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Scratch and Civic Engagement:

Contributed by ScratchEd Team, March 23, 2017
A follow-up from our #ScratchEdChat on Civic Engagement and a list of resources and example Scratch projects.
  • Original Author:
  • Education Level: Preschool and Kindergarten, Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College and University, Professional Development
  • Content Types: Activity, Curriculum, Reference Guide, Research, Sample Scratch Project, Tool
  • Curricular Areas: Computer Science, Language Arts, Mathematics, Music, Science, Social Studies, Teacher Education, Technology
  • Keywords: Resource, Storify, Civic Engagement


The ScratchEd Team hosted a #ScratchEdChat on Scratch and Civic Engagement on Tuesday, March 14th from 6-7PM EST. We were joined by Raquel Jimenez and Paulina Haduong, both Ph.D. Candidates at the Harvard Graduate School of Education researching Scratch and Civic Engagement.

 

The conversation was framed around three questions:

  • What interests teachers and students (you!) in using Scratch as a platform for Civic Engagement?
  • What issues do you and/or your students care about most? What issues do you want to shine a light on?
  • Civic engagement can be intimidating. What scaffolds can you use to help students engage?
 

Check out the list of resources below that emerged in the #ScratchEdChat, and this archive of the #ScratchEdChat on Storify.

 

Books and Articles

Bransford, J., National Research Council (U.S.), & National Research Council (U.S.) (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded ed). Washington, D.C: National Academy Press. Retrieved from http://ow.ly/oweF309FW69

Madden, M., Lenhart, A., & Fontaine, C. (2017). How Youth Navigate the News Landscape: Recent Qualitative Research. Knight Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.knightfoundation.org/reports/how-youth-navigate-the-news-landscape

Noguera, P., Ginwright, S. A., & Cammarota, J. (Eds.). (2006). Beyond Resistance!: Youth Activism and Community Change: New Democratic Possibilities for Practice and Policy for America’s Youth. New York: Routledge.

Roque, R., Dasgupta, S., & Costanza-Chock, S. (2016). Children’s Civic Engagement in the Scratch Online Community. Social Sciences, 5(4), 55. http://cmsw.mit.edu/childrens-civic-engagement-in-the-scratch-online-community/
     We would like to highlight the recommendations from Roque et al for educators and designers (Section 5):

  1. Connect to Where the Learners Are and What They Are Already Doing
  2. Facilitate Rather than Dictate
  3. Encourage a Sense of Ownership over the Community
  4. Support Channels for Dutiful Citizenship
 

ScratchEd Team. (2017, January 27). Civic Engagement and Scratch. Retrieved from http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/resources/civic-engagement-and-scratch

 

Scratch Projects and Studios

 

Related Curricula and Resources