Integrating Scratch with CS roundtable

cs teachers

what you do in 9 weeks? (1-hour meeting)

how scratch can relate to upper cs concepts

can scratch lead to oop concepts -- e.g. methods/public /private through calls (broadcasts), especially if you encourage kids to use single-stepping to watch how things are going

provide them with challenges to think as computer scientists

keep things closed at the beginning, then let the kids go creating their own projects

a look on how universities are using scratch (Berkeley/Snap)

scratch vs. other choices (e.g. greenfoot, alice, app inventor)

kids were more excited to play with app inventor (not about alice): lots of possibilities.

scratch can be used with other subject matters: geometry, algebra, physics, history...

but scratch cannot be used directly for the ap exam, although it will help computational thinking.

the ability to share is more motivating kids .. they‘d like the idea of other viewing their projects

proving sth personalized would help kids collaborate appropriately

sharing concerns: accounts for the class with no need for parents permission

privacy concerns!

Thanks to Abdulrahman for taking the notes in a very free flowing discussion.