#EduGIF Guy. Speaker. Tech Integration Specialist. Google Apps for Edu Trainer. Nerd. #EduDuctTape Podcast Host.
In the 12th mini-episode, I talk to technology integration specialist and middle school teacher Mike Feldman about strategies–including gamification–that he used as a tech coach to motivate teachers to try new technologies in the classroom. Mike also talks about his passion for using a wood lathe to craft pens and how it benefits students when they see their teachers as makers.
In the 11th mini-episode, I’m sharing a discussion that I had with Special Education Consultant David Allan at the KySTE Conference in March. David shares some of the accessibility features available on Chromebooks. Also, I share a special announcement before the interview.
Today’s mini-episode was actually recorded back in early January before most people were aware of the coronavirus and well before the possibility of extended school closures came to those of us in the states. Ironically, I think that the strategies that Dan shared back in January could be incredibly useful in #RemoteLearning. If you are giving any feedback to students during remote learning, especially if it pertains to writing, please listen to this one!
In the 10th mini-episode, I’m sharing a conversation with Technology Integration Coach Dan Stitzel about the success that he had as a middle school language arts teacher with using Screencastify to give students feedback during the writing process.
In the 9th mini-episode, 1st-grade teacher Missy Paden and I reflect on the first iteration of the Educational Duct Tape Workshop along with Missy’s goal of using Choice Boards, her experiences with using tech in the primary grades, and her growth and excitement around #edtech in her 18th year in the classroom.
Note: For the foreseeable future, mini-episodes, recorded live and on-location at a conference or event, will come out every other Wednesday morning.
My 8th mini-episode features an interview with high school science teacher Christina Florence from the #TeachBetter19 Conference in November 2019. Christina shares about her plans to start using Scratch in her Anatomy, Biology, Chemistry and Biology 2 courses to creatively represent scientific concepts.
Note: For the foreseeable future, mini-episodes, recorded live and on-location at a conference or event, will come out every other Wednesday morning.
Scratch is a block-based programming tool from the MIT Media Lab that gets pigeon-holed as a tool for introducing students to coding & programming. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great tool for that, but it’s oooohhhh sooo much more! In my mind–and in the minds of many students who have used it–Scratch is a place with infinite possibilities for creation.
That creation can be, well… just about anything. And that anything could relate to games or music or jokes or…. science, math, social studies, language arts, world languages…. you get the picture. ANYTHING. It could be a great classroom tool. Especially when put in the hands of students.
So, let me give you a little intro to Scratch. Let’s SCRATCH the Surface.
I’ll update this post periodically, adding a few new #EduGIFs at a time. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ll know when new #EduGIFs are added.
Scratch is a great tool for students to tell stories, prove comprehension, practice language skills and . . . well, be creative. Here’s an important skill to master:
Figuring out how to make things move is pretty easy. Often, though, they look like they’re sliding or gliding. How do you make them seem animated? Most sprites in Scratch have costumes. By using the “next costume” block with a “repeat” block, you can make them appear to be running, jumping, walking, heck, even dabbing.
Important Tip: if you don’t put a “wait” block in there, the costume will change repeatedly without you (or your viewer) seeing it. To Scratch, it’s changing over and over instantly – to us, it’s just the same costume the whole time.
Another Tip: if your sprite doesn’t have a second costume that makes it appear to move . . . make one! Duplicate the 1st costume and edit it to make a 2nd one!
Scratch, developed by a group at MIT, has a tremendous reputation as a computer science learning & creation tool. But, I believe it is under-appreciated as a tool for the content areas.
It is a great way for students to show their mastery of content standards, while honing their computer science skills and practicing the 4 C’s. It’s also a great way for educators to create content for their students to interact with.
This summer, I hope to make some examples of how Scratch can be used in content areas. For now, here’s a little taste:
