Scratch – My favorite EdTech tools from EDUC 932 Blog Post #6

by Mike Still

Professor Steve Katz gave us tons of tech tips to bring into our classrooms and its hard to pinpoint one favorite.  I see practical implementation for coding, video, audio and other lessons in my classroom.  If I had a 1-1 class where every kid had a device I would certainly involve video and blogging on a regular basis but I think the most powerful learning tool that I plan to bring into my classroom is Scratch.

I used Scratch to complete my Hour of Code and modify a silly game in my last post.  Scratch is a great way to get kids excited about coding.  I’ll be bringing it to my Genius Hour club next semester (because its a BYOD club.)  I started this past semester with the kids making their own Board Game but plan on giving them a Scratch assignment to kick off their creative juices and inspire them to pick challenging goals for independent study.

Coding is quickly coming to the forefront of education.  Its a normal part of the UK primary school curriculum and is being introduced into state curriculum around the USA. Scratch is a fun way for kids to explore the world of coding.  Who knows maybe they’ll make a revolutionary new app and think back to their 4th grade teacher as the one who got them into coding!

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Mike Still
Mike is a travel enthusiast, photographer and teacher. He loves adventure travel, meeting the locals and exploring new culture. As an outdoor enthusiast you can often find him hiking mountains or exploring forests trying to capture the beauty of mother nature. In 2013 he founded www.LiveTravelTeach.com as he left his home in America and has been teaching or traveling around the world ever since!

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2 comments

Mel Crow July 13, 2016 - 5:56 pm

I teach Uni, can’t realistically expect coding will come into class. But can’t wait to teach my nephews! I agree with you, coding is a valued language and early exposure will be extremely beneficial to your students.

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mike.j.still@gmail.com July 13, 2016 - 7:15 pm

I love that you’re going to teach your nephew to code! As an adult its tough to learn and makes me wish I had someone show me when I was younger.

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