Project 2

InfiniteMonkeys_logo_150x54Today as decided when I looked at some of the alternatives to scratch available, I have spent hours on a free app program called Infinite monkey. What an amazing experience. It allows you to create your own app simply and quickly although I was not game to publish and still have work to do on it. Each step is laid out in simple terms with an accompuing short video explaining how to work through each stage. Creating the app requires you to enter using one of your social media networks which might make it difficult in the classroom as these are normally blocked for students. I would recommend it to anyone who has a great idea for an app.

 See you soon
Cathy

Exploration activities weeks 11 and 12.

InfiniteMonkeys_logo_150x54Today I started exploring some of the alternatives to scratch listed on the study desk. I began by playing with infinite monkey. This is a program that allows you to make apps and promote them through app stores. I started to work on a new app but thought I might take this up as my extension program. It was a lot of fun and easy to use and could be great in the classroom for students who have ideas that the whole world should know about. looking at the draft technologies curriculum this program appears more suited to high school students in Year 9-10. According to the materials and technologies specialisation in point 10.3 students should Investigate and make judgments about how properties and characteristics of resources can be combined to design and produce designed solutions appropriate for purpose, with consideration of ethics, social values and sustainability factors.
I also took a closer look at gamemaker which an be adapted for either primary or highschool students. It is similar to scratch where sprites are used and the student enters directions for the sprite. I had a lot of fun using both of these and I’m sure that students will enjoy them as well.

Scratch Reflection Week 4-5

Doing the extension work on scratch this week helped again to make better sense of the program and the many uses in the classroom it may have. My trials were not overly successful but I did have fun trying to figure it out. My son who is in high school thought he would be my hero one or two times and show me how to get it to work. I think that he had actually used it before or maybe it was just a natural ability that made him so clever with the program.

Within the Technology National Curriculum Draft paper, the scratch program can be used from Foundation year right through to grade 10 addressing the Digital Technologies processes and production skills (Acara, 2013). Skills can be developed over the years gaining knowledge in the scratch program but enabling students to move to different programs with a learned ability to write a computer program. Allowing the students to move on with a program like scratch can help them to gain independence and a belief that they can work with other programs at a future time. Looking at the Curriculum guide in Scratch Ed the ability to teach students in conjunction with the Australian Curriculum Guidelines becomes extremely achievable.

References:
Acara. (2013). Draft Australian Curriculum:Technologies.Retrieved from http://consultation.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Static/docs/Technologies/Draft%20Australian%20Curriculum%20Technologies%20-%20February%202013.pdf

Scratch Reflection Week 1-3

It is amazing how easy it can be to construe simple commands. This week I decided to restart my journey using the Scratch Program. Although I try, I find using programs like this quite difficult trying to turn myself around to work out which way I should be heading. After practising a bit longer I found that it wasn’t as bad as I first thought. The first time I drew a triangle it felt like I had received an award, and I can see why this program would be popular for students in the classroom.

Scratch would be very valuable in the grade 5 to 6 classrooms as it addresses section 6.6 in the Australian Technology draft to follow, modify and describe simple algorithms involving sequence of steps, decisions, and repetitions that are represented diagrammatically and in plain English (Acara, 2013). Scratch is a program that allows students to follow simple steps and be rewarded by the action completed at the end. I think as a teacher Scratch will be a program that could easily be implemented into the curriculum to give students their first chance at programming.

References:
Acara. (2013). Draft Australian Curriculum:Technologies. Retrieved from http://consultation.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Static/docs/Technologies/Draft%20Australian%20Curriculum%20Technologies%20-%20February%202013.pdf

EDP 4130 Tecnology Curriculum and Pedagogy.

My name is Catherine Selby and I am a fourth year student studying a bachelor of Education (Special Education) at the University of Southern Queensland.

As part of my Technology Curriculum and Pedagogy subect I have been learning about a program called Scratch and finding other tools to help students learn about alternative digital technologies within the classroom.

This is my journey!

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