Teachers Teaching Teachers #215-Lots of overlapping pieces: Laura Fay and Tim Baker on using Scratch in middle school-08.25.10

Post-Show description: 

On this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers, Laura Beth Fay and Tim Baker join Susan Ettenheim and Chris Sloan to talk about Scratch and its uses in junior high.  Susan met Laura and Tim at the 2010 Scratch@MIT conference.  Tim’s interests in environmental education align with our ongoing Voices on the Gulf project; like Susan and Chris, Laura works with her local writing project – in Susan’s words “lots of overlapping pieces.”

Laura Fay is an 8th grade reading teacher at Fisher Middle School in Ewing, New Jersey; her students use Scratch to compose multimedia as part of her journalism curriculum.  Tim is a graduate student in interaction design at the University of Maine, and he’s helped create an environmental simulator for middle school students aid their understandings of ecosystems called Sim Stream.

Meet Laura, just the way Susan did at the MIT conference: http://kimpearson.net/?p=804 Laura is active with NWP@Rider - NWP@Rider is dedicated to supporting and developing literacy in the Mercer County, New Jersey area. Laura also works with literacy and Scratch and interactive journalism. 

Tim Baker came to MIT from Orono, Maine with his project Sim Stream. University of Maine Undergraduate researchers are developing a grades 6-8 virtual, educational system that poses environmental issues for students to explore in their own ecological system, drawing from diverse areas of study. By learning to use scientific observations, analyze data, and draw inferences in formulating decisions and policies, students develop an appreciation and understanding for natural resources, human-non-human inter-dependencies and the need for civic responsibility.

About Scratch: Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art – and share your creations on the web. As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

 

Scratch Project

Click Read more to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.

20:56:07 SusanEttenheim: hi gail!
20:56:26 Gail Desler: Hi Susan, Welcome back from MIT visit!
20:57:05 SusanEttenheim: thanks - glad you're here tonight!
20:58:17 Gail Desler: Thanks! Spent the morning lobbying our County Bd of Sups not to cut ed program that teaches kids about water shed - we won!!!
21:00:40 Gail Desler: Teacher will be joining Voice on the Gulf tomorrow and sharing kids' video - which swayed the board's decision - http://www.schooltube.com/video/9ca3b40700bbb2cf2a87/Saving-Splash http://www.schooltube.com/video/9ca3b40700bbb2cf2a87/Saving-Splash
21:02:43 chris sloan: hello Gail
21:02:48 Gail Desler: Hi Chris
21:03:54 SusanEttenheim: gail is your skype on?
21:04:18 TimBaker: http://picasaweb.google.com/Timbone945/SimStream?authkey=Gv1sRgCMP-9vvCnv_sowE#
21:04:18 Gail Desler: OH, no, I'll do that right now.
21:08:38 SusanEttenheim: hi ctibbs welcome!
21:09:51 SusanEttenheim: hi ctibbs - welcome!
21:12:11 Gail Desler: One week at MIT...wow!!!
21:13:56 SusanEttenheim: it was amazing gail!
21:15:10 chris sloan: http://scratch.mit.edu/
21:15:59 ctibbs: Hi, Susan! It's Catherine Tibbs from Live Oak on the MS Gulf Coast.
21:16:10 SusanEttenheim: Hi Catherine! welcome!
21:16:20 SusanEttenheim: can you hear ok?
21:16:43 ctibbs: Yes, I can now. I had some technical difficulties earlier.
21:16:50 SusanEttenheim: great!
21:16:59 SusanEttenheim: just let me know if you want to skype in!
21:17:07 SusanEttenheim: we have plenty of room tonight
21:17:25 SusanEttenheim: hi SueL welcome!
21:17:35 ctibbs: okay. Do I just call you on skype?
21:17:35 SusanEttenheim: please introduce yourself - where and what do you teach?
21:17:41 SusanEttenheim: I have to call you
21:17:49 SusanEttenheim: and you have to turn off your stream
21:17:53 SueL: glad to be here...
21:17:54 SusanEttenheim: is your skype on?
21:18:14 SueL: I can't hear anything so I'll do some troubleshooting to fix things
21:18:15 ctibbs: Yes.
21:18:57 SusanEttenheim: hi  christina welcome!
21:19:02 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
21:19:52 SusanEttenheim: can everyone hear now?
21:20:12 Christina: Hi Susan and everyone. I work for the national writing project.
21:20:20 Christina: amzing how well you can talk and type Susan :)
21:20:29 SusanEttenheim: haha
21:20:39 SusanEttenheim: can you hear ok now?
21:20:50 Christina: I can. Is there a screen/slide show?
21:20:56 SusanEttenheim: great
21:20:59 SusanEttenheim: screenshots
21:21:04 Gail Desler: Hi Chrisina!
21:21:15 TimBaker: http://picasaweb.google.com/Timbone945/SimStream?authkey=Gv1sRgCMP-9vvCnv_sowE#5509487248694310914
21:22:01 Christina: Thank you!
21:22:15 SusanEttenheim: isn't it pretty!
21:22:24 SusanEttenheim: it feels very "watery"
21:23:29 Gail Desler: Scratch + writing ...wow
21:24:20 SusanEttenheim: and Scratch and gaming and ecology..
21:24:27 SusanEttenheim: .... voices on the gulf!
21:24:54 Gail Desler: AH...now there's a powerful connection - keeping it real
21:25:04 SusanEttenheim: wouldn't that be great?
21:26:41 Christina: I believe Laura is going to share some of her work on the forthcoming Digital Is website, or I hope so!
21:26:55 SusanEttenheim: :) Christina
21:27:07 chris sloan: I'm looking forward to seeing that Digital Is site!
21:27:11 Gail Desler: I hope so too.  @Christina
21:29:39 Laura: http://highered.commandprompt.com/ijims/cafev3/public.php
21:32:30 SusanEttenheim: welcome back ctibbs!
21:32:38 SusanEttenheim: want to join in the skype conversation?
21:32:47 SusanEttenheim: christina - want to join in?
21:32:54 SusanEttenheim: have your skype on tonight?
21:33:30 ctibbs: I'm having computer problems and am trying to fix them.
21:33:31 Christina: sorry, got a call here ... brb
21:33:43 SusanEttenheim: anything we can do to help?
21:39:37 Christina: sorry Susan, I'm back.
21:39:53 SusanEttenheim: great - can I skype you in?
21:40:39 Christina: I just logged in.
21:41:19 Christina: I need headphones, sorry.
21:41:54 SusanEttenheim: no prob! I should have reminded you!
21:42:02 SusanEttenheim: let me know when you're ready
21:42:11 Christina: okay
21:47:53 SusanEttenheim: hi leanne!
21:47:54 SusanEttenheim: welcome
21:48:06 Christina: Maine WP: http://mainewritingproject.org/mwp/
21:48:08 SusanEttenheim: oops sorry leeanne
21:48:17 TimBaker: Thanks Christina!
21:49:19 SusanEttenheim: tim - I think that would be a natural connection for your work!
21:49:32 SusanEttenheim: leeanne - can you hear ok?
21:49:42 Christina: You are welcome ... (took me awhile to figure out how to post, oops :)
21:51:14 Christina: (I missed your presentation Tim -- the slides look really interesting though. Will listen to the archive here to learn more.)
21:52:27 TimBaker: ok - let me know if you have any questions
21:53:53 Christina: I will! Thanks :)
21:57:08 leeanne: sorry someone just came into my office to talk - I'm in Hong Kong and its 10am here
21:57:52 SusanEttenheim: ahh no prob!
21:58:02 SusanEttenheim: please introduce yourself - where and what do you teach?
21:58:09 Gail Desler: @leeanne - still amazes me how seamlessly we can connect across continents, time zones, etc
21:59:21 leeanne: Hi I'm Lee-Anne Patterson, Learning Tech Coordinator in Hong Kong at an English school. Soon to relocate back to Australia. I also teach maths and ICT - currently teaching middle school students Scratch
21:59:53 SusanEttenheim: thanks for joining us!
22:00:17 SusanEttenheim: I would ask you if I could skype you in but we're wrapping up for tonight
22:00:23 SusanEttenheim: do you use skype?
22:00:32 leeanne: yes
22:00:35 SusanEttenheim: we talk every wed this time... please join us!
22:01:13 SusanEttenheim: we all met at scratch@mit - were you there by any chance?
22:02:09 leeanne: No - unfortunately didn't get to this. My friend Clive Dawes did though. Haven't caught up with him since the start of our school year
22:02:32 SusanEttenheim: you can hear the audio now right?
22:02:43 leeanne: yes - listening to you all in itunes
22:02:48 SusanEttenheim: great
22:02:59 SusanEttenheim: please join us anytime!
22:03:17 leeanne: I'm a real lurker :p How to join through skype?
22:03:25 Gail Desler: Looking forward to the Scratch entries in Voices on the Gulf!
22:03:31 SusanEttenheim: I have to call you into the conference call
22:04:28 SusanEttenheim: thanks everyone!
22:04:38 chris sloan: thanks Susan!
22:04:45 leeanne: do you post discussion topics before session?
22:05:10 TimBaker: Thanks Susan!
22:05:59 SusanEttenheim: there's a list leeanne
22:06:04 SusanEttenheim: would you like to be on it?
22:06:08 SusanEttenheim: what's your email?