Apr 06 2008
Reflections
My 6th graders are using a program called Scratch. The program is fairly new and there are very little advanced help documents to assist new users. I would like to use a blog so my students could become a team of “subject matter experts” by explaining how they created a game or activity using Scratch. How did they come up with the idea? What did they encounter along the way? Students can share any programming issues to help others avoid these mistakes. Are there any basic tips to share about the program?
This practice would help students think through the process they used to reach their final goal and reflect on what they learned.
I really do not see any hurdles if I take the advice of T.H.E. Journal article Content Delivery in the ‘Blogosphere which suggests that a teacher “spend several sessions introducing the concept of blogging, how it is done, why it is done, showing good and bad blogs, etc. Then, provide a set of strict rules for blogging such as frequency, length of posts, number of hyperlinks and staying on topic.” My principal and district administrators are very open to introducing Blogs and respect the educational value they provide. They are very excited about any teacher implementing this tool.
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I have downloaded Scratch. I think it is an interesting program. It is a great idea for students to use blogs as journals. Their journals would be a great resource.