2010 Scratch at MIT

We presented in panels and workshops:

Creative Storytelling with WeDo and Scratch
Amos Blanton, Jay Silver and Natalie Rusk, with Keith Braafladt
Add a new dimension to creative storytelling by combining the new LEGO WeDo robotics kit with Scratch software. At this hands-on workshop, you'll learn to connect the physical world with the virtual world, creating stories that combine LEGO robotic characters with Scratch animated characters. It's art, design, science, and engineering all wrapped in one.

Let's Get Together: Creating Scratch Workshops for Informal Settings
Jennifer Nelson, Keith Braafladt, Natalie Rusk
We have spent much of the last four years trying to find the most effective ways to bring the wonders of Scratch to kids and adults in public libraries. Through our collaboration, we've developed an approach to teaching that reflects the best principles of positive youth development and the realities of an informal drop-in setting. We've learned that "space is the place": creating an inviting and persistent context for new programs for tweens and teens is essential. We have also been learning about building communities, establishing Scratch as a basis for technology programming in public libraries that champions youth as teachers and staff as co-learners. In this panel, we will share what we have learned and discuss how our work could help others teach Scratch to adults and kids.

Drivin and Flying with the Lego WeDo
Keith Braafladt, Wlll Scharr
In this 60-minute workshop, we will offer participants a chance to get hands-on experience with the new LEGO WeDo robotic construction kit. With the release of version 1.4 of Scratch, people can now use a few simple Scratch blocks to control the motors and sensors of the WeDo. We will have WeDo construction kits available to try out. Participants will play with sensing and controlling movement in the physical environment through various Scratch WeDo projects. Then we will take a look at projects created by staff of the Learning Technologies Center in the Science Museum of Minnesota. We will have participants explore driving and flying games, connecting the physical and virtual world, and then encourage participants to tinker with WeDo, remixing or creating personal WeDo projects.

DesignBlocks: Scratch's Cool, Graphic Designer Sibling
Dan Haeg, Evelyn Eastmond, Keith Braafladt
In this workshop, participants can try out DesignBlocks, a Scratch-based programming language that lets people create, remix, and share imagery online using a familiar block-based language. We will introduce the new language, facilitate a design activity, and share results from trial workshops. DesignBlocks was initially conceived as a means for undergraduate art students to apply the fundamentals of programming and algorithms towards the creation of generative art. We will discuss other potential audiences and applications while creating and sharing our own designs.