ScratchEd at MassCUE 2018
Contributed by
Alexa Kutler, November 13, 2018
This year, MassCUE's Fall 2018 Conference featured over 200 50-minute sessions and hosted over 2500 educators from around the Massachusettes area. The conference features the work of educators who are excited about creating engaging learning environments for all students through the skillful and thoughtful use of technology.
My first stop at MassCUE's Fall 2018 Conference was the #ScratchEdMeetup workshop, led by Ingrid Gustafson and Natalie Poverchuk. Here I participated in a ScratchEd Meetup alongside a number of educators. Our go-to topics for the day were: Scratch Across the Curriculum, Intro to Scratch, and Scratch 3.0. The groups explored everything from how to make the Scratch cat move, to the nuances that will accompany 3.0's release in January. Educators also shared a number of great resources during the final 'sharing' portion of the meetup and spoke with their neighbors about what they took away from the experience, and how they'd like to bring new practices into their classrooms.
Next, I decided to check out Heather Lister's Multiple Modes of Making where I learned about three different models of makerspaces: open models, project-based models, and curriculum-embedded models. It was fascinating to learn more about the various ways educators can support students through creative learning, and in particular to imagine what types of scaffolding might be useful for different projects. You can learn more about Heather's work here.
After my immersion in makerspace land with Heather, I headed to Natalie Poverchuck and Catie Porter Roberts' presentation, "Scratch That." Here, Natalie and Catie spoke about everything from incorporating Scratch into content area classrooms, modeling creating with Scratch for students, student evaluation and more. It was a very helpful session for anyone interested in learning more about bringing Scratch into their classroom. Catie and Natalie also shared some really helpful templates as well as resources— see the slides here!
I look forward to attending next year and learning more about all of the amazing ways teachers are bringing Scratch and constructionism into the classroom!
This year, MassCUE's Fall 2018 Conference featured over 200 50-minute sessions and hosted over 2500 educators from around the Massachusettes area. The conference features the work of educators who are excited about creating engaging learning environments for all students through the skillful and thoughtful use of technology.
My first stop at MassCUE's Fall 2018 Conference was the #ScratchEdMeetup workshop, led by Ingrid Gustafson and Natalie Poverchuk. Here I participated in a ScratchEd Meetup alongside a number of educators. Our go-to topics for the day were: Scratch Across the Curriculum, Intro to Scratch, and Scratch 3.0. The groups explored everything from how to make the Scratch cat move, to the nuances that will accompany 3.0's release in January. Educators also shared a number of great resources during the final 'sharing' portion of the meetup and spoke with their neighbors about what they took away from the experience, and how they'd like to bring new practices into their classrooms.
Next, I decided to check out Heather Lister's Multiple Modes of Making where I learned about three different models of makerspaces: open models, project-based models, and curriculum-embedded models. It was fascinating to learn more about the various ways educators can support students through creative learning, and in particular to imagine what types of scaffolding might be useful for different projects. You can learn more about Heather's work here.
After my immersion in makerspace land with Heather, I headed to Natalie Poverchuck and Catie Porter Roberts' presentation, "Scratch That." Here, Natalie and Catie spoke about everything from incorporating Scratch into content area classrooms, modeling creating with Scratch for students, student evaluation and more. It was a very helpful session for anyone interested in learning more about bringing Scratch into their classroom. Catie and Natalie also shared some really helpful templates as well as resources— see the slides here!
I look forward to attending next year and learning more about all of the amazing ways teachers are bringing Scratch and constructionism into the classroom!
