*Scratch Lifelong Kindergarten - Keeping Imagination & Creativity in the Learning Process

Lifelong Kindergarten - Keeping Imagination & Creativity in the Learning Process
Mitchel Resnick, MIT Media Lab
Notes from ISTE10

Primary URL:
http://llk.media.mit.edu

Handouts / Papers:
Available at http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/Learning-Leading-final.pdf
Available at http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/CC2007-handout.pdf

We need to extend this kindergarten approach to learning even in later, more advanced education.
We may need different tools than crayons and blocks to keep it going. Technology can help keep this cycle going so we don't think the only choice we have is to try to just dump data into the students' brains.

Are we asking our students to consume or create?

For Example, Scratch
Imagine -- Get an idea, like from the Warrior Cat novels
Create -- allows students to create their own story or interactive activity or game instead of a computer game that creates the story and actions for them.
Play -- try to build different action combos
Share -- post on the Scratch website and comment/interact with other users
Reflect -- saw others' ideas and comments and edit/add to the project

We want students to begin thinking, "How does that work?"
Scratch helps them think more in programming language, variables
Now can even create their own scratch controllers for activities they create

ScratchEd - ideas for using scratch in education
Scratch Day - people from all over the world hold workshops and create projects with scratch
Scratch @ MIT Conference - August 11-14, 2010 http://scratch.mit.edu/conference
Coming next year... Scratch 2.0 -- will enable students to create projects more collaboratively online
http://scratch.mit.edu
http://scratched.media.mit.edu
http://scratch.mit.edu/conference

Scratch is not the most important part -- it's just the tool. The important part is re-thinking learning and how we can use technology to remember this "Kindergarten" style of learning.