A Wrinkle in Tech
My Blogshare for this
module features the blog A Wrinkle in Tech by Mrs. Collette J. who is a teacher librarian at a public elementary school in
Pennsylvania. (Mrs. J has intentionally
left out her last name in her blog in order to protect her privacy.) Her blog addresses numerous topics of
interest to elementary teacher librarians. It is easy to use, has great links to other useful
resources, and focuses on makerspaces in libraries. The particular blog post that led me to her was entitled
“Makerspace Centers in 40 Minutes” which she posted December 28th, 2017. This post details how a librarian can
fit “makerspace time” into a forty-minute class period. Mrs. J also discuses some neat devices
and some projects that can be accomplished in one class period. The one particular makerspace tool I
wish to share from Mrs. J’s blog is Scratch
created by MIT. In my digital
curation project we had to do last module, I focused on digital makerspaces
because some libraries may not have the real space to provide physical manipulatives
for patrons or students to use, but one-to-one schools, which are very common,
now, can provide online makerspaces.
Scratch is one of those tools
that can be used if space is limited but students have access to devices that
can link to the Internet.
This is what the
“about page” of Scratch says:
- With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community.
- Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century.
- Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge.
According to Dr.
Moorefield-Lang, a library is no longer “the house of information, it is now a
location where we can create and build and make information.” I wholeheartedly agree, but at this
time, I do not have the budget to provide many makerspace materials. I do have some coloring sheets and
colored pencils for students to do fancy coloring, and I have some Lego-like
blocks. I even have a bunch of
playing cards that kids can use to make houses out of. Still, that is about it for right
now. But, and this is huge, every
last one of them has a Chromebook and I have used this to teach them how to
make gifs, how to create new images from old ones using PIXLR.com, and now, I
will hopefully teach them a wee bit about coding with Scratch. Further, Scratch is a collaborative tool. Using Scratch, folks can share and work with each other while they learn
and create. Our AASL standards and the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate both
address the need for students to learn how to use technology to create new
tools and they need to be able to collaborate with others while doing it. The
article “The Makings of Maker Spaces, Part 1: Space for Creation, Not Just
Consumption” by Lauren Britton made this point exceedingly well with a quote by MIT’s Neil
Gershenfeld which stated that “instead of trying to interest kids in science as
received knowledge, it’s possible to equip them to do science, giving them both
the knowledge and the tools to discover it. Instead of building better bombs,
emerging technology can help build better communities.” Scratch works!
References
Jakubowicz, J. (2017, December 28). Makerspace centers in 40
minutes. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://awrinkleintech.com/2017/12/28/makerspace-centers-40-minutes/
MIT Media Lab. (n.d.).
About Scratch. Retrieved from https://scratch.mit.edu/about
MIT Media Lab. (n.d.). About Scratch.
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/65583694
Moorefield-Lang,
H. (2018, October 29). Makerspaces
761. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BBsEHD0XE6E
I really like Mrs. J's blog, especially how she explains how to fit maker spaces into a 40 minute lesson. When I first heard that, I was a little skeptical, but I like how she outlined the lesson into minutes. I really never thought of it being incorporated into a lesson until now. But it proves that makerspaces are so flexible...they can be independent, small group, or whole class activities.
ReplyDeleteWow what a great blog share. I know many elementary libraries on fixed scheduling and fitting time in for makerspace can be a hard concept. I think this way the TL can feel successful in teaching the students how to work with the materials before they let them explore within the class time during check out or any other time the TL would let them come into the makerspace area.
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point about not only the budget limitations but the space limitations, too. I have some experience with Scratch, at least watching students use it, and they really enjoyed it. This would be a great offering in any library!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Scratch. Every time I think of makerpsaces I always think of the physical things students use to make and tinker but you are right about space sometimes it is just not available. technology like Scratch can help students make without having to make space to store materials which is great!
ReplyDeleteMonica Francis