We've learned a bunch about the programming possibilities of Scratch and how to make it do complicated things like keeping score in games and respond to an outside stimulus (like light and touch and sound).
The folks here at MIT are really helpful. There is at least one facilitator for every two workshoppers making the learning curve flatter - though for some of these folks doing show and tell, it's hard to tell who did the work - but as we are a room full of smarty pants teachers, it probably is a good bet that most of them could do these things, it would just take a little longer to figure it all out.
I know that you girls (Hannah, Sophia, & Emily - and the M's too) will love this and I'll send the link to Al Tabor who will get a total kick out of it. Matt, you should check this out. It's pretty intuitive and you will get it in a snap
Showing posts with label MIT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MIT. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Tuesday morning at MIT
We woke up to the snarl and shout of the alarm clock at 6:15 Boston time (5:15 Chicago)- to make the 7:15 bus to MIT. The bus driver took the curlicue way to MIT - we are just in Kendall Square so I'm not sure how hard this could have been.
We looked at the coolest software, ladies. I'm going to load it on your machines when I get home. It's called Scratch and you can program your own computer games and animations and it's fun (and easy, too).
The Lifelong Kindergarten at MIT is big fun. The room is full of Legos. They invented the lego robotics "mindstorms" stuff that I am sure is the stuff that they are using in the Girl Scout workshop. I don't know how $$ it is, but it sure would be fun to have. I need to have my room at school look like this place - it looks like a demented giant decorated it. (photos to follow)
They are itching to get going in three minutes - and there is a woman at our table (who joined the group this afternoon) who uses self controlling speech for everything she does. She pilots herself aloud through every step of the process - "I have to find widget. Ah here are the widgets, can I make them bigger? Yes! So now the widget needs to run over here? Can I make more than one widget do this at the same time. Now I have to do this, then that now why isn't it working. why isn't he move... yadda yadda yadda - I am ready to smack her in the face and she' only been here 10 minutes!!!!
Gotta go and workshop. Love to you - I'll update later.
We looked at the coolest software, ladies. I'm going to load it on your machines when I get home. It's called Scratch and you can program your own computer games and animations and it's fun (and easy, too).
The Lifelong Kindergarten at MIT is big fun. The room is full of Legos. They invented the lego robotics "mindstorms" stuff that I am sure is the stuff that they are using in the Girl Scout workshop. I don't know how $$ it is, but it sure would be fun to have. I need to have my room at school look like this place - it looks like a demented giant decorated it. (photos to follow)
They are itching to get going in three minutes - and there is a woman at our table (who joined the group this afternoon) who uses self controlling speech for everything she does. She pilots herself aloud through every step of the process - "I have to find widget. Ah here are the widgets, can I make them bigger? Yes! So now the widget needs to run over here? Can I make more than one widget do this at the same time. Now I have to do this, then that now why isn't it working. why isn't he move... yadda yadda yadda - I am ready to smack her in the face and she' only been here 10 minutes!!!!
Gotta go and workshop. Love to you - I'll update later.
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