Flat Scratch Cat ProjectConnecting with coding

Jennifer Fenton, Technology for Learning Coordinator

Aims

● Why use coding as a platform for global collaboration?

● What is Scratch?● Details of the Flat Scratch Cat

project● Sharing ideas for other coding

collaborations

Image: ‘Binary’ Public Domain on Pixabay

Why code?

Hour of Code“In fifteen years we’ll be teaching programming just like reading and writing...and wondering why we didn’t do it sooner.”~Mark Zuckerberg

Why code?● It’s the literacy of the 21st

century● Helps children understand

and ‘tinker’ with the world they live in

● Become creators rather than consumers of technology

● A collaborative tool ~ globally transferable

Image by Mike Lee on flickr, CC-NC-ND-2.0

Why code?

“Code powers our digital world. Every website, smartphone app, computer programme, calculator and even microwave relies on code in order to operate. This makes coders the architects and builders of the digital age.”~Anthony Cuthbertson in International Business Times, August 2014

Began with the Hour of Code

● Free tutorials: http://scratch.mit.edu/help/videos/

● Holiday Cards: http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/hoc/

● Animate Name:http://scratch.mit.edu/madewithcode-name

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYZF6oIZtfc

Introduction to Scratch

● Accessible for elementary students● Free!● Strong community (including other educators

on ScratchEd)● Online and downloadable version

What is Scratch?

● Free, online programming language developed by MIT

● Create interactive games, stories & animations● Share creations and ‘remix’ to learn from others

Driven by students

● Creation of Coding Club● Participation in Global Codeathon● Shared projects at school assemblies● Students taught peers how to use Scratch

But - felt too internal and insulated. How to share excitement in a meaningful, more powerful way?

Flat Classroom Project

A Week in the Life - A Flat Classroom Projecthttp://aweekinthelife12-2.flatclassroomproject.org/

● Formed cross-school/country student groups for each category (leisure, school, housing, food…)

● Teacher mentor for each group

● Shared through wiki, Edmodo, Voicethread (click on example to left)

Merging of ideas

ScratchWeek in the Life

The Flat Scratch Cat Project

stories

sharing

connecting

collaborating

Project Beginnings● Tweet Up for

CodeWeek.EU● Like a Flat Stanley project (

https://www.flatstanley.com/)

● Existing ‘Flat Scratch Cat’ project (http://www.flatscratchcat.com/)

● Our Flat Scratch Cat Project (https://sites.google.com/site/flatscratchcat/)

Flat Scratch Cat Project

● Originally created for CodeWeek.EU

● Swiss Cat travelling around Europe

● Each school creating a project that would become a chapter of a collaborative story - “The Adventures of Flat Scratch Cat”

MakerFaire to launch CodeWeek.EU

● The project was launched at a Maker Faire

● Cat was ‘passed on’ to next school

Potential Ideas for future projects

Global Code-a-thon:● Students participate in coding challenges at

the same time in different locations and use Skype or Google Hangouts to view each other

● Have a ‘code-slam’ where students create something and then share with others online

● Link to UN International School of Hanoi - http://globalcodeathon.unishanoi.org/

Potential Ideas for future projects

Collaborative Game Challenge:● Students in different schools

create games and share them in a Scratch Studio.

● Weekly challenges could be shared and students can share these and learn from each other

● Have a virtual ‘Game Fest’ to conclude the project

Image ‘Video Games’ by G. Singh on Flickr , CC-SA-NC-2.0

Potential Ideas for future projects

Virtual Art Gallery:● Students from different schools create sprites using a

digital drawing tool (or the drawing tool on Scratch)● Students upload their sprites to a shared gallery

(Scratch Studio) where others can ‘remix’● Have a virtual showing of the gallery using a live video

conferencing tool to allow students to talk about their creations.

Other ideas?

Use your ‘text tool’ to add any ideas you may have for global Scratch projects.

Resources & Links

Scratch - http://scratch.mit.edu/ ScratchEd - http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/ Flat Scratch Cat Project site - https://sites.google.com/site/flatscratchcat/home Scratch Lesson Plans by CR 2.0 - http://wiki.classroom20.com/Scratch+Lesson+Plans Code.org - http://code.org/ Scratch That! - http://www.ihmc.us/groups/techconnect/wiki/dd255/ Computer Science Education Week, Hour of Code Tutorials - http://csedweek.org/learn Tynker’s Hour of Code Activities - http://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/Global Classroom Project - A site devoted to helping teachers and students connect http://theglobalclassroomproject.wordpress.com/

Contact Details

Jennifer FentonTechnology for Learning CoordinatorCampus des Nations, International School of Geneva

Twitter @jennysfenScratch: jennysfen