This week our group was asked to review our Alice and Scratch projects in relation to learning invariant tasks, teaching invariant tasks and if asked to redevelop these projects, how we would apply the Development process.
The principles accomplished while learning Alice and/or Scratch where creating strong links, dividing learning into 5-7 attainable chunks, and relating to prior knowledge. Becky had the background knowledge of programming to aid in her grasp of both programs and linking of concepts. Furthermore, her learning was made easier with the use of tutorials of Alice and shared projects of Scratch. During these projects, Kimber struggled due to lack of interest and zero prior knowledge. Because this, her Alice project was turned in incomplete. However, the Scratch program with the use of chunking, Kimber was able to figure Scratch out. Lauren, used all forms of learning to tackle the Alice and Scratch projects. Lauren found she created her strongest links of concepts from watching tutorials. Like Kimber, she applied chunking to help focus with Scratch by learning one color at a time.
The principles accomplished while teaching Alice and/or Scratch include routine tactics, enrichment tactics, motivational tactics, and review. Becky developed a routine jeopardy game using Scratch that incorporated several academic categories allowing the user to choose which to answer. Through the use of chunking of information by category, the student could choose which to focus allowing enrichment and feedback via motivational tactics. Kimber was also able incorporate literature into her Scratch project, making her game motivational and have purpose. Lauren’s games included all four principles. Her Alice project informed students if they had received the correct answer (motivation), used the same method for the different shapes (routine), allowed them to learn and prove what they had learned through the choosing of the correct shape (enrichment), and there was a review that took them back through the shapes they had learned and identified. In her Scratch project, routine was used throughout the game, enrichment with learning about space and counting, motivation with the astronauts doing a dance when the students clicked them, and reviewed when the student was able to go back and complete the game again.
If required to redesign either project, the development process would need to be implemented by analyzing, designing, develop/produce, and implement. Becky would consider changing objectives, design a concept game, add a summary page for reflection, and implement more changes as needed after students have played the game. Kimber would, after having an option of programming language, give more thought into audience and purpose of the game, take more time to figure out commands, and have peer feedback for any further changes. Lauren would redesign her project by first pre-assessing her students, design varying levels for the learner, produce better scoring, and allow the students multiple times to track improvement.
Kimber’s comment on choice of programming language interested me to research other possible programs available. I remember while doing these projects that I would have preferred to do Scratch first and Alice second and possibly explore and compare other programs available for middle school and high school students.2. Articles
Computer programming -- educational programming languages. (2008, December 16). Retrieved from http://www.kidslike.info/computer_programming_educational_programming_languages
This article ranked the programs Scratch, Alice, and Greenfoot. It did confirm that Scratch is for elementary students while Alice is for middle school students. Therefore, the ordering of projects last year should be switched to enhance learning based on difficulty and lack of prior programming knowledge. The article went on to conclude that Greenfoot is for high school and even college students.
Diana, R. (2011, July 20). 36 resources to help you teach kids programming. Retrieved from http://regulargeek.com/2011/07/20/36-resources-to-help-you-teach-kids-programming/
This article discusses and lists the traditional languages of programming to help any learner get a grasp of what they are getting into along with a list of learning environment programs. Further more it gives a list of resources for further information of chosen topic.
Priest, J. (2008, January 24). Getting started - kid friendly programming software. Retrieved from http://kids.dzone.com/news/getting-started-kid-friendly-programming-software
This article gives a list of “beginner” programming software. The writer of this article mainly uses Edubuntu, but has been exploring programs such as Squeak, Scratch, KTurtle, and Hackety Hack. All 4 have been listed for the beginner stage of programming.
I know that Wikipedia is not a reliable resource, but it can definitely be used as a stepping stone for any research. The following are two links to a list and a table that defines programming software for kids and their best uses.
1. Lists programs for children:
2. Divides program compatibility by age:
3. Best Article
Of the 3 articles, I found the “36 Resources To Help You Teach Kids Programming” article to be the most useful. It listed traditional programming languages with a simple reason why it may be a good language for kids to learn. Programs used for actual learning environments are listed as well and incorporate what the program focuses on. This article is a great resource for anyone getting started in the programming world. It helps the user decipher which program would best suite their needs based on skill level.
4. Questions to Group
Would you still incorporate both Scratch and Alice in the project list from last semester, or revamp with completely new programs? Which programs would they be and why.
Do you consider your teaching area of critical importance in relation to the using Scratch and Alice in your classroom? If so, how do you incorporate it? If not, which programs would you use in their place?
If I had to choose between Alice and Scratch, I would choose Scratch over Alice and I will not replace it with any other. I felt comfortable working with Scratch over any other because of its graphical, user-friendly interface. There might be some limitations, yet with time constraints and its purpose it works fine.
ReplyDeleteI am a strong believer in technology effectiveness. Many have question if certain subjects need or don't need technology, in this case, programming. With all research I have conducted for our masters I understand technology motivates students in a certain way and programming might be another application that can not only motivate them, but will also develop their logical analytical skills. Again, time is an issue so only if we can give students precise instructions and end result examples we can save time and make it easier on them. If it is a game then Scratch can be a good application and if it an animation or story then Xtranormal may better address their needs. If you are in a need of introducing programming or creation of games Scratch is a good idea, it just depends on the purpose.
First I want to say, great job on the discussion summary. You hit every key point that we discussed and made it easy to read again, despite the fact that we had already done so in discussions!! Great job!! :)
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed your research topic because I also felt that Scratch and Alice should have been swapped in order for us to get a basic knowledge of it (through Scratch and it's simplified version) and then move on to Alice where it was a bit more difficult to grasp and understand. I really like that you found other programming software at a beginning stage. Since I'm an EC-6 teacher, the beginning programs would definitely be of more interest to me than Alice since most of my students would not be able to use Alice. I really enjoyed the "best article" that you posted. It gave so much information about programming and different programming softwares in a list format so you could click on each to learn more. I like having lists of extra information so that I can learn about each at my own pace. I also really liked the references at the bottom that could be very helpful when teaching programming to your students.
As far as the questions, I would defintely revamp the programs. Personally, I would give students the choice. I would choose 2-3 beginning programs for them to choose from for the first project, and 2-3 more advanced programs for the second project to choose from. This sometimes makes grading a bit more tedious, but I like to give students choices and allow them to have more control over their choices and their learning. I would supply a list, like the "best article" you incorporated that explained each program, with an example of a project created with that software and allow them to choose. Since I don't have a specialty, just a "generalist" teacher, I do feel that either of these could be incorporated in my teaching styles, but as said above, I would allow choices and let the students use a variety of programs. Even allowing the students to demonstrate and explain their programs to the other students would be a great way to involve them and make them the experts on these different softwares.