit sounds after they have been recorded!
• Getting so involved with my project that I lost track of time and almost missed my evening yoga class!
• How convenient the Backpack is for sharing with myself.
• Being reminded how satisfying it is to tinker with something new, in this case using a variable to gradually shrink an enlarged sprite back to its initial size.
There are enough options in this project for beginners and beyond:
• This is an nice project for beginners to experiment with a variety of basic features that kids like to tinker with: changing sprite costumes, displaying text, using sound, and changing backdrops.
• The remainder of the features - gliding, changing sprite size, loops, and variables - provide fodder for programmers of varying levels to grow.
• Change the topic from "About Me" to "About XYZ", where "XYZ" represents any topic, concept or idea that kids are studying.
WEEK 1
10 8 Blocks
I have done a version of the 10 Block activity with students. The most recent version was with 8 blocks, and the students were in their 30s and 40s. In fact, they were the parents of my lower school students!
This past April parents were invited to join me for an interactive presentation (almost like a workshop) to learn about what I do at school. One of the activities
was programming in Scratch. More specifically, each group
was given paper versions of 8 different blocks, and were
invited to arrange the blocks in any sequence they
liked. Prior to doing this, I took them on a quick tour
of the Scratch environment.
Parents had 5 minutes for this activity, and then I asked
for volunteers who would like to try out their program.
First they dictated their program to me as I moved the
various blocks on screen. Then they had to explain what
they thought would happen while everyone watched with
baited breath as the Scratch cat followed their directions.
Slightly surprised by the result, they then told me how
they would modify their initial program.
This seemed a useful format for introducing Scratch to adults when we only had one computer hooked
up to a projector and approximately 30 adults. If anyone has thoughts for improving this, please do share!
Debugging 1.x
Debug-It 1 – Gobo is missing out on the fun due to not having a green tophat to start the action of the rest of the script. SOLUTION: Add the "when green flag clicked" event to the top of the script stack.
Debug-It 1.2 – The Scratch cat is confused about location on the stage due to not being reset at the beginning, before saying anything. SOLUTION: As the very first block under the green tophat, add the "go to x: y:" looks block and be sure the x,y coordinates are accurate based upon the values in the upper right of the script pane.
Debug-It 1.3 – The Scratch cat IS doing the flip when the space bar is pressed. However, the flip is happening so fast that we cannot see it, so it appears that the Scratch cat is standing in place. SOLUTION: Hold that tiger by inserting a "wait" block to control the interval between each 90 degree turn to the right. This will slow the cat down sufficiently so we can see the turn in action. I chose .5 secs for the duration of each block, but you could make the cat look like an amazing gymnast by tinkering with the timing.
Debug-It 1.4 – The Scratch cat is so excited as to bounce off the walls, but in the excitement, half the time the cat is upside down! The cat just needs to calm down and be pointed in the right direction. SOLUTION: As the first block in the forever loop, add a "set rotation style left-right" motion block. This block has several options, so be sure to choose the "left-right" choice.
Debug-It 1.5 – The Scratch cat is meowing (perhaps for supper) but words and sounds are not in synch because the words appear first, followed by a repeat loop that has nothing in it, followed by one iteration of meow. SOLUTION: Place both the "say" and "play" blocks inside the repeat loop, and have the "say" block first. This will cause the text to stay on the screen while the meow plays three times.
My Debugging Post (See next slide for Reflection)
Debugging 1.x Reflection
Way back in the 1970s, when I first learned how to program (using punch cards) my favorite part of the process was debugging. I often felt like a super sleuth in search of an anonymous culprit. It was my job to track down that culprit or culprits using logic, trial and error, and a lot of thinking aloud and pencil tracing of the program flow.
I did a fair amount of programming (mostly for teaching purposes), using a variety of languages, through the 1980s and 1990s, and began using Flash ActionScript in the 2000s, followed by my recent foray into Scratch in the past two years.
So, it was a delight to do the Scratch debugging activities! As I wrote in my post:
My general approach to debugging is:
I tend to help folks learn how to debug by using language and, if necessary, diagrams to walk through the flow of each line of code. I ask them to explain: What is the program doing? If this is not what you want it to do, what do you want it to do. Now translate your words into program code.
Pass It On
Totally immersed in the remixing portion of this project, much to my surprise and delight!
What is your definition of remixing? The act of building on a project that someone else created, perhaps refining what was already there but definitely also extending it to add something new. In the case of the project I remixed, it was adding Episode 4 to the existing episodes.
What are the opportunities and challenges with this activity for your students? It is a wonderful way to learn from others who may have more experience. It is also a nice way for someone to dive in if they have difficulty starting from scratch. On the other hand, if a student picks a project that is too difficult for them, it could confound and confuse them, possibly stopping them in their tracks.
How did it feel to remix? I felt compelled to try and match the quality of both the animation and story line of the original, and enjoyed the artistic challenge. I used some programming constructs that I had never previously used, and also created a new block. In the back of my mind was: I want the previous programmers to be pleased with my additions.
How did it feel to be remixed? I don't know, as my project has not yet been remixed.
WEEK 2
Characters
The beauty of Make A Block is that you can create any type of action you would like to see - you are the Jedi Master of Blocks! You are the author of your sprite's conventions, be it moving, "talking", changing its looks or doing anything else that you can think of. Using the available blocks, you
can create something entirely new and distinct. And, once created, you can use it as many
times as you like and in as many places as you like.
As with scripts, you can reuse your blocks as often as you like by dropping them into your
Backpack. Once in your backpack, you can pull out a block anytime you want to use it,
regardless of which sprite you initially created it for. This lets you easily share
characteristics between sprites and between different projects.
Alternatively, think of making a new block as defining a new vocabulary word to add to the dictionary of words (blocks) that a sprite can understand.
Conversations Remix
Broadcasting is sending a message (signal) that any sprite can receive who is listening, much the way a television broadcast sends a message (signal) that anyone can receive who is watching. You can also think of Broadcasting as shouting from a megaphone to anyone who is listening. The megaphone is the Broadcast block, the listening is the Receive block.
In this example, when the green flag is clicked, the sprite will display "Hello!" on
the screen for 2 seconds and then broadcast (send
out) the message "Hello!" Once the message has
been broadcast, whatever sprite is set to listen for
that message will receive it. Thus, in the blocks
on the right, when the sprite receives the message
"Hello!", it will display "Hi there!" on the screen for
2 seconds and then send its own broadcast message of "hi there", which in turn
will trigger the next round of activity.
And so on and so forth…
Broadcasting is a more sophisticated control mechanism than timing in that it allows for multiple actions or multiple sprites to respond to a particular broadcast. Timing, on the other hand, requires more focus on the mathematics of timing, particularly if you want to have multiple events happen in sequence. Also, I wonder if the speed of the computer has any impact on the timing.
Scene
This Scene Starter was initially created in the Spring as a demo for a 5th grade Spanish class. They were charged with crafting a dialogue using vocabulary they had learned during the year, and were asked to have at least two characters and two different backgrounds, plus to use typed text and spoken words.
Since starting CCOW, I remixed my own
project to switch from using just timing (WAIT blocks) to mostly using BROADCAST blocks.
What does the Stage have in common with sprites? Both the Stage and sprites can have scripts, change how they look (backdrop or costumes), and have sounds. The Scratch Wiki has more here.
How do you initialize sprites in a scene? Initializing is the process of placing the sprites (and any variables, etc) in their starting positions (or values). Using "when green flag clicked" (or any other starting top hat), place the sprites in position using an appropriate MOVE block, set the costume, hide or show any sprite as needed, etc.
What other types of projects (beyond animations) employ scene changes? The use of scene changes lets you use Scratch as a slide show/presentation tool.
How did others use backdrops in the studio? Examples of backdrops include as part of story telling, on a city tour, and in a game.
Debugging 2.x
Debug-It 2.1 – Gobo is silent. Perhaps a sore throat? SOLUTION: To give Gobo a voice, add the "meow" sound in the Scripts/Sound/Costume panel, then add the "play sound Meow" and "say Meow!" blocks to the Green Flag script.
Debug-It 2.2 – No matter what, the Scratch cat always counts to 10. SOLUTION: The Green Flag script asks what number to count to and stores that reply in "answer". The Define Counting block was scripted to repeat the counting process 10 times. The fix is to set the repeat to "answer" (instead of 10), which will let the Scratch cat count to whatever number was typed in when the Green Flag is clicked.
Debug-It 2.3 – Everyone is so excited that they are all shouting out at once! SOLUTION: The Scratch cat just needed to have the sequence of the Green Flag script changed so that each SAY was followed by the proper BROADCAST, and then a WAIT was inserted between all the blocks (except for the first two).
Debug-It 2.4 – Gobo isn't hearing the Scratch cat's directions to jump. SOLUTION: Gobo has the "When I receive JUMP" block all set to listen for the Scratch cat's broadcast, but the Scratch cat was missing the "broadcast JUMP" block. Easy solution: add the block to the bottom of the Scratch cat's Green Flag script.
Debug-It 2.5 – The dinosaur is a dance-a-holic, but dancing should only be happening in the Auditorium, and the dinosaur should only be visible when in the Auditorium. SOLUTION: When the Green Flag is clicked, HIDE the dinosaur. When the Stage backdrop switches to Auditorium, "broadcast showDinosaur", and change the dinosaur's event to "when I receive showDinosaur". In the "receive" set of blocks add a "switch backdrop to auditorium" followed by a "show". Press the space bar for some musical accompaniment, and press the "s" key to save the Dinoasur from sore feet.
My Debugging Post (See next slide for Reflection)
Debugging 2.x Reflection PART 1 of 2
PART 1 - Please go to the next slide for Part 2
For these 5 projects my strategy was to always first look at each of the scripts and see what each script was causing to have happen. My next step was to consider how I might fix the bugs. And then I tried out my ideas. Rather than make all the changes at once, I tend to test out changes as I am making them, so I can see if the scripts are doing what I anticipate they will do.
Tips for programming and debugging:
In some cases, my solutions worked on the first round. In other cases, I did a little bit of trial and error till the fix was in.
Debugging 2.x Reflection PART 2/2
PART 2 - Please go to prior slide for Part 1
In helping someone else to debug, I would guide them with questions and statements, samples of which follow. I would adjust my suggestions and questions to the age and experience (and frustration level!) of the person being assisted.
I LOVE debugging! Super sleuth on the case. :-)
Reflections on "Learning Webs"
As Karen noted, Illich was indeed prescient with his views on learning opportunities and networks. Several times his words evoked Maker Spaces; MOOCS and similar online learning opportunities; unconferences; the systems of ratings and reviews on amazon, netflix, many online stores; etc, and even Toys from Trash of Arvind Gupta.
my
As the posted tweets highlight, we are learning due to our own interests and motivations, getting feedback from (and sharing with) one another, as well as expert guidance and assistance when needed. For us, as adults, this is truly self-motivated learning. This is how humans learn from the age of newborns through early childhood - by using "abundant play" to explore and learn about their world, and they do it because they have an inner "want" to learn about their environment and to survive in that environment.
As an adult, my learning has been intentionally sought and all self-motivated. It has been interest-based for both personal and professional reasons. I have long thought that the best professional development is personal learning.
Illich describes a type of learning that I have only rarely seen at the high school level. Twice I had the benefit of being the faculty adviser to students pursuing independent study projects that were based exclusively on their interests, which they were fully responsible for defining, and which they would not have "learned" within the confines of their normal school experience. Both students were inordinately successful with their projects, to no small extent due to their self-motivation and passion, the guidance they had from experts, the networks of people (in person and online) with whom they interacted and shared, and their sharing back to various communities (as newly minted experts) during and at the conclusion of their projects.
There is no doubt in my mind that, at least in most schools within the United States, our adherence to traditional schooling has done a tremendous disservice to our children. As Ken Robinson has said, we teach the creativity out of our children somewhere in elementary or middle school. He also talks about the importance of "finding your element". There are also many powers-that-be that refuse to acknowledge the impact poverty and socio-economic class have on our children and our school systems. Illich's approach is radical to those who fear losing control of our educational system, because that system helps to keep certain groups in power, and because many people are change-averse. I have not fully thought out my idea of an alternative educational system, but from my 31 years of teaching, I do know what such a system would not include.
In discussing this reading with my husband, he mentioned a quote by Buckminister Fuller that can be condensed to "Let the tool change the people". Those words could be describing Scratch and CCOW. The tools of Scratch (a learning environment freely available to anyone with a computer and Internet access) and the CCOW community (wherever you find it – on Twitter, in the Forum, in the Scratch online community, any of the other online sites, and even at the upcoming gathering at Harvard) combine to change each of us who participate. This forum (and Karen's guiding questions) get us thinking about our approach to learning and teaching. As we use the tools and think about expanding their use beyond ourselves, we are changing. For after all, all learning is changing - changing the neuronal connections in our brains, which in turn changes how we think (and eventually act).
Whew!
Original post is online here in the Forum
WEEK 3
Games - 1
REFLECTION after 1st series of Game attempts:
Awaiting completion of my game!
1st in CCOW sequence; last to be done.
Well, not exactly last to be done. I made two games (a very basic Tic-Tac-Toe that doesn't keep score, and a story-telling game) but was dissatisfied with both. That's when I decided to go through the rest of this week's activities and then return to the Game Project.
Fun tidbit: In viewing the Score video, and then remixing the project, I was reminded of MAKE A LIST in the DATA block, and realized that might be one way of keeping score in my Tic-Tac-Toe game, given how I have crafted the placement of the Xs and Os. Hmm....
REFLECTION after doing all the other activities over several days. Mulled over a new idea last night in my sleep, and getting set to code it today (6/23/13).
The activities were tremendously helpful due to my:
Am pumped to code now that I know what I want to code!
CARD GAMES - yeah!
Many hours later, satisfied with & smiling at my result!
Goal: Create a game Scratch project that incorporates three elements: (1) interactivity, (2) score, and (3) levels.
BOARD GAMES - yeah!
My first true Scratch game:
Games - 2
What is a game? An activity, usually with rules, where a player interacts with someone or something else.
Computer games - at least the ones that keep the player's interest - have levels that challenge the player, a feedback mechanism (such as a score), and opportunity to interact with objects in the game.
I am reminded of the very best of the online games that my sons used to play when they were in high school.
Back in the 1990s I was hooked on MYST. While the game was not played online, several of my friends and students were playing it during a week long snow storm that closed school, and that we formed our own online network via telephone. I was immersed in MYST, and so were my friends. In our conversations, we would talk about "places" we had been as if we had truly been there in person.
Am pumped to code now that I know what I want to code!
Many hours later, satisfied with & smiling at my result!
Goal: Create a game Scratch project that incorporates three elements: (1) interactivity, (2) score, and (3) levels.
And that's what leads me to the most important aspect of computer games – an engaging story line. As I discovered during my first attempts at making a game, without a story line it was impossible to begin making my game! That was my major challenge - to develop a story line around which all other aspects of the game would coalesce.
I am so proud of myself for the work I did this week and of the game I created. I did not want to let any of it rest until I "got it".
Huge thanks to the #CCOW Team for the manner in which they have organized and crafted this course!
Interactions Puzzles w/my SOLUTIONS & STUDIOS
Whenever you press the B key, the sprite gets a little bigger. Whenever you press the S key, the sprite gets a little smaller.
My solution: change sprite size and the Puzzle 1 studio
Whenever the sprite hears a loud sound, it changes color.
My solution: color change and the Puzzle 2 studio
Whenever the sprite is in the top 25% of the screen, it says "I like it up here."
My solution: Screen location happiness and the Puzzle 3 studio
When the sprite touches something blue, it plays a high note. When the sprite touches something red, it plays a low note.
My solution: Color Notes and the Puzzle 4 studio
Whenever two sprites collide, one of them says: "Excuse me."
My solution: Excuse me, we've had a collision! and the Puzzle 5 studio
Whenever the cat sprite gets near the dog sprite, the dog turns and runs from the cat.
My solution: Too close for comfort! and the Puzzle 6 studio
Whenever you click on the background, a flower appears at that spot.
My solution: Flowers! and the Puzzle 7 studio
Whenever you click on a sprite, all other sprites do a dance.
My solution: Dance the night away, and the Puzzle 8 studio
Whenever you move the mouse-pointer, the sprite follows but doesn't touch the mouse-pointer.
My solution: Follow me! and the Puzzle 9 studio
Interactions Puzzles Reflection
Which puzzles did you work on? I was totally hooked on this activity and did all of the puzzles!
What was your strategy for solving the puzzles? I watched the six Nuts & Bolts Videos to refresh my understanding and fill in the gaps. For each puzzle, I thought about possible ways to approach the coding, then settled on one approach and dove into the coding. In most instances, as I was dragging blocks I made minor revisions to my plan, and sometimes tried out additional approaches.
If I had to sum up my strategy, it was: Plan it, Try it, Revise it (whether or not it needed revising), Accept it.
Which puzzles, if any, helped you think about your game project? Humph. After trying my hand at two very different games, I decided that it made more sense - from my learning perspective - to do all of the remaining activities and then return to the game project. I coded a basic Tic-Tac-Toe, but in its current incarnation it cannot keep score. I also have a basic story-like game, but it seems less sophisticated than I'd like. Hence, I submitted Tic-Tac-Toe for feedback (which came from a delightful and hard-core 10-year old coder!) but not the story-like game. I am determined to complete all the activities and then try again at a game.
With that said, a helpful aspect of doing these puzzles is I now have my own mini-library of interactive solutions that can be used at any time.
By the way, I am addicted to CCOW! I have spent more hours than expected just plugging away at coding, especially this week due to the game project. And I am enchanted with the experience!
Score: Fish Chomp Remix
A variable is a container, and like any container, the contents it holds can change or vary, hence the name "variable". Like all containers, a variable has a name.
Consider this example in your daily life:
You drink out of a glass. The glass is a variable.
Its contents can change. Sometimes it may hold
water, sometimes milk, sometimes juice, sometimes
something else. The name of this variable is "glass".
Usually, a variable is initialized to a beginning or initial value, hence the word "initialized".
The initial value of the glass is "empty".
To create a variable in Scratch, select the DATA block and choose MAKE A VARIABLE. It helps if you give the variable a name that lets you know what type of information the variable will hold or contain. For instance, if you want to keep score in a game, you can name the variable "score".
Use the SET variableName to some# block to initialize the variable to a starting value. To initialize the "score" variable to reset itself at the start of a game, you might "set score to 0".
To change the value of the variable use the CHANGE variable by some# block. To change the value of the "score" variable to increase by 1 each time a point is earned, you would "change score by 1".
What other examples of variables can you think of in your daily life?
Instead of starting at 0, imagine you wanted the score to start at 10 and then count down to 0. How would you initialize the score? How would you change its value?
What other ways might you use a variable in a game or other type of Scratch project?
WHAT
HOW
Levels Reflection
subtraction and addition math game by maximoose
Marble Run by Fubaluba
The Maze Game by Kate Armstrong
What are different ways of increasing difficulty in a game?
What computational concepts or blocks are used to implement levels?
Debugging 3.x
Debug-It 3.1 – This project is a wonderful example of how to implement an Inventory. However, the Scratch cat is only able to pick up the laptop and not either of the other objects. SOLUTION: The table lamp and cheesy puffs were waiting to be touched by a sprite other than the Scratch cat. The simple fix was to change the sprite number to Sprite1, which is the cat.
Debug-It 3.2 – The score should decrease by 10 each time the Scratch cat collides with a pink Gobo, but instead the score does not change. SOLUTION: Missing from each of the pink Gobo scripts was a "change score by -10" block. Inserting that block for each pink Gobo made it possible to keep an accurate score.
Debug-It 3.3 – This is a random number guessing game, but the guess checking does not work properly. SOLUTION: There was a problem with the logic checking in the second if/then block. Both if/then blocks were checking to see if the random secret number was LESS THAN the number guessed. The solution was to change the second if/then block to check if the secret number was GREATER THAN the number guessed.
Debug-It 3.4 – The "# of hits" should increase by 1 every time the Scratch cat is hit by a tennis ball (ouch!), but the # of hits is increasing by more than 1. SOLUTION: The solution was to add a WAIT .2 SECS block at the end of the if/then block, which was checking for collisions. Waiting any less than .2 secs caused the same problem of increasing the # of hits by an incorrect number. The addition of the WAIT allowed the if/then code to process the ball passing over the cat as a single hit, rather than continuous hits. The code had been continuously updating due to the if/then block being embedded within a forever block, hence the code was forever checking and updating throughout the process of the ball passing over cat, instead of counting it as one pass.
Debug-It 3.55 – The Scratch cat can walk through the walls of the maze. SOLUTION: There was no code to check if the Scratch cat was colliding with the green walls. That code was added using an if/then block, and the existing check to see if the cat collided with the winning yellow block had to then be changed from a wait/until to its own if/then block. Lastly, both if/then blocks were embedded in a forever block.
My Debugging Post (See next slide for Reflection)
Debugging 3.x Reflection
Which of the Debug It! challenges was most challenging?
I enjoyed these challenges and did not find any of them challenging, per se. However, I had to give a bit of thought to Debug It! 4 to understand why the solution worked.
Why was it challenging? What strategies did you employ to deal with the challenge?
From observation I knew that the number of hits was updating for every moment that the tennis ball was in contact with the cat. I knew the solution was to add a WAIT block and experimented to see how low the wait timing could go and still have the code work properly.
The use of a WAIT block seemed counterintuitive because I think of WAIT as slowing down the speed of the ball. However, the WAIT actually gives the code time to process by having the ball finish passing over the cat before both checking to see if the ball is touching the cat and updating the number of hits if the ball is touching the cat.
Workshop Project: Defining and Planning
WEEK 4
Advanced Features
Educational Programs
Activity Resources
IDEAS PERCOLATING – workshop for seniors (adults), tools for my 3rd graders to learn Scratch within their Environmental Ed class, exploring the use of video sensing and cloud variables
PRELIMINARY RESOURCES – links to the right
DECISION MADE – a workshop for seniors
WHY NOT OTHER OPTIONS? – Between my experience and readily available resources, there is plenty to support my 3rd graders. I will explore advanced coding features on my own as I want to be proficient at using them!
PLANNING COMMENCED – see next slides :-)
My Pilot Planning Document --> Scratching with Seniors
Workshop Project ~ 1 of 2
Workshop project problem/exploration/question statement
What is the problem you're trying to address? Maybe it's not a problem, but an area of inquiry to explore. What is the exploration or question that motivates your project? Can you express this is no more than 3 sentences?
Engaging in novel challenges, remaining cognitively active, and participating in social communities are three ways to enhance brain health for anyone, especially older adults. I am eager to bring Scratch to seniors to tap their creative expression and provide a way for them to share their stories. Heck, it might even increase their coolness factor in the eyes of their grandchildren, and provide common ground via a shared platform for creating and conversing!
Workshop project format
How are you thinking about responding to your problem/exploration/question? What will you be making or doing for your project?
I would like to connect with folks who have experience facilitating activities for older adults. I volunteer in the skilled nursing portion of a local retirement community (facilitating singing and movement for folks with limited mobility and many with some form of dementia) and will be teaching seated yoga to folks in the assisted living portion of this same community beginning in the fall.
My goal is to craft a Scratch storytelling workshop (though am looking for a more "fun" sounding word) to pilot with seniors.
Tips for Healthy Brain Aging from a post I wrote on my blog Neurons Firing, plus check out Ten Important Truths About Aging by Alvaro Fernandez and Elkhonon Goldberg.
Workshop Project ~ 2 of 2
Workshop project needs
What do you need in order to successfully make progress on your project? Do you have access to the resources that you need? What do you still need to figure out? Is it a big Scratch project, a series of mini-activities that explore advanced concepts, a proposal for a learning experience, new resources for young learners, or something else entirely?
I need to connect with people who have experience working with older adults. THANK YOU to Elijah Goodwin (Scratch profile & Twitter) and Alan Yorinks (ScratchEd profile & Twitter) for responding to my tweets about this idea. Looking forward to sharing thoughts and hearing about your experiences!
I also need to review Designing a Scratch Workshop, as well as research on adult learning. (I've blogged about this and related topics at Neurons Firing.)
Lastly, I have to figure out if equipment will need to be provided, and if so, to look at possible grants or donations.
Workshop project keywords
What are five keywords or tags that describe your project.
Workshop project plan
What are the steps for getting your project done? What is a timeline for getting it done?
• Review: Designing a Scratch Workshop, Educational Programs,
and research on designing workshops for adults (July 4-5)
• Connect: via Google Hangout with Elijah, Alan, and anyone
else who is interested (July 8)
• Ponder: format details such as # of sessions, duration of each
session, space & materials logistics… (July 5-8)
• Craft: an outline for a workshop (July 5-10))
• Feedback: ongoing!
• Pilot: Fall 2013
• Revise: continually
Scratch: it's not just for kids!
Don't just tell your stories; create them!
COMMUNITY
CREATE TO SHARE
ACTIVE STORYTELLING
SENIORS ~ ELDERS
HEALTHY AGING
Educational Programs Activity Response
Which programs did you explore?
I scanned the list of Educational Programs and saw many with which I was already familiar. Was reminded that these were geared towards kids and young adults, but not my intended audience of seniors.
I also looked through the various Scratch Stories and found two that were helpful.
A Learner's Perspective: An Interview with Barbara Ericson of the Georgia Institute of Technology reminded me that senior adult learners can benefit from the same approaches used with teaching any new learners:
• go slow during demos & provide a printed reference
• start small & repeat 2-3x
• encourage others to share and assist
• walk about and check things out
• foster the community
Combining Peer Mentorship and Team Teaching: An Interview with Chris Myers and Lindsay Allen of Myers Learning brought me back to 14 years of running Digital Wave, the summer professional development series at my former school. Almost always, these sessions (as well as workshops during the year) included students who helped to facilitate the workshops and teach the teachers.
There is no doubt that peer and student mentoring can be extremely powerful. I wonder if I can find a way to utilize this approach for my Scratching with Seniors workshop, perhaps including grandchildren…
What was something that surprised you?
Well, it wasn't really a surprise, but it did stick out that all of the highlighted programs and stories involve schools or programs for school-age students.
Since 1984, while chatting on an early bulletin board via my telephone modem, I've had the idea to introduce kids in long-term hospital stays to computing as a way to get them outside their hospital world. Over the years, that idea morphed to wanting to bring computing to seniors to share their stories, going beyond video or audio and having them actually create the format for how they share.
What type of experience would you want to offer?
• fun • non-threatening • empowering
• encapsulated in storytelling (both as a format for teaching & for Scratching) • communal
• relaxed • challenging in the zone of proximal development • collaborative • responsive to the needs & interests of the participants • playful
• exploratory (both guided & open-ended) • safe
Reporting Out & Checking In
WEEK 5
My Pilot Planning Document --> Scratching with Seniors
What are some elements of your project that aren't going well, that you're worried about, or that you'd love advice about?
I have to get over my self-created hump of having been away all last week (at a family reunion for 105 people!) and being off my self-imposed schedule. Hoping to complete a bunch of reading & research over the next two days so I have time for reflection before Monday's Unfocus Group.
Need to remind myself that I am planning a PILOT program and not a full length course!
Mostly, I would like guidance from folks who have experience working with seniors.
Hmm...
What are some elements of your project that you are just OK, or that you're feeling ambivalent about?
I have a tendency to get overly detailed (just read my design notebook pages ;-) and need to remember to Keep the Pilot Sessions Simple!
Reminder to self: reach out to people in other communities (where I volunteer, speakers from Learning & the Brain conferences…) and ask for their feedback.
What are some elements of your project that are awesome or that you're excited about?
Energized at having #CCOW as the impetus & catalyst to finally pursue an idea I've had for a long time!
Excited to add to my storehouse of offerings for seniors – yoga, music and now Scratch!
I will actually have the opportunity to try out my pilot program!
This will take me further as a learner and as a teacher, and it is immensely satisfying to bring this novel opportunity to a group of people who do not often get to engage with new learning and creation.
Respond to another CCOW participant's design notebook reflections by looking for reflections in the forums, the weekly design notebook check-in area, or Adriano's spreadsheet of design notebooks.
I provided feedback on Suhany Chavarria Atavia's Week 5-Project blog post, and on Carol's first draft of her workshop plan.
Unfocus Group
Who I asked
Alan Yorinks, a CCOW participant, kindly did a Google Hangout with me. (Elijah Gordon, also in CCOW, offered to join us, but Hangouts did not work for him. I had the same problem on my desktop and wound up having to use my school laptop.) In addition, I received feedback from a friend who is a senior, and am anticipating a Skype with someone from the Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness (@cogwellness).
Why I asked them
Alan has experience volunteering with elderly folks who live in nursing homes. He also volunteers at his library as a computer tutor, where he has been "working one-on-one with elderly clients."
Elijah was tossing around a similar idea to mine, and like me, teaches at an independent school.
My friend Arlene saw my request for feedback on Facebook. She is in her 70s and was married to a close friend of my Dad's. She and I play Words with Friends with each other. She typifies the type of folks with whom I'd like to Scratch!
The Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness is a Twitter contact who I follow due to my interest in the brain and in adult learning.. I sent a direct request for feedback, and someone responded today suggesting I email to set up a date to Skype.
Their ideas and influence
Alan provided suggestions and prompted a number of ideas that influenced my thinking, particularly regarding personal interactions.
• my plans will likely change based on the population
• it will be more challenging to meet everyone's needs in a group
• am now considering also doing this one-on-one
• local Library can be a viable venue
• Library computers might be in public area (noise/distractions)
• possible physical issues include hearing & manual dexterity
• discussion re: my doing the "mousing" --> let the user decide
Arlene was very positive and thought it all sounded good. (Hmm, am wondering if that's because it is so novel to her, or because she knows me!) I will add to this page any suggestions that may come from @cogwellness.
Reflection on the experience
I quite liked having to reach out to others and ask for feedback. Knowing I'd have an audience definitely impacted the fastidiousness with which I prepared my sharing document. Had I not been so invested in my project, I would likely have been less eager to reach out.
As an extrovert, I find it enjoyable to meet others. Alan and Elijah were both very accessible via Twitter, email & CCOW venues, and replied to my initial project postings there, so I looked forward to meeting them in person. Likewise, am looking forward to putting a face and voice to @cogwellness and learning more about their offerings.
What will next week bring?
WEEK 6
First thoughts at 9:24 Monday morning, July 8, after reading this week's plan…
I absolutely feel a let-down at CCOW coming to an end. I know the community will continue, yet I have thrived with, and thoroughly enjoyed the guidance of the CCOW facilitators. Every Monday morning I checked eagerly and with great curiosity to see the week's activities and plan my immersion. Heck, once I was even up at midnight on a Saturday (due to working on my CCOW projects!) and saw the new week's projects within moments of their being posted!
I had been excited to attend this coming Saturday's Symposium, but may have to forego as my 22 year old is having his tonsils out on Thursday. Attendance is pending the result of the process - how he feels and how comfortable I feel leaving him.
Forge ahead for my remaining Design Notebook pages.
Sharing (next 2 slides) and Reflecting (this slide)
What progress have you made on your project?
Am feeling good about my Scratching with Seniors Pilot, as I've outlined it in ample detail, though it will continue to be fine-tuned for the next few weeks, and perhaps all the way until it is actually put into practice.
I am pleased with the current format, as it is substantive and provides a logical progression within a storytelling context, including physical activity in each session.
What remains to be done?
I am hoping to Skype with someone from the Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness (@cogwellness), as their feedback will be from yet another perspective. There are a three more individuals I want to contact for feedback (Ken Kosik, Kathleen Taylor and Annalee Lamoreaux, all who I am familiar with from attending Learning & the Brain conferences.
Also need to contact Lynn Cohen, Volunteer Director at the Osborn, and Barbara Schoenfeld, SAFE Program Director at Community Synagogue, to see about running the pilot in their communities.
Find out where I can procure:
• Scratch Pads for folks to use as their Design Notebooks
• giant sticky note pad & Sharpies
• grants or donations, if needed, for computer equipment
Make, print out and laminate large versions of each of the blocks for the 8 blocks activity
Be prepared to duplicate copies of several of the Handouts from the Curriculum Guide Appendix (pgs 49, 50, 54-57)
Seniors Crafting Their Stories!
Pilot Project: Scratching with Seniors ~ Laurie Bartels Design Notebook
What?
The older we get, the more stories we have to share about our life experiences. There are many ways to share stories, but often the method is semi-passive for the storyteller, and usually involves just one medium. The storyteller does the writing or recording or art, or is videoed, and then the story is passed along for the audience to see or hear.
Everyone is creative, so it's about time that our senior citizens have the opportunity to create their stories! Scratch could be a wonderful medium for doing just that, hence my project is a pilot program: Storytelling/Scratching with Seniors
And I am wondering how this dynamic would change if grandchildren were included in the mix.…
So what?
Research shows that engaging in novel challenges, remaining cognitively active through a variety of experiences, and participating in social communities are three ways to enhance brain health, especially as we get older. Learning to Scratch, and perhaps learning to use a computer, addresses all of these activities by providing plenty of novel, playful challenges, in small increments, the resulting stories to be shared with family. Brain health; it's good for everyone!
Now what?
Time to make contact with the people who would provide the venues (retirement home where I volunteer, a local synagogue, my local library). This coming school year I will be teaching 4 out of 5 days each week. Hazaah, this means I have a weekday when I can be facilitating this pilot. So, now is the time for me to make the connections and present the pilot so that it actually happens this fall. Also need to uncover all the possible types of mice available for folks with varying degrees of manual dexterity.
a spry 77 year old upgrading to a new Mac in 2006
I realized my job was to awaken possibilities in others.
Benjamin Zander, Davos 2008
Links ~ Design Notebooks
Links ~ Scratch et al