Workshop Reflections

I’ve been reflecting on my #ScratchMIT2018 conference Saturday workshop.  I had a lot of information and student work to share and I did that. It was a nice size group of educators from around the world. The people who attended were great and some were definitely excited about it.

@scratch @MrsPollardprime #ScratchMIT2018 excited to be at this session! pic.twitter.com/H3hzklX8Pk

— Uloaku Ojiaku (@uloakuojiaku) July 28, 2018

I spent more time talking about my design review process than I expected. When we finally broke into groups, people seemed engaged when they were looking at my students’ work and thinking about how to support them.

#ScratchMIT2018 : Finding your peeps and learning from them, too! #GettingUnstuck @ScratchEdTeam @MrsPollardprime pic.twitter.com/uHUzldIhVx

— Kathleen Fugle (@kathleenfugle) July 29, 2018

This was my first time presenting a workshop at such a big conference and I learned a lot. One thing I could improve is my facilitation of the discussion. I need to prepare better follow-up questions and do less talking.

I made four different packets of student work to share. Different groups looked at different packets which I thought would facilitate more varied conversations but I was the only one who knew all the work and that hindered the whole group discussion.  I should have at least brought up the finished project under discussion on the screen so that the rest of the group could have a frame of reference.

One project that we discussed was Penguin Trivia. It was noted that its design document matches the executed project well.

I could have followed up with what “supports would you put in place for this student?” Since her communication and time management skills seem strong, she could have used more support on game flow code examples and more time testing and debugging. (Although this is always true)

Another example project that was brought up was Thee Annoying’s Return. In this example, we thought the student could improve how he communicated his project.

Someone noted that he says there are no rules, but clearly, there are. So what clarifying questions should we ask during design review so we know he has thought carefully about his game?

The design document serves as a way for students to think deeply about their project before embarking on its creation. The thing with creative adventures is that plans change. That’s okay. The design document is a guide. There were some helpful suggestions about how to refer the student back to the guide during the creating process as a self-check-in. Older students may be able to reflect on their progress and assess the status of their project themselves.

Some other great ideas came up during the discussion.  One was having a peer review in the middle of the process as a way for students to support students.

Another idea was to have a checklist of things that should be in the project.  I’m not sure if this would be a general or project specific checklist, but it would aid in assessment, either way.

One problem we weren’t able to solve was having the time to meet with each student/group when the numbers are large or the time is short. I generally rally some additional help on Design Review Day so I know everyone’s project gets at least a quick approval so they can get started. I do check in with students each week to see where they are, where they are going, where they are stuck, etc.  There are a lot of pieces to project management, but the benefits of letting students pursue these passion projects are huge.

Overall, I am happy with how it went and I’d enjoy running it again.

Project Management from Design to Showcase

Here are the links to my Saturday Scratch Conference workshop for those who prefer digital or can’t be there.

Presentation slides

Folder with everything

Scratch studio with projects we will be discussing.

Let me know if I left anything out.  I’ll reflect on my conference experience soon.

 

Project Management Workshop Design Document

Project Management from Design to Showcase

This is the title of my Scratch @ MIT 2018 Conference workshop coming up this Saturday. I’m excited and honored to be given the opportunity to share some of my experience working with students to create the original Scratch projects, some of which I have written about in this blog.

Session description:

Managing a class (or club) of students working on individual Scratch projects is complicated.  They have big, creative ideas for their projects. They want multiple levels, gravity, complicated animation, and character interactions in their very first programmed game. We, on the other hand, need these projects done on schedule, for the parent showcase or before grades close. This is project management. How can we, as educators, honor student creativity and voice while dealing with the practical realities of limited time and guidance?

In this session, we will look at elementary student game design documents and find ways to support the conversion of these documents into a working, Scratch-coded final product. Participants will work in pairs or small groups with actual game design documents from my 4th grade Code Club members.  They will discuss and interpret what the student envisions and develop a plan to help the student be successful. A formal plan will help gauge if the student is on target to finish on time.

We will discuss issues that come up during different stages of the process such as helping students communicate their ideas about their project, and think programmatically. We will discuss different ways to code animation, how to find resources, and dealing with student expectations. We will talk about facilitating students working in pairs, time management, and debugging.

(This is my original wording and may differ from the conference program)

Title: Project Management from Design to Showcase
Date: Saturday, July 28
Time: 11:00a – 12:00p
Room:  E15-207 (Wiesner Room)

When I finished writing the description last winter, I was in high spirits because it sounded like a workshop I would want to attend.  I’m hoping to facilitate interesting discussions centered around supporting students and their creativity.

I’ve gathered the student design documents I want to share and am putting the final touches on my presentation.  I’ll share everything here in a post before the workshop on Saturday.  For now, here is the current version of the design document I use with my 4th-grade Code Club students.